Rusty’s Retirement offers a simple, low-maintenance alternative for gamers with limited time, allowing for casual play throughout the day. Both games cater to different time constraints, offering options for players looking for either a deep strategic experience or a more laid-back, idle gaming session. My life has been hectic lately. I’m moving house, which means that the post-work hours and weekends I usually spend playing video games, hanging out with my friends, and standing outside in the sun have been spent running errands, picking up thrifted furniture, unpacking, and standing in my new bedroom agonising over where to put my bed.
For obvious reasons, I haven’t had much time to do much of anything else, which is a shame because there are cool games coming out nearly every week. Recently, I’ve had my eye on Manor Lords, as has the rest of the world. The game was topping Steam’s Most Anticipated list until it was released in Early Access last week, and it has been positively received despite being unfinished. Manor Lords is a strategy game lovingly crafted by a solo developer that melds organic, complex city building with tactical battles.
It also pays particular attention to historical realism and minute details, allowing you to get into the nitty gritty of things. Like many city builders, Manor Lords can be extremely difficult to grok immediately. It will take time to get used to the many intricate systems involved, and while it looks like the game in its current unfinished form is still worth putting hours into, I simply don’t have the time right now. It will probably take me hours of getting lost in menus and experimenting to find my feet in the game, and what I should be doing is figuring out which wall to put the new couch against.
All city builders require a level of time investment – they’re not really games you pick up, play for a little bit, and put down, and generally require longer play sessions. Manor Lords looks gorgeous, and there is so much more to come. Rusty’s Retirement is an idle farming simulator that sits at the bottom of your screen while you do other things. It’s scratching my simulator itch somewhat – there’s flexibility in how you plan out your farm and plenty of opportunities to upgrade equipment and maximise efficiency.
Being an idle game, it’s obviously far more simple than Manor Lords, but it’s that simplicity that makes Rusty’s Retirement a perfect non-time intensive alternative. A lot of us are time poor for a whole host of reasons: kids, work, health, and capitalism are all perfectly valid reasons for simply not having time to dabble in your hobbies. I get sore all the time about having to give up my gaming leisure time for more important things, but Rusty’s Retirement is a small salve for that soreness. I’m still going to dive into Manor Lords when my boxes are unpacked, but for now, Rusty will help me get by.
What I need is a little slow living, and Rusty’s definitely slow. Manor Lords is a strategy game that has you roleplaying a Medieval lord. You’re the one calling the shots as you send your soldiers into huge battles while also maintaining the social balance back behind your walls.
