King's Orders

So I got it on sale for 6$, i think thats about right for the price of the game. At that price it gets a thumbs up, barley. For a long time I've wanted a medieval strategy game that has delayed orders, so you dont have perfect control. More like it was in real life. This game takes a step in that direction. Unfortunately, I think its held back by 3 things. Firstly, the UI sucks. Actions that should take 3-5 clicks take 9+ clicks. Things are oddly buried in menus within menus at times as well. 2ndly, using messages in such a strategic view....doesn't really change much. The interesting way to use the delayed messages and imperfect information mechanics I think would be a more tactical view. As a general instead of a king, but more turn based instead of the RTS style of Strategos. 3rdly, the AI sucks. It has no idea how to build a city or be aggressive. Overall, I think he could take this concept, build and refine, and make an interesting game. As it is, its extremely niche and needs polish.

Hands down the most realistic campaign movement and command logistics I’ve seen in a medieval strategy game. Instead of playing as an omniscient god with instant map updates, you're forced to make high-stakes decisions using delayed, spotty, and unreliable information—capturing the actual friction of historical warfare. Yes, it’s currently buggy and clearly unfinished, but the core concept is brilliant. If you like Total War, Crusader Kings, or Bannerlord but wish strategy games captured the true chaos and order delays of ancient warfare, give this a look. I bought this with my own money and nobody paid me for this review; I’m just genuinely excited for its future.

it should've been smaller scale, with retinues and forts, not cities and armies

I was really excited to try this one, as someone that's very interested in games using incomplete information, order delay and generals that have their own autonomy, but I refunded it within an hour. There is nothing conceptually wrong with the game. The UI, however, is so badly conceived that I couldn't stomach playing it. To give an example, suppose you want to build a blacksmith. The game requires you to go in and draft an order for it, which involves clicking through several layers of menus. Even in games that have the same shtick as this, like Grand Tactician: Civil War (it has order delay), you would be able to - for a direct, single order - just click on the thing and move it/click on the UI and build it. There's nothing that would be changed mechanically if you could just press a button to build stuff, even if it took time (because of the order delay) for it to start, but making me go through this is just so tedious I can't put up with it. If the devs ever come out with a sequel or another game that plays with these ideas I'm willing to try it.

peak cinema

Game has potentials, but sadly it's a bit shallow. I bought it for $7 AUD (about 4 USD) on sale so I guess it's worth it. I'd rate it about 6.5/10