DEMO REVIEW - Neat concept, involved gameplay, but mechanically overwhelming and difficult to manage in combat
The game itself is a TBS using the Medieval period for inspiration. You can build armies of archers, swordsmen, peasant clubmen, noble knights, and even engineers and priests. The domain management works on a seasonal system where you can plant in the Fall and herd sheep in the Winter on your lands, mine ore or stone in your quarries, gather lumber in your forests, and build weapons in your armory. All of the tasks (except the armory I believe) require manpower and so you need to keep your citizenry healthy and growing in order to put them to work building your nation.
All this is well and good and would make for an involved plot if this were an economic competition game. It is not such a game, however. The Achilles heel of the game is the combat system which is forced upon you due to the evils of the rampaging Vikings/Burgundians/Red-Colored armies. Unlike other TBS sims, these armies simply stand there and wait to be battled by your forces and there doesn't seem to be any use of the economic system by these marauders. They are simply there as an obstacle to the well planned and thought out economics. Again, I was playing the demo version, but even if they attack in the full version, it is moot because the combat system is unwielding and hard to manage.
Gameplay - This is by far the most disappointing part of this (supposed) TBS game. The turn-based part only applies to the management of your kingdom. Once you enter the combat phases you go to a real-time system where your troops move about willy nilly according to the AI path-making (which can be problematic obviously), and, due to the speed of the encounters, have very little time on the field before they are swarmed by the AI. Maybe it's just me, but when I go to the TBS section of Gamespot I want to get games that are truly TBS.
Graphics - This is a very nice part of the game. The maps are nice and full of color and detail. The only complaint I have is the fact that the interface reminds me more of an old-school Amiga view rather than an innovative 2005 release.
Sound - The ambient sounds and voice work are pretty good. The music made no major impact on me, but the thing I liked the most was the battle sounds. Nothing like some steel on steel to get the blood pumping (even if the gurgling I heard was my own troops dying breaths).
Value - The demo was a great value, but seeing as it will probably be coming out at higher than $20 I'll have to give it a 5.
Tilt - A very well done economics system and decent sound and nostalgic graphics earn it a few points, but I can't get past the gameplay!