Bastide is a city-building strategy based in the 13th century where you must guide your village of peasants to thrive and survive against other villages, bandits, hunger, disease, and the cold so that they may grow into a fortified town. The game is published and developed by MedievalNexus.
Early Access Feels
Bastide aims for a realistic vibe, with mechanics like seasons and weather actually impacting your gameplay. It’s not just about building; you really have to plan ahead if you want your little medieval town to survive and flourish.
Let me get straight to the point: Bastide is an Early Access game, and it shows. That’s why this isn’t a full review, the game is still in development, and future updates could change a lot. As it stands now, it doesn’t quite feel complete.
Should you buy it now? I’m on the fence. Early Access means you’re supporting development, but if progress is slow, it’s easy to feel a bit neglected as a player. So the choice is yours: do you support the devs early on, or wait for a more polished version? According to the notes on Steam, the game is still actively being worked on, but whether that’s enough is up for debate.
The Potential Is There, But It Needs Direction
In my opinion, Bastide definitely has potential. That said, this is one of those games that really needs a proper tutorial. I get that many city-builders skip this, but in this case, it would’ve made a big difference. I got stuck early and felt like I’d fallen into a deep hole with no clear way out. That’s a shame, because I genuinely wanted to spend more time in the game.
When I didn’t know what to do, the developer suggested checking YouTube for tutorials. That’s helpful, sure, but I still think an in-game guide or onboarding system would make the experience way more welcoming, especially for newcomers to the genre.
One thing that felt a bit unpolished was the use of simple PNG images as pause screen backgrounds. It breaks immersion and makes the game feel a bit rushed or unfinished, even if it’s just a cosmetic detail.
Luckily, Bastide is priced fairly low, so taking a chance on it might be worth it.
Conclusion
Bastide definitely shows promise as a medieval city-builder with realistic elements like seasons, weather, and survival mechanics. The foundation is solid, but the game still feels unfinished. Which makes sense, given that it’s in Early Access. The lack of a proper tutorial and some rough edges, like the pause screen visuals, make it harder to fully immerse yourself.
That said, it’s clear the developer is still actively working on it, and given the relatively low price, it might be worth buying now to support its growth. For those who prefer a more refined experience, it might be better to wait a bit. Either way, Bastide is a game to keep an eye on, especially if the right improvements are made.
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