Empire builders. They sure have changed since the original Settlers, with a slew of different takes on the concept released since. So many. Too many? Nah, although Malmyr certainly looks to be an undeniably lovely genre entry. However, where its brethren often feature combat on some level, here, you are tasked with keeping production chains running while managing resources and production in favour of warfare and conquest. A nice change of pace, and a relaxing one at that.
One tile at a time, an empire shall be built in 12 story-based missions, each with unique obstacles to overcome; not entirely unlike a puzzle game, I’d wager. Motivation? Oh, something about avoiding suffering the same fate as some dwarves a long time ago. Not a lot of details available there, although I’m also not sure many would expect some massive overarching deep plot from a game like this. Pretty obvious that the focus lies elsewhere in this game, and that’s perfectly fine.
Don’t be fooled by the simple and stylized look of Malmyr – The game is getting very complex, very fast.
Carpenter needs wood, blacksmith needs ores, bakery needs wheat, butcher needs… well, you get where I’m going with this, surely. With over 45 different resources, more than 70(!) buildings, and a dozen of runes, variety is certainly present and accounted for. Figuring out how to make it all come together is where the puzzle element comes into play. Chances are everything will make perfect sense before long though, as based on the trailer below, Malmyr opts for themes not entirely removed from our world (were we to travel back some 4-500 years, that is). Which certainly helps ease the player into a groove.
Malmyr is available on Steam, carrying a $14.99 price tag.