Half build-up, half real-time strategy and with lots of Majesty DNA: the trailer, screenshots and initial information on Crown of Greed are very promising
Real-time strategy? Or would you prefer a building game? If you simply can’t decide between your two favorite genres, Crown of Greed might be worth a look.
Because the strategy game not only looks really chic in the first trailer above, but is also based on a now almost forgotten RTS forefather – including its unusual controls.
What is Crown of Greed about?
In a fantasy world inspired by Slavic mythology (think Witcher monsters) with forests, swamps, snowy landscapes and cursed death deserts, you must build your medieval settlement from an Age of Empires-like iso-perspective and then defend the castles, forges, marketplaces and dwellings against all kinds of attackers.
You probably won’t be able to build walls. This makes it all the more important to have a powerful army to smoke out the monsters’ breeding grounds and defend mission objectives. But not only does it cost gold, it also does more or less whatever it thinks of
Unlike in other strategy games, your subjects in Crown of Greed do not obey your every word. Instead, you have to convince them to cooperate with financial contributions. And even then, you don’t control the units directly with the mouse like in a classic RTS.
Crown of Greed is supposed to simulate each inhabitant separately, all of whom are supposedly equipped with their own artificial intelligence and decide whether to join your army as soldiers based on factors such as payment. Particularly costly is the engagement of independent hero characters, whose actions you control with a “captivating contract and order system”.
To do this, you set a target, such as an outpost infected by the undead. You then determine a reward for fumigating the location – the more gold you offer, the more powerful heroes you attract. Four classes are known so far: Barbarian, Paladin, Rogue and Hunter, all with their own strengths and weaknesses.
You intervene in the battles with spells, otherwise you just watch. You can also bring back experienced warriors after death
All this might remind strategy game veterans of the Majesty series: the two games with the subtitle “The Fantasy Kingdom Sim” were released in 2001 and 2009. And indeed, the indirect controls provided a touch of simulation, which was particularly popular in Europe.
Crown of Greed will be a single-player game without a multiplayer or co-op mode. It is still unclear whether it will also include a mission-based campaign like Majesty. On the Steam page, the developers only mention “numerous procedurally generated gameplay elements.”
Who is behind the project?
Crown of Greed is being developed by Blum Entertainment and the name may sound familiar to some. The studio, based in Warsaw, Poland, has just released a genuine building game in Early Access with Builders of Greece
However, the launch at the end of February 2024 was rather disappointing, with Steam reviews currently at just 59 percent positive ratings – out of a total of 147 opinion pieces. At the same time, Blum has a third iron in the fire: Viking Frontiers is set to be a survival game with a Viking scenario.
When can we expect a release?
There is currently no release date for Crown of Greed. Majesty fans hoping for a sequel after all this time will have to wait until at least 2025, according to the Steam page. However, the first playtests are set to start this year, where alpha players can provide feedback.
It is currently unknown whether the game will then be launched in Early Access like Builders of Greece or whether it will be released directly onto the market.
For a development studio that only has 20 confirmed employees this seems a little overambitious. But it fits in with the strategy of Polish publisher Playway, which is involved in three Blum projects alone (in the case of Crown of Greed via its subsidiary Consoleway).
