Under The Yoke
- March 28, 2024
- Priory Games
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Under the Yoke" is a historical simulation game set in Medieval England, where you start as a serf with a small plot of land and must guide your family through generations. Each character has distinct traits, personalities, and skills, and it's your responsibility to manage their livelihoods, social circles, and daily needs. The game's mechanics are based on three core traits: Mind, Body, and Spirit, which impact each character's abilities and interactions. Your ultimate goal is to ensure your family's contentment and productivity while navigating the challenges of the Middle Ages.
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Reviews
- The game has a charming art style and atmosphere, enhancing the medieval experience.
- There is a lot of potential for future updates and improvements, with a responsive developer actively working on the game.
- The gameplay offers a unique and engaging experience of managing a medieval family, with interesting mechanics like the 'taste' stat for food.
- The game is plagued by bugs and a poorly designed tutorial, making it difficult for players to understand the mechanics.
- There is excessive micromanagement required, which can be frustrating and detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- The user interface is unintuitive and can lead to confusion, with overlapping menus and unclear navigation.
- graphics18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style, which many players find captivating and fitting for the medieval theme. While the visuals are described as graphically simple, they effectively complement the game's complex systems. However, some users have reported technical issues, including crashes and bugs that can detract from the overall experience.
“Having a lot of fun building out my character, the music draws you in and the graphics are spot on for the genre.”
“I love the art style, everything has been running smoothly for me and I find it pretty relaxing so far as well.”
“This game looks beautiful, the art style is one of the main reasons I purchased on day 1.”
“While the game is graphically simple, the systems are quite complex.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as rewarding, particularly due to mechanics that enhance friendships with villagers, though it may lack excitement and can feel monotonous at times. New players might find certain mechanics, like food interactions, confusing without a proper tutorial. Overall, while the gameplay may not be thrilling, it offers a satisfying long-term experience.
“I think it's really rewarding that the game has mechanics for rewarding your friendship with villagers.”
“A tutorial would walk you through each menu and make you assign your character to do things, helping you understand basic needs and mechanics.”
“Big fan of the long-term gameplay; I was able to get pretty far in only a decade with my first single peasant.”
“And monotonous gameplay and music.”
“A tutorial would walk you through each menu and make you assign your character to do things, to help you understand basic needs and mechanics.”
“Big fan of the long-term gameplay, though I was able to get pretty far in only a decade of my first single peasant man.”
- story6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is engaging, as it allows players to transition from basic survival to thriving within a community, including pursuits like gaining elected positions and arranging marriages for their children. Players appreciate the RPG elements that provide ongoing purpose and narrative breaks, but many express a desire for more quests, social consequences, and diverse objectives to enhance the storytelling experience.
“You get to a point where you have a surplus of goods, but then you have to consider how to not just live, but thrive, how to get an elected position, marrying off your children, etc. I like the RPG aspect because it makes me feel like there's still a purpose to playing after you've met those basic needs, and there are little story breaks every now and then.”
“Would love to see more in the game: more quests or missions, more social consequences and objectives, more items and equipment to aim for!”
“Would love to see more in the game: more quests or missions, more social consequences and objectives, more items and equipment to aim for!”
“Would love to see more in the game: more quests or missions, more social consequences and objectives, more items and equipment to aim for!”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being monotonous and repetitive, often feeling out of place in the context of survival gameplay. However, some users appreciate the music's ability to enhance immersion and complement the graphics, indicating that while it may be engaging for some, it ultimately lacks variety and depth.
“Having a lot of fun building out my character, the music draws you in and the graphics are spot on for the genre.”
“But I mean things like fixing the broken GUI problems (seriously, did you not actually test your own game?), rethink some aspects of food and their values, and how they might be used by people who are supposed to be surviving by the skin of their teeth, and for God's sake, add more than the one same monotonous music track to the game.”
“And monotonous gameplay and music.”
“And monotonous gameplay and music.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is consistently praised for being pleasant and engaging, with many users highlighting its interesting concept. Overall, it creates a captivating environment that enhances the learning experience.
“The atmosphere is nice and it's interesting to learn.”
“Nice concept, nice atmosphere.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, highlighting that the user interface (UI) is both buggy and unintuitive, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The UI is buggy and unintuitive.”
“The UI is buggy and unintuitive.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the historical accuracy and complexity of the game's mechanisms, particularly in farming and medieval production chains, which adds depth to the grinding experience.
