Bellwright

Release Date: April 23, 2024 Early Access

RPG, TPP, the middle ages, sandbox, survival, elements of strategy, Polish, indie games, co-op, crafting, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet

78%

Steam

Rate It!

A cross between a survival game and an action RPG with strategy elements. Bellwright has us playing as the resistance leader, fighting against a tyrant ruling over a medieval land, liberating villages and cities.

Videos and Screens

[0:36] Bellwright Bellwright - Forestry Update Trailer

[1:40] Bellwright Bellwright - Steam Early Access Launch Trailer

78%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Mostly Positive (7,982)

STEAM

User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

Engaging Gameplay: Players enjoy the mix of city-building, survival, and combat mechanics, often comparing it favorably to other games like *Medieval Dynasty* and *Mount & Blade*.
Active Development: Many users appreciate the developers' responsiveness and regular updates, indicating a commitment to improving the game.
Immersive Graphics and Environment: The visuals, including seasonal changes and detailed landscapes, are frequently praised.
Challenging Mechanics: The game's difficulty and resource management aspects are seen as rewarding, providing a sense of achievement as players progress.
Co-op Experience: The game is noted for being enjoyable in multiplayer mode, allowing for shared experiences and strategies.

The main cons of the game

Bugs and Technical Issues: Many players report bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly with AI behavior and combat mechanics.
Combat System Flaws: Complaints about the combat being clunky and unbalanced, especially when facing multiple enemies, are common. Players often find the AI for both enemies and allies to be lacking.
Grindiness: The game is criticized for being overly grindy, with many players feeling that resource collection and building processes take too long, leading to frustration.
Inventory and Management Issues: Users express dissatisfaction with the inventory system, which can feel cumbersome and unoptimized, making resource management tedious.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

Improved AI: Users want better AI for both enemies and villagers, particularly in combat situations and task management.
More Clear Tutorials: Many players suggest that better in-game guidance and tutorials would help new players understand mechanics more easily.
Transportation Options: There are requests for mounts or faster travel options to alleviate the slow pace of exploration.
Resource Respawn Mechanics: Players would like to see mechanics that allow for resource regeneration, as current depletion can hinder progress.
Enhanced Combat Mechanics: Suggestions include introducing more fluid combat mechanics, clearer hit detection, and more diverse enemy behaviors.

Summary

Overall, while Bellwright shows significant potential and has a dedicated player base, it still requires considerable refinement and additional features to fully meet user expectations.

Summary generated on: November 25, 2024

Bellwright is a cross between a survival game and an action RPG with strategy elements. It was developed by Donkey Crew, an indie studio also known for Last Oasis.

Plot

Bellwright is set in a world inspired by medieval Europe. Our playable character must hide from the law after being framed for the prince's murder. After miraculously surviving an assassination, they get a hold of the assassin's contract, learning new facts about their situation. They must return to their homeland and lead the rebellion against the new tyrannical ruler to learn did the prince fall to an accident or a conspiracy. Along the way, they discover the secrets of their family.

Mechanics

Bellwright is a third-person game. We'll spend most of the early game gathering resources, used both for survival (such as food, acquired by hunting or farming) and expansion. We start off being able to only build simple huts, eventually progressing to more advanced facilities. This lets us gradually turn our base into a formidable camp.

The player is not alone on their quest. As we traverse the world, we visit other settlements, meeting other characters and solving their problems. Many of them will join us out of gratitude, helping us gather resources and letting us use their unique skills, tied to crafting, construction or combat.

Our army grows as we play, letting the resistance liberate villages and cities from the new ruler. Our troops include melee fighters, archers and many other units. Combat is fast-paced, our characters must be properly geared out, equipped with good weapons and armor, using appropriate tactics and formations. The number of our troops grows as we progress through the game and our characters become stronger, letting us attack more critical targets.