

Early levels revolve around constructing a functioning settlement, tasking you with setting up efficient production lines. I played through the opening two missions as well as a late-game scenario and (wonky voice acting aside) it’s shaping up very well indeed. This was most evident in the game’s campaign. This is shaping up to be largely the same settlement management game you remember, but modernised and refreshed.ĭiscovering sources of coal and iron are essential for gearing up your soldiers. The result is a faster more streamlined version of The Settlers, one that is both grounded in the past and looking forward towards its future. And the addition of bandits, placed strategically across multiplayer maps, prevents players from using rush tactics to end PvP games in mere minutes, an issue that plagued last year’s beta. Returning buildings, such as the forester, add much-needed depth to settlement management. The research tree has been overhauled from the ground up. Particular attention has been paid to the game’s economy. The Settlers New Allies is in a more polished and focused state compared to the beta I played last year. We've been collecting the feedback as we were developing”. Not just on where we were standing, but where we were going. “One of our biggest focuses was to be absolutely transparent with the players. “We learned than just what was needed for the game,” creative director Christian Hagerdorn tells me during a recent preview event. An extended delay is never an easy decision to make, yet the team at Ubisoft Düsseldorf (formerly Blue Byte) has seen this additional development time as an opportunity to reach out to those most familiar with the series.

The game then reemerged in a fresh new form in 2022, but a less than favourable reception from long-term fans to its closed beta saw the game delayed indefinitely once again.ġ2 months later, The Settlers: New Allies is all the better for it. After an eight-year absence, the next entry in Ubisoft’s beloved city-building series was finally revealed in 2018, only to be delayed indefinitely two years later. The road to launch has been a uniquely turbulent one for The Settlers: New Allies.
