In a medieval realm where chivalry is dead and bureaucracy thrives. Where you start as a lowly peasant armed with just your wits and skills. You will have to chop, craft, and charm your way from a lowly peasant to a lord or lady of the manor. This is the sprawling sandbox MMO called Life is Feudal from developers Bitbox Games and Long Tale Games.
At the heart of Life is Feudal there’s a daunting complexity held deep within. Fancy yourself a bit of a blacksmith? Hammer out your corner of the world ore by sweat-breaking ore. Or perhaps you’re more of an unscrupulous demeanor, scheming your way through the ranks of society, using the political system to scathe a path to your nobility. You’ll navigate a world where every player’s choice grows roots in the forming of this future.
Your adventure begins after your character creation. I found the character creation underwhelming, I mean the models themselves are impressive in detail, it is the customization of the cosmetics I found wanting. The diversity somewhat lacking, and as a player, you could end up with a face that looks like you were gnawed on by a savage beast, or highly allergic to peanut butter.
Like other Survival MMOs, we start with a tutorial playthrough. The interactions with NPCs are unvoiced and seem less inspiring than in other games. ‘Hast thou spoken with the Elder?’ they ask, a lot. And upon your affirmative, they nod and ask no more, a trust exercise that stretches belief. And what grand task does this Elder bestow? Cleaning chicken shit from their hen houses and fetching a few eggs, of course—because nothing says ‘epic adventure’ quite like poultry housekeeping. Then again, humble beginnings and all.
As we work on our trust duties, we craft tools from the very essence of the earth. Unfortunately for me, I was left lacking with the inventory design. I was met with chaos—a veritable jumble sale of items with no sense of order or decency. There were overlapping icons, mismatched sizes, and the glaring absence of a grid system, That I have been accustomed to in other titles. It was at times so nerve rattling I walked away for a few when I couldn’t find what I was trying to retrieve.
The hunting quest had me go one-on-one with a surprisingly aggressive deer. To my surprise, this meer docile, and peaceful creature, can be possessed by his ancestors to release a flurry of strikes so vicious, that I shuttled off this mortal world. Yes, the deer killed me, I could not stop laughing at myself. Truly, Life is Feudal is full of surprises, and death by deer is apparently among them.
After I made it to the mainland, I found out I was starving, which never came up to me in the tutorial to eat. I had no clothes, no weapons, nothing to aid me. So I know the survival part of the game was about to kick in. My quest for a simple meal of mushrooms and potatoes turned into a bigger issue than I could have imagined. I needed fire, but not just any fire, I needed a legally sanctioned fire on a plot of unclaimed land. After much turmoil, a small insignificant fire was brought forth on my tiny sliver of land.
However, my trauma continued as now I needed water to cook my potatoes. Everywhere I looked I found water to be on private property. Therefore, it was unable to me to assertain, As I ran through this expansive, laggy map, for a source of unclaimed liquid, a sense of desolation and desperation sat in. No players, no enemies—just an empty, and expansive void of being alone. Yeah, I would see an occasional wild animal, but they were far and inbetween. Finally, I spotted another humanoid figure in the distance. I sprinted forward, hopeful for interaction but was met instead with my death. I was surprised that this rare being was not a possible friend, but a rogue who’s knife found it’s place in my side.
After hours and hours spent in this world, I am saddened to state that Life is Feudal isn’t my idea of a good time. With a piss-poor tutorial, a glaring absence of community on the servers I tried, and a gameplay loop that revolves largely around just surviving rather than any form of enjoyment, it felt more like a medieval game of dread than survival.
I may gave gave up too soon. After 43 deaths in 8 hours, I may have found away around the circle of death. I might have forged a life of material gathering and homestead building. Yet, in some ways, my untimely death felt like a merciful release from a world where living felt more burdensome than dying. In the stark landscape of Life is Feudal, it seems there was little indeed worth living for.
This review was written based on a PC review code for Life is Feudal: MMO provided by Long Tale Games.
