The sixth game in the The Settlers series developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubisoft. The game allows players to build lively bustling medieval cities in a fully visible and highly detailed world.

New to the gameplay is a complex needs and wishes system which forces the player to balance food, clothing, cleaning tools and entertainment with prosperity and decoration. Failure to keep the city happy results in a strike.

Buildings

From the get-go it’s clear that The Settlers is trying to be a little more fulfilling than past games in the series. While the underlying mechanics remain unchanged – a daisy-chain of resource harvesting and production – Blue Byte has trimmed much of the micromanagement that made previous releases frustrating. As long as huts are placed within a reasonable distance of the resource in question (chopping wood, fishing, mining stone or iron, gathering herbs, beehives and more) workers will automatically begin harvesting or making whatever they need to.

Players will still need to place three core special buildings known as the storehouse, castle and cathedral though. These provide the basic tools to reach the game’s objectives which include managing a bustling economy, building an army and fighting against the evil Red Prince and his vicious kingdom. Each of these buildings can be upgraded to increase their efficiency and the types of goods they produce. The cathedral in particular represents your army, controls the limits of your soldier population and can be used to generate income through sermons.

Resources

The Settlers series has had some of the best and worst of times over the years but this iteration from Blue Byte is certainly one of the better. From a technical perspective it’s a big step up from Heritage of Kings with a graphical style that’s vibrant, cheery and full of character. Everything from the settlers hanging out of their window pounding laundry to the architecture is rendered well.

The game’s focus is on building big bustling medieval cities. It’s up to players to manage a thriving economy and fulfill the needs of their citizens. Happiness is a key issue as settlers will stop working if they’re unhappy and can even go on strike. A new need and want system is central to this with settlers demanding food, clothing and hygiene as well as entertainment and prosperity.

There are a number of challenges to overcome in the game including raiding neighbours, deities and cults. A more serious threat though comes in the form of the evil Red Prince and his mighty army. There are also a number of Province cards which boost production but come with a cost.

Trade

Gameplay focuses on building lively bustling medieval cities in a beautiful and captivating world that is richly detailed and lovingly animated. Every detail is visible and the actions of all citizens can be observed at any time. Develop a flourishing economy, satisfy the needs of your people and protect them from danger.

Unlike previous games in the series which often focused on combat and hero units Rise of an Empire is more about balancing economics and delivering happiness with settlers now having additional needs such as clothing and hygiene and wants including entertainment and prosperity. This is in addition to a new resource management system that allows for the harvesting and production of advanced resources for construction trade or war.

The sixth instalment in the series this game sees you take on the role of a knight serving your king and trying to bring the Darion empire back to its former glory. This involves taking on the Red Prince and his evil kingdom and a range of other threats including bandits raiding neighbours, cults and deities.

War

Whether or not you wish to engage in war you will find yourself facing threats from outside your kingdom. These come in the form of bandits raids, cults and warring neighbours among others and can have devastating effects on your economy unless you manage to combat them.

As in previous games the core gameplay involves giving orders which are carried out by your settlers and tradesmen without much player input besides selecting buildings or resources to be harvested. Those who are in the military however do require a little more interaction by promoting their hero to a new rank which unlocks certain units including swordsmen, archers and siege engines.

When these are built they can be sent on missions where the hero needs to roll dice to defeat droids and other iconic villains unique to that scenario including Darth Maul, General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. This is a great way to show that there are real-world elements to the game. The US army for example has provided consultants to work on the productions of their Medal of Honor series and other games companies have also employed former soldiers for various titles.

Reputation

The sixth instalment of the The Settlers series of city-building PC games was released in 2007 and earned a lot of praise. While retaining many of the franchise’s economy simulation elements, Blue Byte made the settlers rise of an empire gameplay less micromanagement heavy and more easy to play than its predecessors.

For example, chopping wood, catching fish, mining stone or iron, gathering herbs and honey from beehives, and herding cattle no longer require any input from the player. As long as the corresponding hut is placed within a reasonable distance of its respective resource, settlers will automatically begin harvesting and transporting the goods to the settlement’s storehouse.

However, the game is not without its share of bugs, ranging from stuttering frame-rate issues when scrolling the map to serious AI hiccups during trading. This, combined with the occasional crash when entering a campaign, prevents Rise of an Empire from truly feeling finished. Still, for those willing to put up with its problems the game offers an impressively fulfilling experience. The Eastern Realm expansion pack adds even more single-player campaigns and additional multiplayer maps.