When I first watched the reveal trailer for Redemption Road Games’ upcoming medieval “action-strategy sandbox” game, Kingmakers, I thought I knew exactly the vibe it was going for. That was until I got 23 seconds in, and realized it was offering something vastly different.
As you’ll have no doubt picked up from the headline, Kingmakers is no regular medieval warfare game. In reality, players will step into the shoes of an elite task force operative from 500 years in the future who’s been sent back in time in order to alter history itself and prevent the apocalypse. This alone is a really interesting concept, but the developers have taken it a step further by daring to answer the question, ‘What would happen if you brought modern technology to a sword fight?’
The answer, of course, is chaos. As seen in the trailer, players can use a whole host of weapons, from sniper rifles to grenade launchers, drive across the battlefield in a truck, and even deploy air strikes in order to ensure their victory. Frankly, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for the enemy soldiers who must be absolutely terrified of the foe they’re facing.
According to a recent press release, the real-time simulated battles will feature thousands of soldiers duking it out simultaneously, which are powered by “next-gen multi-threaded AI” to determine their actions. Players will be able to swap between fighting the battles themselves and ordering their troops directly, and as well as being able to play solo, you’ll be able to take on battles with up to three friends in online co-op.
All in all, Kingmakers is sounding incredibly intriguing. It’s set to release in early access on PC via Steam at some point in 2024, although it’s not currently confirmed exactly when this will be.
Looking for more games to play in the meantime? Be sure to check out our roundups of the best PC games, as well as the best PC strategy games.
