When the premise of Lakeburg Legacies was introduced, I knew I had to get my hands on it. While strategy games tend to be an involved timesink, I was willing to give my full attention to one where the foundation of success relied on the management of relationships between villagers. This novel concept was captivating and sounded a lot more in-depth than most city-builders where happiness levels are an afterthought. With this title finally out, how does managing the happiness of citizens play into the bigger picture in Lakeburg Legacies?

A good strategy game has an in-depth tutorial that introduces players to the game in a descriptive, engaging fashion. Unfortunately, I was left scratching my head more than once figuring out how to navigate the menus and figuring out the flow of the gameplay loop in Lakeburg Legacies. The basis of the game is to create a successful village through strong relationships, but that becomes a problem when I cannot discern what I need to do after 10 minutes of reading tutorials. It’s far from intuitive and only serves to frustrate players who are still in the 2-hour refund window.

Once I finally got the gist of what I should be doing at any given time in Lakeburg Legacies, I was happily shipping my villagers. This system works magnificently, as each person has their own opinions on hobbies, and you’re tasked with remembering them before you send them off on a date to confirm their compatibility. The process was seamless but would have benefitted from some dialogue and/or voice acting between the couple. Regardless, the game’s stellar art style is endearing enough to enjoy this aspect that attracted most people to Lakeburg Legacies from the start.

It’s the aesthetic that Lakeburg Legacies contains that is its best feature. The lush, charming landscape of your village is a blast to watch grow. It’s just that the growing part is a pain. The messy UI had me clicking all over the place before I finally got to the screen I wanted to reach. Plus, the game recommends an RTX 2070 Super, which is higher than, say, Cyberpunk 2077‘s recommended spec. I’m baffled, as perhaps this could be a CPU-heavy game once villages get big, but I don’t see how the graphics card gets taxed for such a simple presentation.

While the foundation of Lakeburg Legacies is indeed how relationships are formed and play out, the city-building really takes the driver’s seat most of the time and distracts from the main draw of the game. In the marketing for this title, you’ll see the majority of it focuses on the relationship gameplay. In reality, you’re saddled with worrying about sustaining your city for the majority of your playthroughs.

Lakeburg Legacies will have a niche market of those who love simulation/city-builders as well as love managing relationships. Sadly, it’s too complex and doesn’t ease you in well enough for newcomers to the genre. I’d rather sit through a longer tutorial that guides me to success than have the cliff notes version that doesn’t hold my hand for at least the first half-hour. There’s a lot of potential in Lakeburg Legacies through its exceptional presentation, but sadly, it’s floundered by frustrating gameplay and a lack of focus.

A PC review copy of Lakeburg Legacies was provided by Ishtar Games for this review.

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Lakeburg Legacies

22.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Fantastic Music
• Masterful Art Style/Presentation

Cons

• Confusing UI
• Tiresome Gameplay
• Not Enough Focus on Dating