Let Them Trade is a real time strategy trading game with a hex-tiled map design, think the board game Catan. You build cities, set up trade routes and send your knights to go scout new lands.
I only got to play the demo in the press release which is essentially the game’s tutorial. It wasn’t difficult to pick up although it took a while to master the mechanics. The research tree is fairly standard, no problems there. The trading, however, is a little more complex.
As the leader of the realm, you have no say in what your villagers trade. You can assign them priorities and control what resources they have access to but ultimately, they create whatever they want and trade independently with each other. Something which can be very frustrating early on!
The level of village determines how many traders they have access to. If you, as their leader, need resources from them then you prevent them trading with each other. This can make it very difficult to manage at times.
I have played a lot of this type of game. This version has the least amount of personal control. Not being able to micro-manage is the challenge and once you understand that, it becomes a lot more fun! You have to predict what effect each decision will have and I really enjoyed this variety. Learning was frustrating but once I pushed through, suddenly I grew a whole new appreciation for the mechanics.
I can only assume the full game will rank up in difficulty. It’s a shame I had to stop and I would definitely want to finish it. Since I don’t know the total play time, it’s hard to comment on value for money other than to say I would personally purchase it.
For fans of Catan, Illyriad and other tile based, city building, strategy games, I think this is a must have. For others, the game is exactly as advertised so if that sounds like fun, have at it!
| Criteria | Scores | Our Score |
| Artistic Achievement | 1 – 5 | 3 |
| Gameplay | 1 – 5 | 4 |
| Value/Cost | 1 – 5 | N/A |
| Controls | 1 – 5 | 5 |
| Length | 1 – 5 | N/A |
Written By: ivetafox
Favourite Game – Long Live the Queen || Favourite Film – Sweeney Todd || Favourite Book – Wuthering Heights
About: Ivy is a disabled, autistic writer from the UK, passionate about inclusive gaming. When not reviewing, she can be found writing short stories and micro fiction or reading the latest gothic novel.
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