Summary
In a genre as competitive as open-world survival,Medieval Dynastyis a rare success that stands out among countless games that have tried and failed to captivate the genre’s audience. With a focus on more relaxing gameplay and a constant feeling of progress, it’s the kind of game where hours fly by unnoticed as players move from one task to another in their quest to establish a thriving medieval village.
Game Rant spoke with Render Cube’s Producer Marcin Warszawski about what he feels is important for making a fun survival game, and understandably the answer isn’t quite that simple. In a genre as diverse as this, each game needs to understand its target audience, and Warszawski weighed in on howMedieval Dynastyappeals most to the cozier side of survival gaming.
Survival Games Need To Identify Their Audience
There are of course many flavors of survival games, each appealing to different sensibilities. Morehardcore games likeSCUMtap into the peaks and valleys of a high-stakes, competitive survival experience where surviving another night with one’s hard-earned inventory is incredibly satisfying. Meanwhile, the survival elements inMinecraftserve as a gentle nudge toward progress, motivating players to build a home and perhaps a farm so that they can explore more comfortably. Warszawski notes thatMedieval Dynastyaligns with the latter style, making it important to lean into the cozier elements of survival gameplay that keep players engaged but not overly stressed.
In my opinion, there is no universal answer to this question, as it depends on what product you want to make and to what group of people it is directed at. Our game is casual friendly and has a soothing experience vibe. After all, in our game, there are game customization options, thanks to which you can not only turn off weight and environmental hazards or speed up the rate at which your character is getting experience points, but also make yourself completely immortal. Even though this solution applies to our game, it would, in my opinion, feel like cheating in more demanding survival games or those that are famous for their difficulty like theDark Soulsseries.
Thanks to its generous suite of customizable difficulty settings,Medieval Dynastycan be fine-tuned into the ideal experience for players of varying tastes. For those who are focused on the medieval city building and don’t want to be bogged down by survival mechanics like carrying capacity or starvation, these limitations can be removed from the equation. Meanwhile, players on the other end of the spectrum who cut their teeth onchallenging survival games likeGreen Hellmay wish to crank these settings up for a grueling survival jaunt where every newly built wall is a small victory.
Medieval Dynasty Is At Its Best When It’s Cozy
AlthoughMedieval Dynastycan be made to be quite difficult through its settings, Warszawski says that the overall goal was to offer a game where players can create their “happy place.” For some players, that could be a small lakeside hamlet with a few meticulously decorated homes and a carefully curated population ofbeloved NPC villagers. For others, this could be a bustling town with the maximum number of inhabitants, a rewarding scene to reflect upon after hours of effort and planning.
But if we take into consideration our target group of players, then I think that there should be some dangers that motivate them to develop and improve, but not hard enough to make them feel that if they make one mistake, their whole work can fly out of the window. What is more, I believe that the most important aspect of our game is making your own cozy place. Whether it is just a small farm for your own family or a big living town with over a hundred buildings, a player must be able to stop for a moment, look at it, and think, “Yeah, I made it, and this is now my happy place.” This deepens the feeling of immersion in the game, and many players shared with us their stories about how their villages were their safe spaces where they could escape from some difficult moments they experienced in the real world.
Rather than a hardcore survival game that asks players to risk it all,Medieval Dynasty’s strength is in how it evokes a soothing zen state for players as they’re engrossed in the loop of gathering resources, bringing them back home, and gradually building up their village. This progression loop is core to both survival andcity-building games, and that’s perhaps whyMedieval Dynastyhas enjoyed such a successful run.
