The Sims Medieval

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 198 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 198
  2. Mixed: 77 out of 198
  3. Negative: 51 out of 198
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  1. CoreDave
    Apr 18, 2011
    3
    A great idea let down by very poor and unimaginative implementation. Fairly typical of EAs recent performance. Poor controls, the lack of some of the core fun aspects of Sims games, namely the ability to actual design your own buildings, the ability to watch new generations grow up and become part of the community and the lack of access to many of the games locations. Instead we are leftA great idea let down by very poor and unimaginative implementation. Fairly typical of EAs recent performance. Poor controls, the lack of some of the core fun aspects of Sims games, namely the ability to actual design your own buildings, the ability to watch new generations grow up and become part of the community and the lack of access to many of the games locations. Instead we are left with the most mundane aspects of the sims games, leading around our characters by a short leash completing numbingly simple tasks in a preordained order. There is none of the freedom which made the Sims games fun. None of the emergent stories or development as we are forced down give paths. I was also constantly frustrated that in order to actually play the game properly I couldn't focus on a couple fo favoured sims, instead I had to keep changing who I was controlling as the quests dictated.. In fact as the quests dictate is basically the name of the game, its a do as your told game not a do what you want. In pen and paper roleplaying terms its on rails. With a GM who will punish you like mad if you try and go off and do your own thing.

    The conspiracy theorist in me tends to think that so much has been left out in order to allow for plenty of appealing expansion packs, sadly I am pretty much at my wits end with EA and will be thinking very carefully before I buy another product with their logo on it.    … Expand
  2. corecmdr
    Sep 29, 2011
    1
    This is.. not even a sims game, I can't describe the feeling when I originally decided to buy this game and it turned out to be a pile of junk. I was hoping for something like the guild 2... what I got was a town that constantly needed quests done for no apparent reason and it just.... ended. Where the sims series is a open sandbox where you can do whatever you like.... the sims medievalThis is.. not even a sims game, I can't describe the feeling when I originally decided to buy this game and it turned out to be a pile of junk. I was hoping for something like the guild 2... what I got was a town that constantly needed quests done for no apparent reason and it just.... ended. Where the sims series is a open sandbox where you can do whatever you like.... the sims medieval is pile of **** needing to be scooped off your lawn into the rubbish container.… Expand
  3. OneVoice
    Nov 20, 2012
    5
    I don't actually like this game, yet somehow or another I find myself playing it every once in awhile, and can't convince myself to uninstall it. It has an addictive quality to it that pulls me back in every now and then. But after finally playing through an 'ambition', the game basically restarts itself from scratch as you go on to the next 'ambition'. There are some interesting 'quests'I don't actually like this game, yet somehow or another I find myself playing it every once in awhile, and can't convince myself to uninstall it. It has an addictive quality to it that pulls me back in every now and then. But after finally playing through an 'ambition', the game basically restarts itself from scratch as you go on to the next 'ambition'. There are some interesting 'quests' here and there, but there is very little to do, and no incentive to do anything, outside following the exact step-by-step quest requirements, which are invariably ridiculously easy. The concept of the game actually has some really interesting potential. If the world could be made more interesting and immersive, if the quests went along with some interesting overarching storyline (that had good storytelling and some depth- like a good medieval fantasy novel or something), if there was a more diverse range of interesting locations to visit and explore, if they brought in more interesting and diverse paths for skill development, and if they made it so that there was more of a need to use your mind sometimes, this game could be made into something really good. I'd be interested to see if on an future expansion packs, or if there is ever a second version, they bring in some of these elements. If so, I'd probably enjoy this game.… Expand
  4. spikey96
    Jan 5, 2012
    4
    Yay, the sims get medieval! Great concept! Horrible implementation. Starting a new kingdom in each ambition could have been cooler, I mean, you get pretty much the same quests at the start of your new kingdom, the new one looks the same as your first kindom, the geometery is exactly the same and when you send off one of your sims from an old kingdom to become the new monarch, they loseYay, the sims get medieval! Great concept! Horrible implementation. Starting a new kingdom in each ambition could have been cooler, I mean, you get pretty much the same quests at the start of your new kingdom, the new one looks the same as your first kindom, the geometery is exactly the same and when you send off one of your sims from an old kingdom to become the new monarch, they lose their abilities, like sending off your wizard to become the new monarch, he/she gets there and loses all wizarding powers, no more staff or spells, no, now you have a sword and armour. Great idea, huge letdown, I wasted 350 south-african rands on this, don't you make the same mistake I did.… Expand
  5. Thnos
    Apr 20, 2011
    2
    A great idea to serve a game play uninteresting and repetitive. Graphically very ugly, no freedom, camera management catastrophic.
    This game is a joke or what ?!
  6. bismar7
    Jan 10, 2013
    9
    This is not a RTS TBS or action game. Its sims 3... in medieval. I spent 2 months looking at this game and reading reviews, the number one thing that kept coming up was that it wasn't what they expected (see first sentence). I love this game, just a blast; it can be a bit repetitive going for kingdom ambitions. The things I love about it is that its a complex game system with simpleThis is not a RTS TBS or action game. Its sims 3... in medieval. I spent 2 months looking at this game and reading reviews, the number one thing that kept coming up was that it wasn't what they expected (see first sentence). I love this game, just a blast; it can be a bit repetitive going for kingdom ambitions. The things I love about it is that its a complex game system with simple controls and concepts. Crafting/gathering are a huge part of it, Little things like the way spells are cast and the little side adventures are done. This game is unique in how it plays out. My only issue with it is just the repetitiveness of it, 100 levels per hero would have been more progression oriented (I know that not where it was going, just my preference). All in all one of the best games I've played in 3 years!… Expand
  7. Steven15ify
    Feb 21, 2015
    4
    I have paid for games that my pc couldn't handle, I have paid for games that I didn't know it had monthly costs, but this is the one I regret buying the most. Although it might seem like a cool idea at first, putting the Sims into the Medieval times it doesn't work at all. Probably the first hours were fun, but then I cam across some glitches and actually lack of content. There is not muchI have paid for games that my pc couldn't handle, I have paid for games that I didn't know it had monthly costs, but this is the one I regret buying the most. Although it might seem like a cool idea at first, putting the Sims into the Medieval times it doesn't work at all. Probably the first hours were fun, but then I cam across some glitches and actually lack of content. There is not much of the simulation that Sims is known for and the project has completely been left down.… Expand
  8. Levardos
    Mar 26, 2011
    7
    This game is sure something different than the other series. And that's what at first disappointed me. I was expecting a normal life simulator in medieval ages, but this game is more like an RPG in which you rule your kingdom. We only control the character(s) which we need for the mission we're doing. We create our "heroes". King/Queen, smith, medic, bard, trader, magician, rogue, knight,This game is sure something different than the other series. And that's what at first disappointed me. I was expecting a normal life simulator in medieval ages, but this game is more like an RPG in which you rule your kingdom. We only control the character(s) which we need for the mission we're doing. We create our "heroes". King/Queen, smith, medic, bard, trader, magician, rogue, knight, priest.. I don't know if I missed any. When we choose which quest/mission we want to do, we then choose one of few available ways we want to accomplish it, and then the hero/heroes we want to use. And we only control them at a time.. It's not really a life simulator anymore. Sure, you can do plenty of activities, even marry someone and have kids. But the only things you pretty much need to look after besides doing the quest you picked, is making sure your sim isn't hungry, and gets enough of sleep. We also have to do two tasks per day, like forging a sword and delivering it to someone, and so on. It affects our sim's mood. The happier our sim is, the higher chance of accomplishing things. That's how it looks. Finishing quests affects our kingdom's culture, defence, and so on. Huge flaw is that we can't build.. Well, not like in previous series. We choose if we want to build a smithy, wizard tower, and what not, but we cannot build walls as in previous The Sims series. We still though, are able to buy things and set them up the way we like to. But it is somewhat annoying that we aren't able to expand our living space. Especially if our sim has babies, and they need to sleep in the same room. Overall, the game is quite enjoyable, but not if you are looking for a life simulator similar to previous series. This is more like an RPG strategy game. The music is okay. But the controls were slightly annoying for first hour of the game, then I simply got used to it. Time for a summary.

    Pros:
    -Finally something different.
    -Fantasy atmosphere just seems fitting for The Sims.
    -Plenty of quests.
    -Variety of types of heroes we get to play as.

    Cons:
    -It's not really a life simulator anymore.
    -Camera controls are slightly annoying until we get used to it.
    -We aren't able to build walls and our own buildings the way we would like them.    … Expand
  9. Cootiekins
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    I've played through an ambition (~10hrs) and am loving this game. Super sweet art and it's really funny! This is actually pretty different than the sims3. A lot of the same stuff you'd expect to be included, but there's a TON of new stuff too.
  10. Studark
    Apr 5, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have finished 7 out of the 12 ambitions and 70% of the achievements, If you like playing and then having to start over 12 times, loosing everything then this is for you, it is very limited on quests, you do the same quests and build the same kingdom over and over in every ambition, rewards are cloths and furniture, lame. The Sims character engine is bare bones, you only get hunger and energy. If you are interested in this game wait until the price drops to $30 or less, not worth the $50… Expand
  11. Ajores
    Mar 24, 2011
    9
    Is it the Sims Medieval we all wanted? For most of us, I think it comes pretty close. It's definitely different from the Sims 3 in a lot of ways, and that's certainly not a bad thing. A lot of the fundamental gameplay we're used to with the sims 3 has completely changed in medieval. Take your time to go through the tutorial, you'll probably be thoroughly lost if you skip over it. ThatIs it the Sims Medieval we all wanted? For most of us, I think it comes pretty close. It's definitely different from the Sims 3 in a lot of ways, and that's certainly not a bad thing. A lot of the fundamental gameplay we're used to with the sims 3 has completely changed in medieval. Take your time to go through the tutorial, you'll probably be thoroughly lost if you skip over it. That said, it's a fun game folks! I'm glad the devs went a different route with this game, because it's not a sims 3 clone with a medieval setting overlayed on top of it. Some of us were probably hoping for something as basic as that I'm sure lol. The quests are thus far very enjoyable, and while it's not as evolved as the sims 3 in terms of content, it's still a very enjoyable game. If you wanted the sims in a ren setting, this succeeds in giving you that! Warning to the Sims 3 builders out there thinking about picking this up: This game is not about building houses or castles like you might have wanted. The only lot building you get to do goes like this: you buy the building, it appears, and you get some ability to customize the interior of it. Imo, I'm okay with what they have included in it thus far, though I do hope that we'll start seeing more content in the works for this game as well. At any rate, I'm 20 hours into this game, and I'm still discovering things and having a blast customizing my hero sims. While at first glance I might have been disappointed with what it didn't have included, what it does have is thoroughly enjoyable and any sims 3 fan + ren geek will definitely get some fun out of it.… Expand
  12. LeeroyJenkinzzz
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    I love this game! It takes some getting used to because it is not the typical Sims game because of quests and stuff, but I like that it takes a different approach to managing Sims, there is more gameplay involved. It's well worth a try, and very beautiful looking.
  13. X11
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    This is the first Sims game that I am sure I will not grow bored of in three days time. Well done. Very interesting stuff. In fact I think I will go play right now.
  14. divinecommedia
    Mar 26, 2011
    10
    I've been excited for this game since I heard about it in December and it hasn't disappointed me yet. There are a few problems--the camera is difficult to control; one time one of my characters got "stuck" in the forest so I had to abandon a quest--but the game is fun and varied. Fans of the open-endedness of sims may not like the demands of quests or the heros' daily duties, but I likeI've been excited for this game since I heard about it in December and it hasn't disappointed me yet. There are a few problems--the camera is difficult to control; one time one of my characters got "stuck" in the forest so I had to abandon a quest--but the game is fun and varied. Fans of the open-endedness of sims may not like the demands of quests or the heros' daily duties, but I like the new sense of direction and purpose. Plus, once you finish the kingdom ambition, that kingdom becomes open to free play. So, even if you find the quests tedious after a while, once you finish you can play the way you want. The graphics are beautiful and the music is very nice and period-appropriate as well. I've never played Sims 3, but compared to Sims 2 I enjoy the variety of outfits and customization, even if you can only decorate rather than build. Overall, I found the game very fresh, funny and entertaining and would highly recommend it for any Sims players (or non-players) looking for a more structured environment.… Expand
  15. RealSystem
    Mar 27, 2011
    6
    Ah, The Sims Medieval. A great concept. Play as a King and rule your lands. Will you be a cruel King or a benign King of the People... er.. Sims. Perhaps instead you want to be a wizard! Scrying your crystal ball high in your wizards tower. Cursing those who insult you! Well, with this instalment that is the general idea. You start off by making your monarch and doing the tutorialAh, The Sims Medieval. A great concept. Play as a King and rule your lands. Will you be a cruel King or a benign King of the People... er.. Sims. Perhaps instead you want to be a wizard! Scrying your crystal ball high in your wizards tower. Cursing those who insult you! Well, with this instalment that is the general idea. You start off by making your monarch and doing the tutorial mission, which you cannot skip unfortunately. The game really has a sense of "Go Here, Do This, Do That". Sometimes i didn't feel like a King at all. Just a fat old man with a crown bumbling through the village.

    As The Sims franchise has gotten quite stale, with all the expansions, DLC's and the SimStore, which i am quite sure will end up incorporating Medieval into it, the game has alot of potential, but i couldn't help but feel that it tried to do too much and took away part of what we loved about the Sims in the first place. I didn't feel a connection to the Sims i made. Not being able to build your own castle was an immense let down and the fact that we still don't have an option to change our keybinds infuriates me!

    I'm sure with more expansions/DLCs etc they will get there but until then, meh.    … Expand
  16. Poisonthemonkey
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    I'm a big fan of the game. My only real complaint is the poor camera, but it hasn't really affected my gameplay, it's just made it hard to take up close screenshots at the perfect angle.

    The graphics on the sims and their interiors are stellar! Hair looks like hair, with fullness, clothes look like realistic clothes with fullness as well. The overall world graphics are good, maybe great,    I'm a big fan of the game. My only real complaint is the poor camera, but it hasn't really affected my gameplay, it's just made it hard to take up close screenshots at the perfect angle.

    The graphics on the sims and their interiors are stellar! Hair looks like hair, with fullness, clothes look like realistic clothes with fullness as well. The overall world graphics are good, maybe great, but not as stellar as the sims and their interiors. The design of the world however is pretty cool, it feels realistically laid out and spaced out, and I love that there are strolls along very windy and natural forest roads/cliff roads, instead of straight perfect roads. Though I do hope you can upgrade the roads at some point.

    I love the traits and the flaws, there are less of them but I feel they add far more personality to my characters than in TS3. I've also felt like I've spent a lot less time messing with decorations (there is not a huge amount of customization here)--even though that's always been something I've really loved, there's enough of a game that I haven't really found myself caring. My Sims feel a lot more unique and individual than in TS3 thanks to the personality traits, as I mentioned, and the ability to turn flaws into positive traits is pretty cool. I also feel like there is a lot more room for unique looking sims in this game, usually I end up with all my sims looking the same if I bother putting any work into them. Now, all of my heroes look radically different and without having to have crazy noses or something. They look far more realistic as people, instead of chubby faced clones, even though their faces are not perfect. I have not had any performance problems on max graphics.

    The quests are all pretty fun, I wish they were a bit more involved, but for a Sims game they are very involved. I like that my Sims still have "jobs" but they're things that I have to do (instead of a rabbit hole) and they get changed up every day. The interactions, animations, etc, have all been genuinely entertaining. Though they would probably be more if not for the camera.

    Overall: Love it!    … Expand
  17. aadms
    Mar 24, 2011
    8
    I bought this for my wife yesterday for her birthday. I'm in the good now! She loves the economic building of the kingdom and finds it quite humorous. I don't think my wife is going to give me a chance to try this game out for myself for sometime.
  18. Greetz_DK
    Mar 27, 2011
    9
    Don't play this game and expect it to be the usual sim game. I'm not really good at reviewing so let me put it this way- I have played this a whole weekend. Its SO much fun watching your characters evolve and have them gain characteristics that you define during adventures. Every character feels important and personal. Played it non stop. And while i usually cheat at some point in simDon't play this game and expect it to be the usual sim game. I'm not really good at reviewing so let me put it this way- I have played this a whole weekend. Its SO much fun watching your characters evolve and have them gain characteristics that you define during adventures. Every character feels important and personal. Played it non stop. And while i usually cheat at some point in sim games i haven't done so yet in this one. And while the game will get very boring once all the choices and consequences has been made I can still only wholly recommend it.… Expand
  19. Agarwel
    Mar 24, 2011
    8
    Pretty good and addictive game (just one more last goal and I will quit :-D). But everybody considering this game should bear in mind that this is NOT a Sims 3 reskinned to the Medieval age. This is totally different game. Some may like it. Some may not. It is not better or worse... it is just very different. The house building is gone (and the prebuileded houses has just 2D layout on thePretty good and addictive game (just one more last goal and I will quit :-D). But everybody considering this game should bear in mind that this is NOT a Sims 3 reskinned to the Medieval age. This is totally different game. Some may like it. Some may not. It is not better or worse... it is just very different. The house building is gone (and the prebuileded houses has just 2D layout on the rooms). You can see the interiers just from one angle (front). And you can just change equipment (but not necessary). The needs of the sims are reduced (just food, sleep and overall happines combined from collected buffs from successfull/failed actions). And you control only the sims that are related to the current quest (usually 1-2 sims at a same time). This is great for peopel that did not liket the building phase and toliet/fridge/TV/work stereotype of the previous sims. This is completelly gone. But the game is now quest based - there are many quests (and some of them actually pretty long: 1-2hours). many of them can be solved in different ways based on selected sims. (how will you approach the visiting witch? Kill? Make a first lady of your kingdon?...). And it is actually pretty fun to solve them. The quests are main source of the resources hat you need to expand your kingdom. So you slowly build new buildings and related sims proffesions. That unlocks new quests and solutions etc. There is little bit of diplomacy and as usuall - lots of minor useless but fun interactinos that will take week to see all (many of them re related to building, professions, sim level, kingdom stats etc...). So far I spend there cca 10 hours, but Im very satisfied. Only complain is about dialogues. There is many of thembecause the game is story based. But all decisions are done in unnecessary complicated way I hope Medieval 2 will bring standart RPG dialogue options with multiple reply selection. The current "Select your reply in the quest log. Then use it as a interaction on the sim. And then see the reply in the announcment window in the corner of the screen" is really very strange.… Expand
  20. Skitte
    Mar 11, 2014
    9
    Sims Medieval had a greater potential, than Sims 3. I've played it and it's kind funny and more attractive than the original. But, I felt something; there is more that this game hides and we do not everything.
  21. Bobdog123
    Mar 30, 2011
    1
    This is dull - the whole point about the Sims is that you create your own "family" not just click your way through umpteen computer set tasks with no free will (i.e. play time) whatsoever. Sorry - looms great but plays like a 90's platform game. Played for 6 hours now an am bored already - I just don't care about the "quests".
  22. SoftlyDown
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    I almost didn't buy Sims Medieval because all too often in the Sims games, I find myself completely enamored in the beginning, but quickly lose interest due to the tedium of taking my sims to the bathroom, giving them showers, and making them eat their dinner. However, after reading a few reviews and finding out the Sims Medieval had a little more structure and a little less time spent inI almost didn't buy Sims Medieval because all too often in the Sims games, I find myself completely enamored in the beginning, but quickly lose interest due to the tedium of taking my sims to the bathroom, giving them showers, and making them eat their dinner. However, after reading a few reviews and finding out the Sims Medieval had a little more structure and a little less time spent in the bathroom, I decided to take a chance and buy the game. Thus far, I'm having a blast. All too often in the Sims 3, I would build perfect characters to lead perfect lives. In The Sims Medieval, I'm forced to choose a fatal flaw for each of my heroes and I have had tons of fun playing with these character defects. I've yet to find myself bored. Just as I find myself tiring of one character and her quest, it'll be time to choose a new quest with a whole new cast of characters. I love the art work and the detail in the hair, skin, and clothing. One thing I do miss is aging. While my characters have had children, it doesn't appear that the children will grow past childhood. My heroes don't seem to be aging at all. One thing I've really enjoyed in past Sims games is creating huge legacy families who can trace their roots back to my very first character. With that being said, I have had sims in The Sims Medieval die; perhaps I just need to be patient and my children will eventually ascend to the throne. All in all, I've had an absolute blast playing The Sims Medieval. If you enjoy The Sims games, but find yourself bored after a few days, I'd suggest trying The Sims Medieval. If you are really just hoping for a Sims 3 re skinned, you might find yourself disappointed with this game.… Expand
  23. AmyFreed
    Mar 25, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I got the Sims Medieval and was really excited for a sims game that was in the past. But once I got it, I found my self disappointed. It may have had the word sims in the title, but I didn't find much of the real sims we all love in the game. You barely get to control anything. Sure you can chose to avoid the quest and do your own thing, but then your sims gets all "unfocused". Not to mention the fact that the graphics for the sims characters are not what would be expected of the sims. Plus everything is locked so you have to do all these boring quests before you can get to the stuff they advertised in the trailer. If you take the trailer literally, then you will be disappointed to find it is not what is portrayed. I wish I could say that The Sims Medieval was really fun, but it only was for a little while.… Expand
  24. Secktre
    Mar 24, 2011
    0
    This was quite literally on of the worst Sims games I've ever played. Probably because they strayed off the glorious, plot-less path they had been on before (what had made the series so popular) and followed the path of Sims Stories, the second worst game I've ever played. Try again EA, sure the games good enough for some, but others of us expected better. Make the Medieval game weThis was quite literally on of the worst Sims games I've ever played. Probably because they strayed off the glorious, plot-less path they had been on before (what had made the series so popular) and followed the path of Sims Stories, the second worst game I've ever played. Try again EA, sure the games good enough for some, but others of us expected better. Make the Medieval game we wanted, on where there is no story, there is no plot, but its also darn fun to live in hut in the middle ages and choose your own destiny, not a "Fable" oriented game in which that destiny is chosen for us.

    In the mean time, I'm giving THIS piece of crap to the first person who requests it. I'll pay shipping and handling. And I'm giving it to you free of charge. Only played it for a few hours, and its back in the case :)    … Expand
  25. Caelistas
    Mar 24, 2011
    7
    I've already played a couple of hours (6 buildings -settlement stage) and i find the game pretty enjoyable although it does has a couple of flaws.

    1. Camera: although for the most part it "works", there's room for improvement, sometimes i want to adjust a specific angle or zoom in onto someone's face while meanwhile the camera is doing it's own thing. 2. No free-play mode: I don't know    I've already played a couple of hours (6 buildings -settlement stage) and i find the game pretty enjoyable although it does has a couple of flaws.

    1. Camera: although for the most part it "works", there's room for improvement, sometimes i want to adjust a specific angle or zoom in onto someone's face while meanwhile the camera is doing it's own thing.

    2. No free-play mode: I don't know if i'm missing something, but it seems i'm only able to use & control my created Heroes doing quests... Why did they exclude this? I know you can take as much time as you want during quests but the longer you wait during quests, the less points you get. And the constant pop-ups are just annoying. Sometimes i just want to walk around& talk with people, without any reminders like:" Go talk to ..... and bring him ..... afterwards go talk to..... and do .....".

    All in all, it's still one of the better Sims games out there.    … Expand
  26. insertnamehere
    Apr 1, 2011
    8
    Generally a good game. There's a few times where I'm left to wonder, "what the heck am I supposed to be doing to get this quest advanced?" I find it has quite a bit of re-play in that you can do quests multiple ways with multiple characters. Definitely worth the price. The only really downside is that the graphics are average, but this isn't the kind of game that you play for kick-ass graphics.
  27. Jesuin
    Apr 10, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The graphics are excellent in this new and refreshing take on the Sims. In this game, you take the role of 'the Watcher', which I find to be a wonderfully humorous way to explain why the Sims are controlled by you. The game likes to involve you in ways like having religious organizations dedicated to worshiping you, the Peteran and Jacoban churches, and letting you play as a priest in each of the organizations. This alone endeared the game to me, simply because of the inherent silliness of the premise. Sometimes, the heroes didn't leave me impressed. The Wizard and Blacksmith are two characters that I really dread playing. Normally, I'm a huge fan of mages and blacksmiths (I've wanted to be both for quite some time), but the crafting system is a pain, and you'll more often than not find yourself trudging down to the village shoppe to pick up one piece of useless herb that you forgot to make a potion. Same goes for the blacksmith, except transpose the herb with a random piece of ore. Stay away from those two heroes if you don't like crafting too much. This is less to do with the crafting system being flawed, than with me just not liking crafting in general.
    The game returns to impressing me with a multitude of quests that interest and captivate me for hours. On more than one occasion, I've had to ask someone to make sure that I don't stay up too late playing it! The numerous heroes that you play as, and the quests that almost always elicit a smile from me, make this game one worth playing. Some minor issues, like the fact that my computer has severe issues loading areas in a timely fashion, are more due to the fact that my computer is in dire need of an upgrade, rather than the game being too resource heavy. If you have trouble playing other high graphics quality games, then you may want to spring for an upgrade before picking this up. Otherwise, this is a fine addition to any Sims lover's library.    … Expand
  28. Makunha
    Apr 19, 2011
    10
    Nice game. Nothing special but overall a 7/10 is fitting to this game. It's quite addictive at first but I agree that it may get boring later on. There are many new options but as others said, it could have been done better.
  29. richardbaxter
    May 10, 2011
    10
    The Sims Medieval is an awesome game. It is refreshingly non-consumption orientated, letting one share in historic reality of virtue. Consequently, it is objectification free. There is good freedom of play, and the role playing element adds to this.

    Rachel Bernstein also did a good job at incorporating, for political correctness if nought else, a minimalist implementation of    The Sims Medieval is an awesome game. It is refreshingly non-consumption orientated, letting one share in historic reality of virtue. Consequently, it is objectification free. There is good freedom of play, and the role playing element adds to this.

    Rachel Bernstein also did a good job at incorporating, for political correctness if nought else, a minimalist implementation of (pre-tolerant) socially universal site specification limitation in form, seen in the alternative (modern-like) female clothing. Despite this, and the obvious deviation employed by some bandits, the clothing is beautiful. The honour one receives in this environment makes one feel alive. Bernstein's creation restores lost valour, and puts to rest compromise and its futile conclusions. The music follows this, where I encountered atmospheric bliss on a continual basis - while experiencing and arranging interiors as necessary. The commitment towards societal realism was appreciated also, whether it be in the dancing, the markets, the occupations, the non-secularism, the speech, etc. This all exceeded my expectations.

    The neutrality can be slightly deceptive however (had to break out of a strange relationship during the tutorial by restarting it); but if you read everything - and pause when necessary - you can feel in control of your character.

    It can also be challenging at times, especially when starting a new character and learning their work routine. Sometimes I feel it would be nice to be able to take a break from routine to maintain some basic level of communication with ambient sims - especially in time critical quests. I also feel that quest specific animation could have been added for adventures (such as that employed in Sierra games like Quest for Glory), although the stories are good - and are always creative and fun reading. Furthering this critique, the duals look like they have had their kinematics derived from fight stylisation used in Medieval shows, which can be non-representative of real sword combat - which is fast, dynamic, skilful, and aggressive. It might be worth while asking trained practitioners to demonstrate this off set, peer to peer, in full armour (albeit with blunt weaponry) - a spectacular which appears too dangerous and violent for the public arena. One final lapse is the lighting - the lack of bump mapping on the exact type of wall most benefited by it; that of stone (demonstrated in Doom 3, 2004). The human faces look brilliant though with the subsurface scattering upgrade, except in some interior scenes where faces can very occasionally receive a redish (saturated) plasticine look. I found also the lack of detail in outdoor terrain texturing to be problem also, although this can be mostly resolved by increasing the level of anisotropic filtering (this is a common problem in games with open scenery, eg RTS). I theorise that the pre-identified "painterly" approach probably could have been avoided by the introduction of bump mapping in interior/exterior surfaces, and with an improved rendering of the rock faces. But this deficiency is blitzed by the realism conveyed by the sims themselves. I was working on the xml code base to a society simulator SimNation (late 2008) when I noticed that EA had already made what I was after in SimCity Societies. More recently (late 2009), I envisaged 'the perfect game' - a human interaction simulator based in the middle ages - and it became apparent that EA were working on this also. The Sims Medieval is this game.    … Expand
  30. LB1900
    Apr 9, 2011
    5
    I'm sorry, but this game is just not engaging when you get past the first level. The real issue for me is just the lack of depth that previous sims games had. The inability to build houses or whatnot really detracts from what could have been good game play. The focus on quests is nice, but unfortunately means that you spend a lot of time just going from point a to point b and then you endI'm sorry, but this game is just not engaging when you get past the first level. The real issue for me is just the lack of depth that previous sims games had. The inability to build houses or whatnot really detracts from what could have been good game play. The focus on quests is nice, but unfortunately means that you spend a lot of time just going from point a to point b and then you end up not really having accomplished much. There is not real attachment to your characters as you are constantly switching between em for different quests. I applaud the game's attempts, but sadly it doesn't get there. I recommend if you need some mindless entertainment, but this doesn't hold my interest and is not worth 50 dollars anyway you cut it. Wait till it drops.… Expand
  31. digimortal81
    May 27, 2011
    1
    this is terrible compared to the quality of the other Sims 3 series. Goofy and absolutely dumb the camera is fixed on the castle like you are looking at a doll house with the walls cut away. All the people giving it positive reviews have got to be fake I cannot believe anyone finds this game entertaining or redeeming if they have played other Sims titles or have completed junior high.
  32. giskard
    Jun 19, 2011
    5
    Whilst this game seems to be voted down for not being the Sims 3, which is perhaps unfair on Maxis who made their name making Sim Earth, Sim Ant and Simcity long before the Sims ever appeared. I am afraid I must agree with the low user scores given to this game. The camera is locked in various views denying a free roaming style we all expected, that means you have 1 view of all buildings,Whilst this game seems to be voted down for not being the Sims 3, which is perhaps unfair on Maxis who made their name making Sim Earth, Sim Ant and Simcity long before the Sims ever appeared. I am afraid I must agree with the low user scores given to this game. The camera is locked in various views denying a free roaming style we all expected, that means you have 1 view of all buildings, and that makes decorating them a little half arsed yet that is clearly supposed to be a major part of the game experience....shame the view kills it dead. Then you have fact that the entire game is basically 1 giant goffa quest that starts with the mysterious question, how I am supposed to do that, and from there you go and do it. There is little or no point to the game outside of those goffa quests other than selecting a building to add to your kingdom which in turn adds an NPC which then adds more quests. It really is one long series of boring quests that often make no sense at all in the context of the quest line you have chosen to play.

    So despite being a long term maxis fan, I cannot recommend this game to other maxis fans. Unless your under 13, in which case this may be fun for you.    … Expand
  33. dfs
    Apr 11, 2011
    0
    Nothing but problems with this game. Has corrupted saves twice, crashes every other time I try to play it.

    The gameplay is fine if you ever get it working. Buyer beware.
  34. Indi
    Apr 13, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sims Medieval is the game "Fable" done in Sim's style. The parts of sims I liked (building and exploring) are not part of this game. The music and starting art is straight Fable. Having to do a limited number of very linear quests, over and over has been tedius. A person can reek, but there is no indicator for that. You can use a chamber pot, but there is no indicator for that either. Your job amounts to keeping a sim fed and rested so you can wander around the same incredibly annoying map - over and over and over. Like Fable, the game is linear in that you can not progress in the game without doing the quests. When children are being born, your character is locked to her location until a baby (and it's crib) pop out wherever she happens to be in the house. From that point on it doesn't seem to matter if you feed or care for it or not. The rooms are shown in a dollhouse type view instead of being 3d. You can't scroll around to look at a back wall. I'm very disappointed.… Expand
  35. DWlubu1998
    Jul 20, 2011
    7
    This can be a really great game i meen a bunch of different classes, be good or evil, do quest, and basicly live the life you cant have now a days. The only problem is that its very glitchy I dont know if it just me but i can never complete a quest because i cant figure out how to do something but other people have had similar problems so i dont know otherwise its a great game.
  36. Potato4Hats
    Apr 19, 2011
    4
    If you want to actually make a game that actually resembles the sims, make the sims 4 because this is this worst game to date, even worse than the expansions of the first one...
  37. Chard
    Jul 19, 2011
    6
    Very good for the first level (about 12 hours), then you can either start again with a new acheivement and do the exact same thing again from scratch or play on with your current save except they dont let you do quests and your sims dont have ambitions anymore. The freedom mode would be perfect for developing your town except you NEED the quests and ambitions in order to level up, a veryVery good for the first level (about 12 hours), then you can either start again with a new acheivement and do the exact same thing again from scratch or play on with your current save except they dont let you do quests and your sims dont have ambitions anymore. The freedom mode would be perfect for developing your town except you NEED the quests and ambitions in order to level up, a very simple mechanism completely missed there.
    This could have been improved with new towns to explore and develop, how about conquering and expanding those neighbouring towns?    … Expand
  38. aikeno
    May 31, 2011
    0
    sad that they've managed to take everything about the sims, and throw it out the window,, NO building creation no freedom, horrible camera, if this game was what the sims use to be, with the upgraded graphics it has, i would give it a 10.. but sadly, its not :(
  39. Envoid
    Jun 1, 2011
    6
    The Sims Medieval isn't all too bad of a Sims game. However, if you've played the rest of the series (Which I have since the first) it doesn't feel all too much different. The demands of things you must do can be rather annoying. I didn't feel like there was much free roam involved unlike the other Sim games. There isn't really much to say considering how similar it is to it's series, soThe Sims Medieval isn't all too bad of a Sims game. However, if you've played the rest of the series (Which I have since the first) it doesn't feel all too much different. The demands of things you must do can be rather annoying. I didn't feel like there was much free roam involved unlike the other Sim games. There isn't really much to say considering how similar it is to it's series, so I'll leave it at this: If you really love every concept about The Sims, pick it up. If you've never played the Sims before, pick it up. If you're starting to get tired of the same old Sims, and feel this game is a big change to the series, DON'T pick it up...… Expand
  40. Waffen
    Jun 11, 2011
    10
    Great game. Took Sims3 and actually added some game play and humor instead of making Sim-life. Restarting after each Ambition is really no different than restarting with a child in Sim3, so it seems as if it's sticking with the theme. Getting the latest patch helps a lot.
  41. Acidosis
    Jun 19, 2011
    10
    Looks different, feels different but plays the same. A must have for any Sims fan. The Sims Medieval occupation plays a bigger role than any of the other Sims game.This game has more restrictions such as not allowing one to create their own castle and not able to forge your own quest or purpose in the game.
    7/10 for me.
  42. kazerniel
    Sep 17, 2011
    6
    It was first a good, then a bad surprise for me.

    The good: Finally something different, I was hell bored with the original Sims series. There is character development, stories, quests, professions, medieval furniture & clothes, fun and chinchillas D: The bad: They designed the whole game concept really badly, you lose your kingdom AND characters after EACH ambition. This nullifies any    It was first a good, then a bad surprise for me.

    The good: Finally something different, I was hell bored with the original Sims series. There is character development, stories, quests, professions, medieval furniture & clothes, fun and chinchillas D:

    The bad: They designed the whole game concept really badly, you lose your kingdom AND characters after EACH ambition. This nullifies any attachment you would feel to your characters and kingdom. I was so disappointed with this, that I stopped playing after finishing the first ambition. I just couldn't care to start characters and kingdom from 0 over and over again... This messes the whole reason in a rpg.

    Another downside is that the game explains really small amount, when starting a new profession I frequently 'lost' responsibilities because the game didn't tell how should I solve them (like trading with foreign countries, mining cruddium with no cruddium ore, etc).

    As a conclusion: Sims and casual rpg fans should try it, it's a refreshing hybrid, but you will likely get disappointed after losing your kingdom progress and all your characters after each ambitions.    … Expand
  43. bilbo1973
    Aug 29, 2011
    10
    AT LAST! I liked the Sims idea some but hated playing at the end as I always, ended up making a character that looked like me, had a family, a job (constantly trying to promote), having to take care of things around the house and paying bills and never having actual time of my own (in between fulfilling personal needs and trying to be nice and social)... I got my life for that! Didn't needAT LAST! I liked the Sims idea some but hated playing at the end as I always, ended up making a character that looked like me, had a family, a job (constantly trying to promote), having to take care of things around the house and paying bills and never having actual time of my own (in between fulfilling personal needs and trying to be nice and social)... I got my life for that! Didn't need a simulation!!!

    But this was a nice change, that enables you to bring to life all the fairy-tale, fantasy and medieval characters you wanted, decorated with nice ambitions and achievements and the level of customization exactly to my liking!

    I waited to buy the collector's edition for 17â    … Expand
  44. ChoicestGames
    Dec 11, 2012
    9
    The closest the Sims has come to a role-playing game yet which means you actually receive goals to achieve and characters to level up! Some of the annoyances inherited from its parent series holds it back though not to mention you're unable to actually design the castles and buildings the way you want.
  45. PinkPony
    Apr 28, 2012
    7
    Personally, I highly anticipated this game. I've been hooked on the Sims since age 13 and as a fan of everything historical, this was going to be just awesome! However, it is nothing like the Sims 3. The quests and responsibilities greatly control your gameplay. This combined with the hours of walking to and from locations leaves little for personal freeplay. Especially, since taking toPersonally, I highly anticipated this game. I've been hooked on the Sims since age 13 and as a fan of everything historical, this was going to be just awesome! However, it is nothing like the Sims 3. The quests and responsibilities greatly control your gameplay. This combined with the hours of walking to and from locations leaves little for personal freeplay. Especially, since taking to long to do the next quest step influences your mood and gets you arrested.
    Suggestion: If you want to play with Medieval Sims (or Renaissance, Victorian etc..) just download downloadable content to your regular Sims 3.    … Expand
  46. dumle
    Dec 23, 2012
    3
    I did not particularly enjoy my time with The Sims Medieval and i have a hard time pining down the target audience for this game. The fact that they have taken away a large part of the building and furniture options from previous titles will turn away a lot of people who enjoyed the previous games. And those left will probably lose interest since the relationship-based part of the game hasI did not particularly enjoy my time with The Sims Medieval and i have a hard time pining down the target audience for this game. The fact that they have taken away a large part of the building and furniture options from previous titles will turn away a lot of people who enjoyed the previous games. And those left will probably lose interest since the relationship-based part of the game has been seriously crippled . (One example of that is that sims no longer age which means that children for instance no longer will grow up.) And those who simply want to screw around in the game will probably be turned off by the pushy quest system and the shortcomings listed above. All of the shortcomings listed could be tolerable if the new quest system that the game is based on was fun. That is sadly not the case and the missions often feel mindless and boring. The point and click system that the game is based on doesn't work very well for a goal-driven gameplay and i have a hard time seeing any new demographic getting interested in The Sims Medievals quite limited and dull quest-solving mechanics. I would say that the developers attempt to make the game a little more scripted and linear has really hurt the game since it restricts the creativeness of the player. And i do simply not believe that the Sims gameplay mechanics can stand on it own without it. Fans of the genre could probably get a few hours of enjoyment out of this game but i would not recommend paying any large sum of money for this one.… Expand
  47. zahpp
    Jul 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. what is this? what is it try to make you do that you do not have seen in a 100 of other games of this sort ? nothing. it is just as boring as always with this simulation games… Expand
  48. Watersson
    Jan 1, 2014
    8
    The Sims Medieval-I played it with great pleasure. Fair missions, average graphics (but those are the Sims so I'm not surprised) and Simlish new (medieval) version. In contrast to the TS3 items cut from the base game is not conspicuous. You can see that this game is not focused on a lot of expansions. It is a nice stepping stone for people who are not satisfied for The Sims 1-3 and forThe Sims Medieval-I played it with great pleasure. Fair missions, average graphics (but those are the Sims so I'm not surprised) and Simlish new (medieval) version. In contrast to the TS3 items cut from the base game is not conspicuous. You can see that this game is not focused on a lot of expansions. It is a nice stepping stone for people who are not satisfied for The Sims 1-3 and for those who just like to "medieval" atmosphere … Expand
  49. GamersLikeABoss
    Nov 10, 2012
    10
    Super cool and almost everything is new from the very original Sims 3 and u can sword fight and decorate ur kindom!!!!! i think sims 3 has improved!!!
  50. Vickriman
    Jan 22, 2013
    8
    This game is quite a bit of fun. It takes the concept of the Sims "build your own" person and community mentality and gives it a bit more direction with questing (which are specific goals that you play toward as opposed to the free play style of sims 1-3). One of the best parts of this game is how amusing it can be. There are a lot of inside jokes throughout the game, and sometimes yourThis game is quite a bit of fun. It takes the concept of the Sims "build your own" person and community mentality and gives it a bit more direction with questing (which are specific goals that you play toward as opposed to the free play style of sims 1-3). One of the best parts of this game is how amusing it can be. There are a lot of inside jokes throughout the game, and sometimes your sims end up doing very goofy things. It is also fun to role play the different jobs, which is not very hard due to the daily responsibilities and very different play styles between heroes.

    The only complaints I have are that it is a bit more simplified than I would like. You cannot build the outside of the buildings, which is a bit limiting, and the furnishing options are much more limited than any of the numbered Sims titles. Also, the quests and daily responsibilities can become a bit repetitive; this is the case with any Sims game, but a bit of user creativity can make this weakness a bit better.

    Overall, I think this game is not as good as it could have been but still quite fun and addicting.    … Expand
  51. shadw44
    Nov 12, 2015
    0
    what is this game even supposed to be? It isn't a sims game since none of the features you'd expect in that sort of game are present, so what else is it supposed to be? This disappointing mess absolutely fails at being... well anything, really.
  52. Confubulous
    Jun 20, 2013
    8
    I waited a long time to get this game because I wasn't sure I would like it, imagine my surprise when I finally got it and loved it to little bits. The is not an Role Playing Game that takes itself seriously and it has all the humor and more of The Sims games. If you have played The Sims 3 you will recognize a lot of the menus tools and key bindings so the learning curve it pretty shallow.I waited a long time to get this game because I wasn't sure I would like it, imagine my surprise when I finally got it and loved it to little bits. The is not an Role Playing Game that takes itself seriously and it has all the humor and more of The Sims games. If you have played The Sims 3 you will recognize a lot of the menus tools and key bindings so the learning curve it pretty shallow. Playing the different heroes through their quests is surprisingly engrossing. If you are a fan of the Sims 3 and other Sims games then you will enjoy this, if you have never played a Sims game but are looking for some lighthearted fun then you will probably enjoy this too. But if you hated The Sims 3 then you most likely won't enjoy this game.… Expand
  53. itchipod
    Jun 1, 2016
    7
    A lot of things to do and customize. This is different compared to the original sims. I enjoy being a monarch, yet this game is only interesting during the first ambition or the first 8 hours. After you have explored all jobs, it gets repetitive and boring.
  54. vvmax
    Dec 26, 2018
    5
    The Sims and RPGs do not go together. So I was expecting a simulation of a medevial peasant. Well I was wrong, it is a simulation of the nobles of the time. Interesting, then I thought that it could be about running a royal dynasty, that would have been cool but no, most of the things that make The Sims what it is are mostly thrown out of the window in favour of RPG elements, which don’tThe Sims and RPGs do not go together. So I was expecting a simulation of a medevial peasant. Well I was wrong, it is a simulation of the nobles of the time. Interesting, then I thought that it could be about running a royal dynasty, that would have been cool but no, most of the things that make The Sims what it is are mostly thrown out of the window in favour of RPG elements, which don’t go with the franchise. Okay, probably won’t play again for another 500 years… Expand
  55. MatikTheSeventh
    Oct 11, 2020
    5
    The game is really something else for the series. While The Sims 2 had its castaway and individual stories, The Sims 3 got Medieval, and it was a wonderful idea, but the execution is off. You can create a king and his advisors, but as soon as you're done with a quest line your kingdom gets scrapped and you have to start anew every time you start a new story.
  56. Murtaz_Rage
    Apr 29, 2020
    7
    Good idea, bad execution. When I heard about the game, I was happy, my favorite setting was decided to implement in a game like the Sims, I immediately downloaded it... At first it was interesting, but after a few hours you realize that the sellers could get much more good content out of this setting. Generally 7/10 only because this is one of my favorite settings
  57. erdogfu96
    Feb 9, 2020
    7
    Good idea, well designed game. But when playing sims I want to design my own characters and town so it was lack of that and like rpg games. But it is not rpg game and cannot be.

    Graphics:6/10
    Sounds: 8/10
    Gameplay: 6/10
    Story: 8/10
  58. TomKing13
    Jul 17, 2022
    6
    c: ........................................................................
  59. Crazygame
    Jan 16, 2023
    7
    The game has good artificial intelligence.With class quests, governance and daily sims life it shows diffirent game experience. But the game has so small and boring map, if it has been open world game it would be awesome.
  60. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    6
    Pretty fun premise but feels more like a proof of concept. You have interesting characters that can do interesting things, and you combine them together to do quests and deal with situations. It's a cool direction for a sims game to take, but it feels like it never goes far enough and the personal relationships aren't enough to compensate. Potential unfulfilled. Still good for a short jaunt with.

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best PC Game of 2011
81
#81 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
65
#65 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
  1. Everyeye.it
    Sep 7, 2011
    75
    This new incarnation of The Sims has a simplier gameplay but a more interesting setting and tasks to achieve. A good diversion overall.
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  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 9, 2011
    70
    A charming, multi-genre-hybrid experience, that will appeal to those who don't mind the sometimes tedious underlying gameplay. [July 2011, p.75]
  3. PALGN
    May 29, 2011
    75
    Friendly enough to for the non-Sims-enthusiasts among us and something fresh for players that have been around the block before, The Sims Medieval shows that there's still some life in this franchise yet.
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