With Chronicles Medieval, a team of “history nerds” is mixing authentic historical world-building and stimulating strategy to promising effect
At Gamescom, Eurogamer previewed Chronicles Medieval, an upcoming action-strategy game from Raw Power Games set during the Hundred Years' War, describing it as the work of self-professed "history nerds" aiming to combine authentic historical detail with engaging strategy gameplay. Lead producer Sam Millen and senior game designer Gareth Bourn explained that the team worked closely with historians, including an in-house expert in historical European martial arts, to accurately depict period-appropriate settlements, coats of arms, weapons and armour, while acknowledging the challenge of balancing realism against fun.
The game spans a map of Southern England with 209 regions, each accurately placed and scaled to historical settlement sizes, with undiscovered areas hidden beneath a parchment-style fog of war. Battles combine top-down tactical planning, where players position units and pre-programme manoeuvres such as flanking cavalry charges, with third-person action once fighting begins, allowing players to command troops or personally engage in combat on horseback or foot. Progression sees players start with modest peasant forces and limited skills, gradually unlocking new combat abilities and building up their army as a commander through successive victories.
In short
- Raw Power Games previews Chronicles Medieval, a Hundred Years' War strategy game
- Historians and a HEMA expert ensured authentic units, armour and geography
- Battles blend top-down tactics with third-person action combat and progression
Explained simply
The Hundred Years’ War was a long series of conflicts between England and France over territory and claims to the French crown. It lasted from 1337 to 1453, with fighting and shifting fortunes across several generations.
The game is being made by Raw Power Games, whose team says it is working with historians to depict the period’s places, weapons and fighting methods. Its setting includes Southern England, divided into regions based on the locations and sizes of historical settlements.
The game combines planning troop movements with direct combat, so players can command an army or fight alongside it. That mix reflects a broader challenge for historical games: how to include detail about the past while keeping play accessible and engaging.