Besiege! Unleash Your Inner Engineer and Conquer Medieval Siege Warfare!

Prepare to be transported back to a time of trebuchets, battering rams, and boiling oil, where victory hinges on ingenuity and strategic thinking rather than brute force. Besiege, developed by Spiderbomb Studios and released in early access in 2015 (fully released in February 2023), is a captivating physics-based building simulator that allows players to design, build, and test their own siege engines – contraptions capable of dismantling medieval castles and crushing the opposition.

The beauty of Besiege lies in its deceptively simple premise. Forget pre-fabricated units or meticulously crafted blueprints; this game throws you into the sandbox with a set of fundamental building blocks: wheels, wooden beams, ropes, blades, cannons, and various other components. Your task? Construct a contraption capable of achieving a specific objective, be it breaching castle walls, launching projectiles at enemy troops, or traversing treacherous terrain.

This freedom of design is what truly sets Besiege apart. The game doesn’t limit you to a single solution – there are countless ways to approach each level, encouraging experimentation and creativity. Do you prefer a brute-force approach with massive siege towers adorned with cannons? Or perhaps a cunning strategy involving intricate trebuchets launching flaming boulders with pinpoint accuracy?

The learning curve in Besiege is gradual yet rewarding. The early levels serve as a gentle introduction to the game’s mechanics, allowing players to grasp the fundamentals of building stable structures and understanding how forces interact within the physics-driven world. As you progress, the challenges become increasingly complex, requiring more intricate designs and creative problem-solving.

Let’s delve into some specific examples that highlight Besiege’s versatility:

Level Example	Objective	Design Challenge
The Beginning	Launch a boulder over a wall	Balancing weight, trajectory, and power
Siege of the Castle	Breach castle walls with siege engines	Building stable and powerful battering rams or trebuchets
Bridge Crossing	Construct a vehicle to cross a chasm	Designing sturdy wheels, suspension systems, and balance mechanisms

Besiege doesn’t stop at simple construction; it integrates a variety of environmental factors and obstacles that add depth to the gameplay experience.

• Wind: A constant force that can either aid or hinder your contraption, requiring careful consideration when designing aerodynamic structures.
• Terrain: From flat plains to rugged mountains, each level presents unique challenges in terms of navigation and stability.
• Enemies: Arrows, cannon fire, and other projectiles will test your defenses, forcing you to incorporate protective measures into your designs.

Beyond the core gameplay loop of building and testing siege engines, Besiege offers several additional features:

• Campaign Mode: A series of progressively challenging levels with specific objectives, providing a structured learning experience for new players.

• Sandbox Mode: An open-ended playground where you can unleash your creativity without any restrictions. Build whatever your imagination desires – from elaborate castles to absurd contraptions that defy logic.

• Community Creations: A vibrant online community shares their incredible designs and challenges, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in Besiege.

A Few Quirks and Considerations:

While Besiege is undoubtedly a fantastic game for those seeking creative freedom and engineering challenges, it’s not without its quirks:

• Learning Curve: Mastering the physics engine and building effective siege engines can be initially challenging, requiring patience and experimentation.
• Performance: Some complex contraptions can strain lower-end systems due to the intricate physics calculations involved.
• Limited AI: While enemy units exist, they primarily follow scripted patterns, lacking the advanced AI found in some other strategy games.

Despite these minor drawbacks, Besiege remains a captivating and highly rewarding experience for players who enjoy tinkering, problem-solving, and unleashing their inner engineer. It’s a game that constantly surprises and delights with its open-ended nature and the sheer satisfaction of watching your creations come to life (and hopefully obliterate some unsuspecting medieval fortifications in the process!).

If you’re looking for a game that breaks the mold and encourages creative thinking, Besiege is definitely worth exploring. Prepare to spend countless hours experimenting with designs, refining your strategies, and experiencing the joy of victory when your meticulously crafted siege engine finally breaches those stubborn castle walls.