This year, the studio Ishtar Games will not be unemployed. Whether as a developer but also as an independent game publisher, 2023 will be rich in releases. To start with Lakeburg Legacies, a management game that will soon offer a demo open to everyone. In addition to a freshly unveiled gameplay trailer, here is a first opinion on this demo that we were able to take in hand a little in advance.
Management of love and love of management
Lakeburg Legacies is a management game that will not only let you develop an entire village to gradually transform it into a prosperous kingdombut which will above all allow you to joust matchmakers among your population. In terms of pure management, the title is quite simple and accessible, at least in the beginning. We start by buying a house to house our first inhabitant and by assigning it to the establishment dedicated to lumberjacks to obtain wood to make new constructions.
The principle becomes more complex as you gain population and new constructions are unlocked and additionally bring new resources. If this part of the game remains quite classic on the whole, the attraction lies in the couples that we will have to form. Ultimately, playing the cupids gives you the opportunity to find the rare pearl that you will put at the head of the kingdom. This corresponded here to the end of the demo or during the construction of the castle. Because the goal of Lakeburg Legacies is to make your territory prosper over time. For this, it is necessary that the line is competent and enriched over the unions.
This is why, in addition to the basic resources, the software emphasizes three important elements:
- gold : a currency that improves all your constructions and can even bring in new villagers
- Prestige : it measures all your successes and achievements
- Hearts : a commodity that is used for a lot of actions related to couples such as the management of children or the good understanding of couples
The pleasure comes first in the search for the right people since each character has a descriptive sheet indicating his strengths, his weaknesses, his predispositions for trades, and the centers of interest when looking for a soul mate. Since hearts are very important, you always want to produce more of them and this therefore requires happy couples in the household. The title gives you a big boost thanks to the clairvoyant who will search for profiles for you. It will be up to you to see which suitor you choose according to your needs and/or his compatibility with the partner. We can easily imagine being tempted by a little eugenics to the detriment of romanticism.
In addition, Ishtar Games has managed to make the whole thing coherent and inclusive since one can seek love from the desired genre. We can possibly be critical of the frolic phase that precedes the wedding, which is a bit repetitive. And for children, we quickly understand that it is the storks who take care of the children. In short, this part where we play Cupid promises beautiful hours of reflection for those who love the genre. This demo barely scratches the surface of the potential of Lakeburg Legacies, however, it is undeniable that it offers something quite original in the field. Despite a somewhat busy interface, we can salute a nice graphic touch which gives a feeling of lightness and conviviality.
The medieval atmosphere has its charm, however we quickly cut the music which repeats itself quickly. Fortunately, it’s the kind of game you can easily enjoy with a series or a podcast in the background. There is obviously still a lot of things to discover (the management of taxes, the grievances of the villagers…) and we will not hesitate to carry out a complete test when it is released. This first look is still quite encouraging.
The demo will be available from February 6 on Steam during the Steam Next Fest. We therefore strongly advise you to try it, especially since it offers texts in French. You will be able to discover some nuggets in the dialogues (as in the second image above). The final version of Lakeburg Legacies will be released in the second quarter of 2023 on PC via Steam.