If you’re into medieval strategy games but don’t have hundreds of hours to spare, Bellfortis might just be your perfect match. Created by Rake in Grass, this grand strategy game takes you back to the turbulent early Middle Ages, where you’ll expand your kingdom, navigate tricky political landscapes, and lead armies in real-time battles. Think Total War: Medieval II or Crusader Kings III, but streamlined for players who want an intense experience without endless grind.
At its core, Bellfortis is all about choices. Will you stabilize your kingdom and gain allies through diplomacy, or will you crush rivals with brute force? You’ll manage provinces, build armies, and conquer lands while adapting to random events like plagues or raids. Every decision counts—whether it’s how you build your provinces or how you respond to a sudden opportunity (or disaster) on the map.
Gameplay Highlights
- Build Your Empire: Grow provinces, recruit armies, and unlock new units by building specialized structures.
- Diplomacy and Espionage: Use diplomats to win allies or entire kingdoms, and spies to gather intel or sabotage opponents.
- Dynamic AI Opponents: Face rulers with distinct personalities—some peaceful and focused on development, others aggressive and expansionist.
- Random Events: Deal with dynamic world events that can help or hinder you, from plagues to political opportunities.
- Real-Time Battles: Transition seamlessly from map strategy to action-packed battles where your tactical decisions (and sometimes experiments with flaming arrows or barrels of oil) determine victory.
Bellfortis is going to hit Steam in Early Access on the 29th of January 2025, below an overview, screens and early access trailer.
About This Game
Choose one side, stabilize your country, subjugate the surrounding rulers and build a strong and successful empire in this history inspired strategy game from the wild times of the early Middle Ages, when the first European kingdoms were trying to strengthen their power and resist the raids of savage tribes from the east and north.
How you achieve this is up to you – destroy your enemies by force or by clever politics and help those in need to win friends who will support you and will be devoted to you. Bellfortis combines a tactical turn-based map with realtime action combat.
This game is for lovers of strategy, medieval times and games like Total War: Medieval II or Crusader Kings III who, like the author himself, unfortunately don’t always have hundreds of hours of free time and would like to play something similar but more intense with less time grueling gameplay, so it’s more active and intense with arcade battles.
The game is in the middle of development. The images and content are still far from representing the final state of the game.
Game features:
- Transform yourself into a powerful ruler, play the game as a grand strategy, build provinces, recruit strong armies, conquer territories by force or clever politics.
- Use diplomats to improve relations, gain allies or even entire kingdoms. Spies, in turn, can help you gain information or even weaken the enemy.
- Take on opponents who make strategic decisions based on individual behavior. Some will be peaceful and focus on the betterment of their empire, others will act like dangerous conquerors.
- The world is affected by dozens of random events, some of which may have a positive effect on you, others negative. You can ignore them or use them to your advantage. Although ignoring the plague is probably not a good solution.. 😉
- Unlock new military units by constructing important military buildings in your provinces. Recruit them into your armies and use them in devastating battles.
- You culminate your efforts by winning real-time battles, where your armies clash with the enemy’s in the heat of battle on the battlefield. Choose clever tactics or simply send your troops on the offensive.
- If you’re defending, use defensive objects received from research. What will barrels full of oil and your incendiary arrows do to enemy soldiers? Experiment! 🙂
