Townsmen

About

Townsmen is a single player casual management game with a historical theme. It was developed by HandyGames and was released on November 30, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Townsmen is a single-player historical simulation game offering around 7 hours of playtime. Develop your village into a medieval empire, manage a complex economy, and ensure the happiness of your inhabitants. Protect your town from bandits with military features, and enjoy diverse scenarios, challenging tasks, and unrestricted sandbox gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,060 reviews

graphics47 positive mentions

monetization325 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging city-building experience with a medieval theme.
Players appreciate the variety of scenarios and the ability to play offline.
The graphics and animations are high quality, adding to the overall enjoyment of the game.

A persistent ad banner takes up a significant portion of the screen, making gameplay difficult.
The game often crashes, leading to lost progress and frustration for players.
Many players feel that the game has become pay-to-win, with excessive reliance on in-app purchases for progression.

monetization
354 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
3%
92%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the intrusive and frequent ads that significantly disrupt gameplay. While some users appreciate the option to pay for an ad-free experience, they often feel that the ads are overly aggressive and detract from the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite the option to remove ads for a fee, many players still encounter persistent advertising, leading to a perception of the game as a cash grab rather than a balanced free-to-play experience.
- “I never pay money for in-game purchases, but I made an exception here!”
- “I keep coming back to this game; this is my 6th year playing, and although in-app purchases can speed up your progress, it's not necessary to keep up or progress like most other games of this genre.”
- “Free game to play, addictive and fun, and you don’t need in-app purchases to get somewhere; it is a stable game, 10/10.”
- “The game is intended for money spenders to remove annoying ads, ad popups, and annoying harassment of the game that drains game currency so that you are forced to buy prestige.”
- “A third of the screen is eaten by ads, and you have to pay $3 just to remove them.”
- “The ads are overwhelming.”
graphics
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
26%
4%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charm and quality, with many users appreciating the detailed medieval town aesthetics and nostalgic art style reminiscent of early 2000s games. While some players note that the graphics are simple yet effective, others express a desire for updates or enhancements to improve the overall visual experience. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's addictive nature and immersive gameplay.
- “The graphics and animation are high quality, and the game is addictive.”
- “Beautiful graphics, nice scenery and you can generally see how a town thrives and your 'townies' personalities come to life.”
- “I love the graphics and everything.”
- “A little city-building sim that is very reminiscent of the old impressions games like Pharaoh, Zeus, Caesar, etc. with an art style that mimics games from the early 2000s.”
- “Opens a browser perhaps to get more prestige or whatever, the graphics crash and I end up with a black background with floating houses.”
- “If only you can fix the water graphics and the broken-down bridges which can be the path for bandits, I will give you back your five-star rating from me.”
gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
59%
12%
The gameplay of this medieval city builder is generally praised for its fun mechanics, solid graphics, and engaging scenarios, reminiscent of classic titles like Age of Discovery and Stronghold. However, many players express frustration with intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay, high repair costs, and a lack of certain features like combat mechanics, which can lead to a repetitive experience. While the game offers enjoyable elements and potential for creativity, the reliance on pay-to-win mechanics and the need for improvements in pacing and ad management detract from the overall experience.
- “It's a fun medieval city builder with great mechanics and quite a few scenarios to play from or just a sandbox mode.”
- “The gameplay is solid, reminds you of the Age of Discovery, the graphics are quaint in a good way, similar to a polished Stronghold, and unlike a few other mobile games, many of the cosmetics can be purchased for gold, not crowns (premium currency), which is good as they are required to keep citizens happy.”
- “I've played it for years, the art style is gorgeous and every mechanic feels well thought-out, the scenarios are all unique and feel challenging.”
- “I've been playing for years and am finding recently it's getting hard to play because I'm spending most of my gameplay repairing buildings.”
- “A third of your gameplay screen is advertisement.”
- “Gameplay is interrupted by ads, pathing is shoddy, builders can't find resources when they're available in the tutorial.”
story
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
67%
8%
The game's story and quest structure are generally well-received, with players appreciating the variety of missions and strategic elements involved. However, many users express a desire for more quests and building options, as well as improvements to the quest management system to avoid repetitive tasks. Overall, while the storyline is engaging and challenging, there is a call for more content and flexibility to enhance the gaming experience.
- “Strategy and storyline are perfect.”
- “The missions are interesting and challenging.”
- “The balancing of needs, desires, and quests to complete is simply amazingly realistic!”
- “You control nothing... the so-called quests involve you pushing accept and then waiting for whatever the game deems you should build.”
- “So, over the games with the storyline, I get bored with them.”
- “There needs to be a way to dismiss quests that you do not want to do or maybe cannot do for some reason; otherwise, they never go away.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
10%
10%
The music in the game is generally praised for its uplifting atmosphere and nostalgic quality, enhancing the overall experience alongside the impressive graphics and diverse scenarios. While some players express a desire for seasonal variations in the soundtrack, others find it enjoyable and fitting for the game's theme. However, a few reviews mention dissatisfaction with the music, indicating mixed opinions on this aspect.
- “The music soundtrack is fantastic and has a great uplifting atmosphere.”
- “Wonderful graphics, music, and very good simulation of medieval economy.”
- “You can progress without spending money, and it has a great soundtrack!”
- “The music is awful.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
88%
Overall, players report significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly during gameplay and when ads appear. While some users have experienced a bug-free experience in the past, many express frustration with the current state of the game, especially regarding freezing during critical moments.
- “The game is completely bug-free.”
- “I haven't encountered any glitches or crashes while playing.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; it runs smoothly without any interruptions.”
- “Then when the random video ad pops up, the game screen glitches out.”
- “Also the bugs and glitches get majorly annoying.”
- “After 1 hour of playing, especially as your town is progressing, it freezes and crashes.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the initial fun of farming and building, others find tasks like repairing buildings to be tedious and expensive. Although grinding for prestige can feel repetitive, many believe the game has potential and appreciate its unique take on the farming genre.
- “Fun at first until it becomes tedious.”
- “In case you're wondering, yes it's a bit grindy and wanting all my cash but has potential.”
- “I didn't even want to look for others, even when I had to grind for prestige, which can be a little tedious but once it gets rolling you don't really need to try and farm more.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing interactions of town characters, such as humming the theme song, and the comedic elements that emerge when zooming in on characters. Players find the game both entertaining and accessible, contributing to its overall charm and appeal.
- “It's funny when the townies hum or whistle the theme song.”
- “It's everything you're looking for. Maybe others don't know how to play this game, so they give low stars, but for me, it's so cool and funny when you zoom in on characters.”
- “Awesome and funny game! This game is easy to play and can even be played offline. Highly recommend.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its fantastic music soundtrack, which contributes to an uplifting and beautiful environment. Players who enjoy city-building and management find the overall ambiance particularly appealing and immersive.
- “The music soundtrack is fantastic and creates a wonderfully uplifting atmosphere.”
- “For those who enjoy building and managing, the pleasant and beautiful atmosphere combined with the music is truly captivating.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally well-optimized, running smoothly on devices like the Moto G6 and being easy on battery life. However, users report occasional crashes, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “This game runs smoothly on my Moto G6 and is easy on the battery, although it occasionally crashes.”
- “This game is like 'Banished' without the tornadoes and random diseases, offering a pleasant challenge level, great building choices, and awesome maps. It runs smoothly.”