Rising Lords (XSX) Review

Rising Lords is a medieval strategy from German two-man team, Argonwood. With a mission to shake up tired old genres with an infusion of contemporary and innovative mechanics, the independent developers set to give these washed-out ideas a fresh lease of life.

The Charming World of Rising Lords

They say that first opinions are what matter and Argonwood certainly had this in mind while developing Rising Lords. There’s a haunting quality about the graphical style that musters feelings of intrigue and awe. The hand-drawn characters are done in a style perfectly befitting the medieval theme that surrounds this stunning strategy title. Reminiscent of the weird and wonderful figures seen in medieval paintings, the characters of Rising Lords really pull the whole game together and give it an air of authenticity, all the while lending the game a paradoxically contemporary edge.

From the moment the game loads, it’s clear to see the sheer talent and work that has gone into Rising Lords. With so many games rolling out with PlayStation 2 graphics, hastily thrown together from archaic models, it’s always important to appreciate developers that roll out labors of love, as opposed to clearly rushed and effortless money-spinners that are released with little to no care for us, the consumers.

The same love and care carries right through the game, with hand-drawn illustrations backing up event descriptions and smooth, clear menus bearing the same aesthetic. The captivating scenes painted by the evidently brilliant minds of the creators really did well to draw me in and keep me immersed in the wonderful world of Rising Lords.

Rising Lords: A Deeply Immersive Gameplay Experience

With such a beautiful world in which to lose hours on end in, I was hoping that the creativity would stretch to the actual gameplay and it most certainly did. Rising Lords plays out a lot like the Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise, with up to four armies battling out for overall supremacy and world domination.

Aside from building up a fierce and fearless army, you will need to step into your new role as lord and manage expenditures and incomes; taxes and resources; beggars, bears and boar that threaten your lands and building impenetrable forts to keep the enemies at bay. Surrounding lands need to be carefully utilized and turned into pastures for cattle, horses and sheep as well as ground space for inns, smitheries and farming.

The management aspect of Rising Lords runs deep, with a large selection of menu options to test and tweak in order to bring prosperity and fortune to your towns. While the tutorial teaches you the very basics of being a lord, the game demands patience and a lot of problem solving if you’re going to progress through the scenarios.

Rising Lords is no walk in the park. After completing the tutorial, I felt ready to dive into the campaign scenarios and was quickly humbled by the complexity of running a medieval realm. There is no doubt that over the next few weeks I will be spending hours on end trying to master the art of being a noble. It’s tough and unforgiving but, my god, it will keep me going back.

Rising Lords – Summary

With it’s easy-on-the-eye aesthetics and deeply intricate strategy-based gameplay, Rising Lords is an absolute triumph and a true testament Argonwood. With so much to learn it can seem quite daunting at first but there’s plenty of reward for getting stuck in and getting to grips with the mechanics of the game.

Rising Lords is available now on Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.