Bellwright is a good beginning for a game where you have to stage a revolt.

I get nervous thinking about establishing a community in the middle ages while also experiencing oppression from the local lords, but that's the world that Bellwright thrusts you into.

Described by the developer Donkey Crew, Bellwright is Imagine this world as a child's fantasy of a peaceful medieval setting complete with wide-open spaces, woods, untamed creatures, and a bright sun. It's stunning, enhancing the detail of each structure and NPC as you approach them. However, this planet has more to offer than simply the gloomy bogs. Although your primary objective is to establish a colony at initially, your ultimate objective is to revolt against the authorities in charge of this territory.

Thrive, prosper, and conquer

I was invited to a preview session for Bellwright, where Donkey Crew walked me through most of the game's features and showcased around 45 minutes of gameplay—at least, the ones that will be accessible when it releases in early access on April 23, 2024. Following that, I had the opportunity to interview several other journalists about what we had witnessed, and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by what I learned.The meeting began with a general overview of the game's universe. A range of biomes are scattered throughout an area that is 25 kilometers square. Donkey Crew claims that one of the main sources of inspiration for the game is Subnautica, as seen by the fact that your adventure starts in the tranquil meadows biome and moves into increasingly hazardous areas as it goes on.Though there is a tale, you don't necessarily need to interact with it in depth, which is why I use the word "narrative" lightly. Moving about the area and liberating people from the oppressive rule of the invading army village by village until they are completely eliminated is the aim of the game. When you get into the specifics, it becomes much more intricate than it seems in theory.You must first find participants for your colony. To do this, you must first construct a bell tower by visiting neighboring villages and winning the confidence of important people. This building is a symbol of disobedience and will set off a conflict that you must prevail in order to acquire the village's respect and allegiance, which is now in your favor.

The key to success is setting priorities

After gaining a following, it's time to construct your colony, which is what I believe most survival enthusiasts would find interesting in the game. Similar to Rimworld, you assign tasks to your followers based on priority, and they will carry them out in that order. If you change the order of priority, they will construct instead of farming if that is what you would want. If not, Donkey Crew clarified that they would handle matters as they see appropriate.The majority of constructions take many in-game days to finish, therefore building isn't quick. Because of this, Bellwright is a slow burner, but it's meant to force you to think about everything you've made. If a framework isn't necessary, you'll have to put it off or impede your development.For instance, you could want to construct a blacksmith shop to begin crafting armor and weapons, but you already know what should come first if your people need a warehouse to store more food in order to survive the winter. Because the environment around you changes with the seasons, you will depend on shops during the winter and build up a new one during the spring and summer.You'll be the target of raids as your towns expand—you'll have several as you play. In addition to naturally defending what is rightfully theirs, your supporters may be used in combat. Almost exactly like In Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, rather of commanding troops during combat, your role will be to instruct them to move or attack. Donkey Crew even informed us that if you'd want, you may play the whole game without ever swinging a sword.In Bellwright, fighting is a necessary aspect of advancement as some locations, such hostile biomes and bandit camps, contain resources that are needed to open new buildings and technologies. Because enormous advantages, such a wheat field for a much more consistent source of food, are hidden behind your enemy's formidable fortifications, attacking major cities is even a necessary step in the advancement process.Without survival features, of course, none of this would be nearly as rewarding, and Bellwright offers a plethora to take into account. If your character or followers are killed in battle, they do not die, but when you respawn, you do lose part of your stuff. If you drop your followers in combat, they will be hurt, and if you push them back out without providing them with healing, they will permanently vanish.It's also important to keep in mind to pack food for a raid. During a combat, troops get hungry and recuperate more slowly if there are no supplies available to feed them. It draws you into the scenario because you realize that you must remember every detail in order to succeed, slowing down the rate of advancement to the point that it almost seems historically correct.So far, what I've seen of Bellwright is fantastic, and Donkey Crew has a ton more planned. Riding horses is planned for the game at some point, but for now, the early access launch will include quick transit stations that you may construct in communities to create your own network. There could also be a calm and eternal mode, depending on how the game is received by the community.Donkey Crew has spent a great deal of effort making the game compatible with as many PC configurations and widescreen displays as possible, regardless of what features it may or may not end up having. It informed us that although lower-spec PCs should still be able to run the game on performance-based settings, strong rigs should easily reach 60 frames per second.The usage of AI voiceover in the early access edition of Bellwright is the one drawback to the otherwise enjoyable preview. Donkey Crew wants it to be known that it plans to utilize professional human voice actors in the finished product, which is why they openly shared this information. Nonetheless, AI voiceover is advantageous in the development stage as it eliminates the need to depend on the availability of a voice actor or the additional expense of constantly recording the same lines.I recognize the developer's point of view and appreciate their candor in providing the facts. There is no expiration date for the early access, however, and given the present situation, I can't help but worry that this one feature would take precedence over other gameplay features that appear fun.On April 23, Bellwright will be available for PC early access.