Publisher Hooded Horse and developer Long Jaunthave released a road mapfor their noble house simulation game,Norland. The plans stretch from now until October, outlining what will be added to the Early Access title.
This month will have focus on optimization, graves, and archers. September is more optimization, ranged towers, and “unique guests.” Finally, October is when we’ll see city walls and gates, barons, and usurpers.
I’m not sure how barons will come into play, but another tier of noble would definitely be appreciated. Usurpers sound interesting sinceNorland’sbig gameplay hook is aRimworld-like system of generation where stories develop from a chaotic interplay of the game’s mechanics.
I previewedNorlandbefore its Early Access launch. I found that it suffered heavily from a lack of balance and progression. I wasn’t alone, as the Steam reviews show that it has a 77% positive “Mixed” rating. However, the developers have taken community feedback and made significant changes over a vast number of patches and updates (they’re on patch 17). I haven’t jumped back in to see how it affects my opinion of the game, since I want to let it marinate for a bit, but I have seen some of the issues I had with it get adjusted.
It’s hard to say ifNorlandwill eventually become recommended playing – and city walls aren’t going to be the fix it needs – but the developers are clearly listening and putting in the work to get it in shape. And to be clear, it isn’tthat bad, it just isn’t where it needs to be. The core concept ofCrusader KingsmeetsRimworldis a tantalizing one, and there are some great ideas found in the execution, so hopefully, it won’t be long before it reaches its potential.
