Bellwright's early access on Steam launched on Apr. 23, 2024, and came on the heels of a highly anticipated medieval strategy game but has so far received mixed reviews.
The game is an ambitious strategy survival RPG mashup that brings an innovative take into the genre. Unlike other games that keep the action at arm's length, Bellwright puts players right next to their villagers and warriors.
Bellwright Early Access Gets Mixed Reviews
(Photo : Donkey Crew, Snail Games / Screenshot taken from official website)
You will start out inside a pure survival game before being brought into a city builder and subsequently, an RPG simulator. All of these factors make Bellwright a great game by concept and that's without even taking into account its in-depth backstory and other features.
But with the early access on Steam came user reviews and many players complained that the game is simply not ready yet. Others said that it has a long way to go before being optimized for play.
Players said that Bellwright is not very intuitive in its menus, the graphics are not that great, and it can sometimes feel a bit clunky. Another one said that they will wait for at least another update from the developer before jumping into Bellwright's world, according to PCGamesN.
One more core complaint that users reported was the game's usage of AI voices for its non-playable characters (NPCs). Many players saw this as breaking the game's immersion. Fortunately, the developer, Donkey Crew, committed to removing AI voiceovers from the title.
The company said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it plans to replace AI voiceovers with proper voice actors when the dialogues and storyline are done. Other negative reviews were made due to a number of issues regarding the developer's previous games.
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Some in particular accused Donkey Crew of moving on from its previous title, Last Oasis, to instead focus its work on Bellwright, which has left the former unfinished. Many people in the community frowned upon this idea of abandoning a project for another game.
The mixed reviews come as Bellwright is a beautiful game made in Unreal Engine 5 that features amazing backdrops. The game is filled with dense woodlands that hide a variety of dangers and threats, said GameSpace.
A Rich and Immersive World
If players are able to survive the harsh wild outdoors, they would need to find shelter as there are other things to be wary of. Bellwright's open world plays host to a feudal existence that is under tyrannical control.
Players, who have been wrongly accused of regicide, will have to become the hero of the story either by themselves or with other players. They will have to gather resources, build a town, and forge alliances to get stronger.
With Bellwright's release in early access on Steam, publisher Snail Games is trying to assert its standing in the market and reaffirm its commitment to pioneering new gaming experiences.
The company's latest game marks a strategic leap forward as it solidifies its position as an innovator in the video game industry.
The early access version of Bellwright not only invites players to dive into its immersive world but they are also called upon to help the developers fix the game up to prepare it for its inevitable 1.0 release, according to Yahoo Finance.
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