Was Manor Lords overhyped?

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Did Manor Lords deserve its hype and sales of over 3 million copies by early 2025? It’s hard to give a definitive answer — it depends on what you value in a game. Manor Lords is (technically) a one-developer project by Greg Styczeń of Slavic Magic, published by Hooded Horse. The game combines medieval city management with light strategic and combat elements.

The hype reached incredible levels before release, with over 3.2 million Steam wishlists, and the game sold one million copies within the first 24 hours of entering Early Access on April 26, 2024. That’s an impressive result for an indie game, especially one that is still unfinished.

On one hand, the game has a lot to offer. Visually, it’s stunning, featuring detailed villages, changing seasons, and an atmosphere that evokes 14th-century Francia. The city-building system is deep and organic, without a fixed grid, allowing you to adapt settlements to the natural landscape. Players enjoy micromanagement, balancing resources, production chains, and villagers’ needs as their small settlement gradually grows into a bustling town.

Insane! Thank you for playing https://t.co/Q4PNIS42BK

— MANOR LORDS (@LordsManor) May 16, 2024

On Steam, the game has an 87% “Very Positive” rating from over 58,000 players and at one point reached 173,000 concurrent players. For a niche genre like city-builders, those numbers are incredible. Fans claim it’s a passionate project done right, and Styczeń’s transparency about the Early Access phase has built player trust. The price of €39.99 (often discounted to $29.99) seems fair to many, especially since there’s no AAA-style greed like microtransactions.

However, the hype went too far — some expected a “Total War killer” or a massive RPG, so Styczeń had to manage expectations before release, emphasizing that it isn’t that kind of game. Combat is shallow compared to real RTS games, and the endgame loses challenge once your town becomes stable. Early Access means the game isn’t complete; it lacks diplomacy, better AI, and clear progression beyond basic survival.

Some players on Reddit and Steam criticize the game as beautiful but shallow, with a short gameplay loop that becomes repetitive after about 20 hours, contains bugs (like flying sheep), and doesn’t offer enough content to justify all the hype. Critics argue that the game benefited more from YouTube buzz and the large number of Steam wishlists than from actually delivering a complete experience. At a €40 price point, it can disappoint if you expected more than a promising foundation.

As for sales, 3 million copies for a solo developer’s debut is an extraordinary achievement — but is it deserved? It depends. If you see it as a reward for ambition and solid foundations, then yes, it makes sense. Hooded Horse’s fair pricing and Styczeń’s effort (with updates like new maps and bridges planned through the end of 2024) support that view.

But if you believe the hype should match a fully polished, genre-revolutionizing game, then the title falls short of those expectations. Did it promise too much? Maybe. Did it offer enough to justify its success? For many, yes.