We’re spoilt for choice with fantastic city builders right now, but I could always use more. Manor Lords, Frostpunk 2, Against the Storm, Timberborn, and Cities Skylines all offer us something slightly different, but none of them are quite like Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown. Mixing city builders, RTS games, and medieval fantasy into one comprehensive experience, it’s finally set for a full 1.0 launch on Steam very soon.
You’ll be instantly familiar with Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown if you’ve played the likes of Manor Lords. You start as a new ruler of a medieval fantasy kingdom, harvesting resources, placing structures, and ensuring that your people can do more than just survive. So far, so city builder. But then things start to change.
As a ruler, you also need to secure your kingdom’s reputation. That means Thrive has a narrative event system where all your choices matter. You can set your kingdom down a path of benevolence or tyranny, with tough decisions spread across the game’s three distinct acts. Luckily, however you choose to rule comes with its own advantages and challenges, but you’ll always want to consider that next decision.
When war comes to your doorstop, however, things change. Thrive turns into an RTS game – akin to Age of Empires and Total War – where you’ll need to do what you can to win. Whether you’re laying siege to a castle, plundering a trade route, or coming up against a fantasy creature, quick thinking is the way to go.
With Steam 1.0 now right around the corner, plenty of features have come to Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown since it launched in early access. These include a huge visual fidelity overhaul, extra militia units, citizen revolts, trade route improvements, additional town buildings and structures, the new influence system, difficulty settings, and more. As for 1.0, it’ll come with quality-of-life upgrades like full Steam achievement support and the option to disable narrative dialogue.
Zugalu Entertainment confirms that Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown is launching out of Steam Early Access on Wednesday June 18. You can find the game here.
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