The Best Medieval Games of All Time
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VOICE OVER: Riccardo Tucci
WRITTEN BY: AL
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're navigating marriage alliances, chivalric duels and pelting rivals with poop in our list of the best medieval video games of all time.
The Best Medieval Video Games
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're navigating marriage alliances, chivalric duels and pelting rivals with poop in our list of the best medieval video games of all time.
To keep things appropriately dark and dirty, we're only looking at 'realistic' medieval games, meaning only games with little to no fantasy. So as good as something like the Thief series is, there is just a little too much magic to keep it on this list.
Pray Thee enjoy!
“A Plague Tale: Innocence” (2019)
Asobo Studio’s 2019 hit “A Plague Tale: Innocence” seemed to come out of nowhere . . . which is actually pretty fitting for an action-adventure stealth game. Set during the Black Death in Medieval France, the game features gorgeous visuals, terrifying enemies, and a convincing heroine with some mean sling skills. As Amicia de Rune, players must evade the Inquisition and hungry plague rats using stealth and alchemy - while also protecting Amicia’s brother Hugo. The puzzles are a little linear, but the story has heart, and light fantasy twists keep the gameplay fresh and unique. You dirty, dirty rats.
“Kingdom Come: Deliverance” (2018)
If you want true Medieval immersion, for better or worse, Kingdom Come: Deliverance... um... delivers. The graphics are great but what really strikes chords are the gameplay features that make you feel like you’re really living life in the middle-ages. Nobles will judge you if you're all filthy, you’ll starve if you don’t eat, and die in every fight unless you arm yourself well and master the combat arts. The game can drag in a few places, but if you think of it as a peasant life simulator rather than an action/adventure game you won't be disappointed.
"Banished" (2014)
Banished doesn't explicitly take place in a specific time period, and players aren't really meant to associate it with an existing culture or history. But this quaint, relaxing city building sim stole our hearts in 2014, and we've never been able to talk about it until now. The setting, technology and overall behaviour of your villagers does give this game a distinctly middle-ages feel so we're putting on this list. The game is sufficiently difficult without being too overwhelming, and the different systems like livestock, trade and weather all work together in interesting and unpredictable ways.
“Medieval II: Total War” (2006)
Medieval strategic warfare at it's pinnacle. Like all good Total War games, Medieval II succeeds in strategy both on and off the battlefield. Diplomacy and territory management are important, but the real bread and cabbage of this game comes from the large scale battles. Thousands of units can take part in anything from small skirmishes to massive sieges. The battles look so good that you might even start to feel sorry for the faceless knights and soldiers fighting for their lives while you watch from above making bad decisions. A lot of people consider this game to be the best in the entire Total War franchise and while we don't fully agree, the aging Medieval II definitely stands the test of time.
"Chivalry: Medieval Warfare” (2012)
Look, sometimes we don’t want to think. Maybe sometimes we just want to log onto a game and bash the ever-living shit out of each other with swords, not words. That’s when we load up Chivalry, and just start chopping. This game set the bar for first-person video game combat and it would be years before something else even came close. There are a lot of intricacies that add depth to the experience and really separate the knights from the squires. It’s a violent, blood-soaked good time that never gets old. For Agatha!
“Mount & Blade: Warband” (2010)
A brilliant and totally unique middle-ground between grand strategy and up-close, personal medieval battles; Warband makes the player a general of a single army. BUT instead of fighting the battles from a bird's eye view, the player is more of a King Richard III type, fighting alongside their troops. Battles are savage and the combat is realistic enough that you can be felled just as easily as your enemies. Admittedly, the game wont be for everyone as it has a lot of clunky and awkward systems, with sieges being straight up broken and unmanageable. Those who look past the poxy warts can potentially find hundreds of hours of fun and variety in Warband, and we are eagerly awaiting it's sequel.
“Crusader Kings II” (2012)
Casting aside the need for real time battles and any kind of intimacy with the small folk, Crusader Kings II sets itself apart by positioning itself as the most elaborate and deep medieval sandbox game on PC. Beyond the basic diplomacy and taxation or most medieval strategy games, Crusader Kings II has the player considering marriage pacts, culture, the disposition of individual lords and even genetics and inheritance for pete's sake! If you're looking to REALLY live the life of a feudal ruler over a medieval dynasty, throw a Burger King crown on your head and be prepared to lose a lot of time in Crusader Kings II.
"Mordhau" (2019)
Remember earlier when I said 2012's "Chivalry: Medieval Warfare" set the standard for first person melee combat? It took up until this year before Mordhau came along and managed to pull off the same thing, only bigger! Seriously, Mordhau's success blew everyone away, in no small part to it's complex combat system, while at the same time staying fast and satisfying, two words you don't ofter hear in the same sentence. Wether you want to duel mano a mano in honorable combat, or charge onto a battlefield with 63 other players, Mordhau is more than just a crowd pleaser, it's the best digital swordplay on the PC.
“Age of Empires II” (1999)
The strategy game that everyone’s dad played back in the day, Age of Empires II remains the King for good reason. While I can't use all the cool buzzwords like 'deep' and 'immersive' to describe it, there is still a great time to be had controlling single units and building individual structures in the classic 90's RTS formula. Thanks to an HD Remaster, this relic is easy to download and play on modern systems, so you get not only get great single player campaigns and scenarios, but there is still a thriving multiplayer community as well! Just be warned, a lot of these guys have been playing for 20 freaking years, so if you're new to the game, thats a lot of catching up.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're navigating marriage alliances, chivalric duels and pelting rivals with poop in our list of the best medieval video games of all time.
To keep things appropriately dark and dirty, we're only looking at 'realistic' medieval games, meaning only games with little to no fantasy. So as good as something like the Thief series is, there is just a little too much magic to keep it on this list.
Pray Thee enjoy!
“A Plague Tale: Innocence” (2019)
Asobo Studio’s 2019 hit “A Plague Tale: Innocence” seemed to come out of nowhere . . . which is actually pretty fitting for an action-adventure stealth game. Set during the Black Death in Medieval France, the game features gorgeous visuals, terrifying enemies, and a convincing heroine with some mean sling skills. As Amicia de Rune, players must evade the Inquisition and hungry plague rats using stealth and alchemy - while also protecting Amicia’s brother Hugo. The puzzles are a little linear, but the story has heart, and light fantasy twists keep the gameplay fresh and unique. You dirty, dirty rats.
“Kingdom Come: Deliverance” (2018)
If you want true Medieval immersion, for better or worse, Kingdom Come: Deliverance... um... delivers. The graphics are great but what really strikes chords are the gameplay features that make you feel like you’re really living life in the middle-ages. Nobles will judge you if you're all filthy, you’ll starve if you don’t eat, and die in every fight unless you arm yourself well and master the combat arts. The game can drag in a few places, but if you think of it as a peasant life simulator rather than an action/adventure game you won't be disappointed.
"Banished" (2014)
Banished doesn't explicitly take place in a specific time period, and players aren't really meant to associate it with an existing culture or history. But this quaint, relaxing city building sim stole our hearts in 2014, and we've never been able to talk about it until now. The setting, technology and overall behaviour of your villagers does give this game a distinctly middle-ages feel so we're putting on this list. The game is sufficiently difficult without being too overwhelming, and the different systems like livestock, trade and weather all work together in interesting and unpredictable ways.
“Medieval II: Total War” (2006)
Medieval strategic warfare at it's pinnacle. Like all good Total War games, Medieval II succeeds in strategy both on and off the battlefield. Diplomacy and territory management are important, but the real bread and cabbage of this game comes from the large scale battles. Thousands of units can take part in anything from small skirmishes to massive sieges. The battles look so good that you might even start to feel sorry for the faceless knights and soldiers fighting for their lives while you watch from above making bad decisions. A lot of people consider this game to be the best in the entire Total War franchise and while we don't fully agree, the aging Medieval II definitely stands the test of time.
"Chivalry: Medieval Warfare” (2012)
Look, sometimes we don’t want to think. Maybe sometimes we just want to log onto a game and bash the ever-living shit out of each other with swords, not words. That’s when we load up Chivalry, and just start chopping. This game set the bar for first-person video game combat and it would be years before something else even came close. There are a lot of intricacies that add depth to the experience and really separate the knights from the squires. It’s a violent, blood-soaked good time that never gets old. For Agatha!
“Mount & Blade: Warband” (2010)
A brilliant and totally unique middle-ground between grand strategy and up-close, personal medieval battles; Warband makes the player a general of a single army. BUT instead of fighting the battles from a bird's eye view, the player is more of a King Richard III type, fighting alongside their troops. Battles are savage and the combat is realistic enough that you can be felled just as easily as your enemies. Admittedly, the game wont be for everyone as it has a lot of clunky and awkward systems, with sieges being straight up broken and unmanageable. Those who look past the poxy warts can potentially find hundreds of hours of fun and variety in Warband, and we are eagerly awaiting it's sequel.
“Crusader Kings II” (2012)
Casting aside the need for real time battles and any kind of intimacy with the small folk, Crusader Kings II sets itself apart by positioning itself as the most elaborate and deep medieval sandbox game on PC. Beyond the basic diplomacy and taxation or most medieval strategy games, Crusader Kings II has the player considering marriage pacts, culture, the disposition of individual lords and even genetics and inheritance for pete's sake! If you're looking to REALLY live the life of a feudal ruler over a medieval dynasty, throw a Burger King crown on your head and be prepared to lose a lot of time in Crusader Kings II.
"Mordhau" (2019)
Remember earlier when I said 2012's "Chivalry: Medieval Warfare" set the standard for first person melee combat? It took up until this year before Mordhau came along and managed to pull off the same thing, only bigger! Seriously, Mordhau's success blew everyone away, in no small part to it's complex combat system, while at the same time staying fast and satisfying, two words you don't ofter hear in the same sentence. Wether you want to duel mano a mano in honorable combat, or charge onto a battlefield with 63 other players, Mordhau is more than just a crowd pleaser, it's the best digital swordplay on the PC.
“Age of Empires II” (1999)
The strategy game that everyone’s dad played back in the day, Age of Empires II remains the King for good reason. While I can't use all the cool buzzwords like 'deep' and 'immersive' to describe it, there is still a great time to be had controlling single units and building individual structures in the classic 90's RTS formula. Thanks to an HD Remaster, this relic is easy to download and play on modern systems, so you get not only get great single player campaigns and scenarios, but there is still a thriving multiplayer community as well! Just be warned, a lot of these guys have been playing for 20 freaking years, so if you're new to the game, thats a lot of catching up.
