The Sims Medieval

Here is a drama with characters we care about, built by us, and written in the verse of that now-familiar Sims vocabulary, finally harnessed to tell great stories that are too big for any sandbox about day-to-day life.

This one is an easy recommendation for Sims fans; but questing/adventure game fans will get a kick out of it as well.

Even if you've played The Sims before, you haven't played this game--it brings something brand new to the table in a familiar and well-loved format.

Very addicting.

In summary, The Sims Medieval provides an unexpected jumpstart to a series that, while still well loved, was probably due for a refresher. The condensed, more directed gameplay might be hit or miss with Sims veterans and might be different enough from previous Sims games to attract a different demographic. While it's not perfect, however, The Sims Medieval plays well and introduces many new features and exploration options alongside the familiar, all delivered in an attractive package.

The story is well told, a lot of variety is to be expected and the sound is pretty good: For me, The Sims Medieval easily is one of the best games in the series, if not the best. If you're in search for a surprise, this game could be just for you.

Possibly the first Sims game that is worth playing all the way through. It may lack some variety of content, but nevertheless it's a big step forward for the series. [May 2011, p.87]

A lot of the enjoyment you'll get from The Sims Medieval is not in completing quests as quickly as you can, but in taking a bit of time to just wander around the kingdom, interacting with different characters and throwing a tomato or two at the sim stuck in the stocks.

It's got a few kinks to work out - both in technical terms and in the way some elements are implemented, but we'd happily recommend this to both Sim fans and newcomers to the franchise. In fact, this will probably work better on new comers, as it provides an easy introduction to the simulation aspect, whilst providing them something fun to do.

Sims purist[s] will likely wretch at this latest entry, as it guts nearly everything that makes a Sims game a Sims game-the Sims don't even have to pee for Pete's sake! But if you're actually playing games to make things pee rather than slay beasts and bed maidens, you're clearly doing it wrong. This is a great start for a Sims branch that will surely get at least one expansion, and to be honest, it's already my favorite branch on the tree.

The Sims Medieval is a variation on the classic and successful bid. The heroes and the missions are many, the idea well-used, and there is the very high level of customization we are used to experiencing. Something new that the fans will not take long to love.

The Sims Medieval has successfully breathed new life into a franchise that was getting pretty stale.

The Sims: Medieval is a really nice standalone game, which combines the beloved Sims gameplay with roleplaying and medieval elements. Altogether a really nice combination, which no Sims-Fan should miss.

In the end, The Sims Medieval is definitely one of the best releases of this series in a long time and the tweaked gameplay and new direction of the game will not only be pleasing to existing fans but also newcomers to the series who will easily be able to pick up the game and start playing.

Overall, The Sims Medieval does exactly what it was meant to do: Be a more casual, standalone Sims to pull more casual fans into the series. It's a fine first taste of Will Wright's highest-selling work, and the lack of expansion plans mean that it feels full and complete right out the gate. The hardcore, however, need not apply.

The Sims goes swords-and-sorcery in this quasi-RPG kingdom-focused take on the series.

New experiences focused on quests and simple adventure-solving along with a great quantity of new gameplay mechanics make Medieval a nice beginning for this Sims spin-off.

Medieval has just won the series some brand new fans - and we can only tip our hats to EA. [Issue#108, p.118]

It's good to see that Electronic Arts isn't just producing one Sims add-on after the other. The Sims Medieval provides a solid medieval experience but fails in depth. It's a shame that you can't build your own castles.

Considering the quality of its base concept and the welcome innovations that shift the fulcrum of the game to a more action oriented experience, The Sims: Medieval proves to be a well crafted spin-off that could actually represent the first step towards the long-awaited evolution of the series.

It's hard to believe, but by doing something as simple as giving players something specific to work toward, Maxis has taken gameplay that had become as stale as three day old pumpernickel and made it surprisingly fresh.

It feels like a Sims product while at the same time feels like something completely fresh and original. But if you don't like having goals or being too limited in your virtual sandbox, then who are you kidding? You're probably still playing The Sims 3. Stick with that and let the rest of us enjoy the breath of fresh air that The Sims Medieval brings.

This time the simulation is about an entire kingdom, and one that's "filled with content". Gameplay is sometimes too easy and streamlined, but the fans can't miss it this time around.

Medieval sims can be considered a breath of fresh air in a series that was fatigued by a lack of originality.

Maxis wagered that adding fun new game elements to its blockbuster franchise would work, and The Sims Medieval succeeds sufficiently to start its own branching franchise. Expect an expansion pack or ten.

EA changes its Sims franchise for the better: placed in a consistent universe, with a common goal, each hero of Sims Medieval finds itself in a right and logical spot (which was rarely the case with previous Sims titles). In the end, the Kingdom itself is the main character of the game, and even though the gameplay seems a little repetitive, the middle-ages charm, with a twist of humor and a lot to discover, works well.

The Sims Medieval is an interesting hybrid that does a good job mixing classic mechanics from the series with a more structured, objective based game. It may feel a bit limited at the beginning, and diehard Sims fans will miss some fundamental features, but this newfound sense of purpose for a Sims game suits it nicely and opens lost of possibilities for the future.

The Sims Medieval is a beautiful game with fun and interesting ideas, but it doesn't live up to my fantasy of the Middle Ages and it doesn't completely satisfy the Sims fan in me.

This is a more than decent game. Maybe it won't surprise those who don't follow the series, because it doesn't change the formula dramatically, but those who have been The Sims fans for years will like the new ideas of this medieval iteration.

RPG fans will cry. [June 2011, p.86]

A surprisingly expansive king sim, that can occasionally be a royal pain in the arse. [June 2011, p.81]

This new incarnation of The Sims has a simplier gameplay but a more interesting setting and tasks to achieve. A good diversion overall.

Friendly enough to for the non-Sims-enthusiasts among us and something fresh for players that have been around the block before, The Sims Medieval shows that there's still some life in this franchise yet.

Sims Medieval is different from the previous installment and won't satisfy all fans. What we've got is a fairly complicated and surprisingly demanding game, which sometimes bores you with its peculiar gameplay mechanic but more often simply entertains thanks to its easygoing attitude and a wide variety of possibilities.

The Sims Medieval is a funny game for explorers, full of little gems, but the everyday life of the Sims has been simplified and feels routine very quickly. It's very entertaining for a while, but too shallow to motivate for long.

Gameplay is pedestrian, ultimately annoying and not as replayable as a Sims title should be.

A charming, multi-genre-hybrid experience, that will appeal to those who don't mind the sometimes tedious underlying gameplay. [July 2011, p.75]

The Sims: Medieval is not very deep, and extremely easy, but offers a pleasant and fresh diversion from the main series. The core «sims»-concept has loads of untapped potential, and Medieval might be the first step on the way towards realizing this.

The Sims Medieval offers an amusing The Sims experience in an original way, which breathes new life into the franchise. The setting has been chosen well, there's plenty of variation and the The Sims humour is present once again. That doesn't take away from the fact that this shift in time will make fans who miss certain key elements drop the franchise as a whole.

A nice try with The Sims in a new era with different game mechanics. Suffers from limited freedom and some bad design choices.

Considering the sheer number of spin-offs and expansions, it can be easy to overlook a new addition to the growing Sims series. When each installment only offers a slightly different flavor of the same gameplay, they all start to blend together. Despite the problems with The Sims Medieval, at least it isn't more of the same. Next time, I'd prefer something that's also good instead of just different.

The Sims: Medieval is an interesting experiment, with some good ideas, but their use is far from ideal. The repetition and the pacing problems have a negative impact on the overall experience, but this will not prevent fans of the series from spending many enjoyable hours with it.

A new and fresh direction in the Sims franchise.

The graphics are the best of any in the franchise and the musical score is perfectly aligned to the medieval setting. But Sims fans might be disappointed by the lack of freedom in this release, whereas RPG fans will probably appreciate the structured gameplay and character development laced with The Sims's typical light-hearted humour.

Hollow as the game itself might be, the exterior has more than enough charm to tease you onward. If EA can just pull the core concept out of the dark ages, what comes next should be worth everyone's time.

Medieval is suitable even to the die-hard opponents of the Sims. If they can bear the fact that they will install the game with "Sims" in its title they will be rewarded with some decent entertainment. [Mar 2011]

A surprisingly daring mix of interactive narrative, role-playing game and life simulator - and nothing like the lazy cash-in you'd expect.

The synthesis of all The Sims Medieval's many personalities and inspirations creates something genuinely unique and compulsively entertaining. It's a funny and sweet time sink, and something that any Sims fan can wholeheartedly enjoy.

The Sims Medieval feels like a bunch of happy episodes filled with happy-go-lucky knights from the Monty Python TV-series. And that makes up for most of the problems and gives a lot of entertainment.

More an interactive fairytale than a game, this Sims spinoff tells a good yarn but feels limited.

With its new gameplay based on quests and jobs, The sims Medieval offers new directions to the Sims saga without forgetting freedom.

Compared to other Sims spin-offs, The Sims Medieval is a bold game. But once you complete your first playthrough, you will hardly crave for a second helping.

While some Sims fans might find the addition of quests and a leveling system makes the game even more addictive, The Sims Medieval does away with some of the series' classic components, like designing buildings and watching your Sims age.

Playing The Sims Medieval is like looking at your neighbor's vacation slides: You're hearing about someone else's grand adventure rather than having one of your own.