Raw Power Games is building Chronicles: Medieval as something of a hybrid beast, letting players toggle between commanding hundreds of troops on a sprawling battlefield and wading into close-quarters combat themselves. The studio's debut title, first shown at Summer Game Fest, is taking shape as a sandbox RPG set during the Hundred Years' War that asks players to recruit armies, earn renown, and fight their way across Europe.
The core appeal lies in the flexibility. Battles scale dramatically, ranging from small skirmishes involving just 20 soldiers to large-scale engagements with 2,000 combatants under your command. Before any fighting starts, players organize their forces into "battle lines" from an overhead perspective, essentially programming AI behavior patterns that units will follow once chaos erupts. Once things get bloody, you can either stay at the command level issuing orders and adjusting formations, or abandon the high ground entirely and grab your sword.
Raw Power's combat mechanics center on a stamina-like posture system that rewards aggressive play. Breaking an enemy's defenses opens the door to gruesome execution attacks, complete with blood effects that serve a dual purpose. Beyond the visual payoff, these kills boost troop morale when your soldiers witness them. Morale becomes a critical resource, shifting between five states from Inspired down to Broken. Troops fighting with high morale perform better in combat, while those losing faith may panic and rout, costing you the battle entirely.
Your enemy's morale works the same way. Once you shatter their will to fight and they begin fleeing, you face a choice: show mercy or cut them down. The game's exploration map will offer additional strategic layers through recruitable mercenaries of varying quality and cost, allowing players to build customized fighting forces over the course of a campaign.
The developer has teased several features still in development that promise to deepen tactical options. Siege warfare looms as a major addition, with the prospect of assaulting fortified castles. A weather system will eventually impact battlefield conditions, though Raw Power is currently only rolling out cosmetic weather effects without gameplay consequences. The team has been deliberately vague about timing, though early access is planned for later this year.
Voice acting will add some star power to the narrative. Tom Hardy narrated the original announcement trailer, and actor Lars Mikkelsen, best known for his role as Grand Admiral Thrawn, will appear in some capacity within the game, though his specific character remains unconfirmed.
Details remain scarce beyond what's been shown in trailers and development diaries posted since April. Raw Power has signaled that communication will accelerate in the coming months, suggesting more reveals are on the horizon. The studio appears committed to balancing historical realism with accessible gameplay, positioning Chronicles: Medieval as a grounded alternative to high fantasy offerings in the medieval action-RPG space.
Author Emily Chen: "The posture-based combo system paired with morale mechanics could genuinely freshen up medieval combat if Raw Power executes it with the depth they're claiming."
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