Studio Digital Sky celebrates the release of strategy city builder Mandate Order in Early Access on Steam. The game invites players to the Ancient China period, offering a challenging task of building their own empire. To mark the important day in project history, the developers released a special teaser, featuring gameplay elements.
Mandate Order blends together a war simulation and city-building genres. Set in China’s Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods the game takes players to the world of chaos. Mandate Order combines construction, management, and tactical strategy. Players will build and manage a military stronghold that integrates production, defense, and warfare under the constant threat of enemy invasion.
Key Game Features
- City-State Construction: A gridless free-building system allows players to construct residences, farms, workshops, and barracks, forming a complete urban production chain. A full annual production cycle brings seasonal changes affect city management and the rhythm of warfare.
- Retainer System: Different schools including Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, Legalism, Militarism, and Agriculturalism. A nine-grid national policy system works alongside court debates, with different school combinations creating unique gameplay experiences.
- Tactical Combat: Simple mouse line-drawing commands to deploy formations for encirclement, breakthrough, siege assault, and defense. The game features chariot charges, fortress warfare, thousand-unit battlefields, and a pseudo-physics knock back system. Players can build a complete fortress defense system with walls, towers, catapults, and ballistae.
- Ritual System: Sacrifices to Heaven and Earth bring fortune to the state. The ritual system affects natural disasters, calamities, and event outcomes, testing the player’s judgment and morality.
- Reform and Logistics: Through technological development, building upgrades, and logistics systems, players experience the advancement of tools and deeper institutional transformation.
Additional Features
- Dynamic seasons, weather, and natural disasters
- Diplomacy and national policy systems
- Sandbox mode with multiple ways to play
The developers have stated that they believe a truly complete game is shaped through continuous dialogue with players. Thus, they welcome criticism, suggestions, and expect an honest feedback from the players.
