Patrician IV

What’s the Story?

10 years is a long time for any franchise but thankfully one of the original trading simulations is staging a comeback. Welcome back Patrician, gamers have missed you. Faithfully emulating the age-old problems of supply and demand, players will have to master procuring various goods during the Middle Ages, form reliable trade routes and battle the ever-present problem of piracy on the high seas.

What do we know?

Every town in the world of Patrician IV specializes in a certain commodity, whether that’s wood, cheese or wool, and it’s up to you to spread the wealth around, effectively buying low and selling high in order to build wealth, gather valuable resources and build your own cities in order to gain further standing in Europe. It isn’t as easy as all that though, as there are plenty of bandits, diseases, civil unrest, pirates and competing cities – such as accurately recreated versions of Cologne and London – to challenge your economic prowess.

Anything else?

Patrician IV’s as deep as you might expect from the genre, but the learning curve seems fair with more abilities and missions becoming available over time. Every effort has been made to make the series more accessible, with a smoother interface and a tutorial to explain every gameplay facet. This series will be unknown to many gamers, but with a new developer and a great-looking engine, this is an IP that’s set to become popular again very quickly.