The most wishlisted game in Steam Next Fest is a medieval city builder

Manor Lords
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)

Upcoming medieval city builder Manor Lords is currently the most wishlisted game in Steam Next Fest, and you can play its demo from today.

Manor Lords is a strategy game where players can see what it's like to be a medieval lord. In the game, players are tasked with growing a humble village into a bustling city using a number of city-building techniques. 

Steam's Next Fest officially kicked off earlier this week and will run until October 10, 2022. During this celebration of indie games, players will be able to watch livestreams and take part in a series of demos - one of which will be Manor Lords. 

Players will be transported to a town inspired by 14th-century Franconia where they'll be tasked with building up a community, starting with a central marketplace. From there, players can build residential, commercial, and industrial districts. This also includes establishing farms, hunting grounds, forests, and more. 

According to the game's Steam page, solo developer Slavic Magic "prioritizes historical accuracy wherever possible, using it to inform gameplay mechanics and visuals alike." Manor Lords also avoids medieval tropes in favor of historical accuracy, so you know you'll be in for an authentic experience. 

Manor Lords also features medieval warfare, meaning players will be at war with neighboring towns and will need to lead their people into battle like the respectable lords they are. To do this, players will need to take control of real-time tactical battles which require strategic planning such as taking fatigue, weather conditions, and equipment into consideration. 

If you want to experience a taste of Manor Lords for free, make sure to head to Steam and take part in Next Fest. It's also worth adding the game to your wishlist as well as any other indies taking part that take your fancy. 

Want to know what other hidden gems you should keep an eye out for? Take a look at our new indie games list. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.