Life is Feudal: Your Own is the non-MMO (but multiplayer) version of Life Is Feudal, developed and published by Bitbox Ltd. The game allows us to relive the joys of leprosy, ergotism, smallpox, witch hunts and obscurantism. Basically, relive the happy era of the Middle Ages. ?
This version of LIF offers content very similar to the MMO version. The creation of characters is the same, and we find ourselves on the island serving as a tutorial for the MMO version. However, the latter is very large, enough to build many large villages there that can accommodate several dozen houses each. Moreover, the LIF: YO servers can accommodate up to 64 players.
So we start at a random place on the island and the goal is to survive. Like an Ark (but without the dinosaurs), we are in our underwear and let loose in nature. After having succeeded in making some rudimentary tools, it is time to go to a place to build a house, cultivate a vegetable garden and develop.
Along the way, we can meet friends and decide to build together a place of life, because the number is a force! The more we are, the faster we develop and the more we can counter the threats of this medieval world ...
At the bend of a tree, I come across Kathlyn and so, together, after finding a corner by the lake, we start building our camp! And to do this, you have to start with leveling the land.
Once the ground is flat (and having been picky about the dimensions!), It is time to build the first protections of the camp, small braided fences will do to start.
After all these efforts, the belly starts to growl, let's go for a picking session of fruits and various nuts. As I was picking a few apples, memories of my Old World life and my family come back to me ... Alalala, the beheadings, eyes popping out of their sockets, etc. it was a good time !
I then leave to design the foundations of the house, which will require a lot of work to complete! Masonry, forge, woodworking, etc. Building in LIF: YO takes a lot of skills and it's hard to get them all on your own, that's why multiplayer play comes highly recommended. So while someone specializes in construction, another person can specialize in reliquary, agriculture, and alchemy for example.
The game therefore encourages complementarity and communication between players. Personally, an architect at heart, I embarked on a career as a builder and I am developing my skills which will be necessary for me to evolve in this direction.
During the adventure, we can meet wild animals. Rabbits, deer, hinds, wild boars, bears, wolves, etc. Some are peaceful while others will take pleasure in tearing you to shreds and biting your bones!
Yum yum, the good barbecue!
Goodbye Cruel World…
Later in the adventure, you can engage in animal husbandry (chickens, etc.), taming (horses, etc.) and even war if you want to fight other players.
Graphics, sounds and optimization
Now that I've talked a bit about how the game is played, let's talk about the rest!
From the side graphic, the game is really beautiful. The effects related to the weather (wind, rain, etc.) make it very well in play. For example, when there is a strong wind, you can see the trees "bending". If it snows, we see it cover the ground and the trees little by little, etc.
The seasons are also well represented with, for example, the leaves of certain trees which fall during autumn. The day / night cycle also works very well. The sunsets are magnificent, the reflections (on the sea or the lakes) are really very well done and at night, if you don't have a torch with you, don't hope to put one foot in front of the other without bumping into a tree.
From the side sound, the seasons and weather effects are also very well transcribed. Hearing the sound of the wind in our "ears" is really very pleasant and gives the sensation of hearing it for real (especially if you have headphones on your ears with the sound of the game). The music is not striking, but sticks perfectly to the atmosphere of the game and can be heard without problem. They are neither boring nor tense, let alone annoying.
Optimization the game is excellent. With an "average" computer (I5-GTX960-8GB of ram) it is possible to play with the "ultras" presets in 1920 * 1080 resolution. I didn't have the slightest problem of slowing down or crashes during my many hours of play.
Conclusion
If you like survival games in a "realistic" universe ("normal" animals, etc.), but don't want to get involved in an MMO, Life Is Feudal: Your Own is a very good compromise. The game is quite boring on its own, but is really great if you play it with friends.
However, you will be required to have a private server, whether by renting one or by hosting it directly on your computer, to play it.
- Excellent group game.
- Survival side and "realistic" construction (for a video game).
- The weather and seasonal effects very well done.
- Forced to play on a server, no "single player".
- The night really very annoying sometimes (very dark).
- Long enough endurance recovery.
