Masters of Albion Early Access
Although divisive, Peter Molyneux is a legend in the video game industry. Leading landmark projects such as Theme Park, Black & White and Fable, he has built a legacy of innovative titles that carry his signature charm and humour. After leaving Lionhead Studios, he formed 22cans, an indie company focused on small, experimental releases. While each project introduced an inventive hook, controversy often followed, adding to a growing sense of distrust among players. Masters of Albion appears to be a culmination of Molyneux’s career, combining elements from his most iconic works to create a fresh new adventure. Will this be a redemption arc for the developer, or another bold promise that struggles to live up to its ambition?
There’s a charming whimsy that Molyneux manages to capture with his work. Wandering around the streets in Fable is delightful due to the atmosphere and character of the world. The same wonder is instantly apparent. Set in the same world as his iconic trilogy, the town is home to a variety of interesting personalities and is laced with Peter’s patented humour, making it instantly feel familiar.
An Excellent Experiment
Masters of Albion is a concoction of ideas, simmering in a cauldron and bubbling with potential. Part God game, strategy and adventure, it blends these ideas in an interesting format that pieces together the history of its auteur. During the day, you develop your town, assigning workers to tasks and creating products in order to earn money and invest. The God hand control method adds to the immersion as you reach out and interact with inhabitants and industries.
This leads to fun and odd tasks where you must prepare meals for civilians, working out what they would enjoy with the range of questionable ingredients at hand. Requests give you clues about each character’s preferences, and you work out the best recipe for them. Although enjoyable, currently, it relies a little too heavily on this task. More variety with jobs would help add to this portion of the game.
As nightfall descends, you take part in a Tower Defense-style activity, keeping the town safe from zombies. You can fortify your base beforehand with ballistas and fences, and also use your God hand to zap them with lightning or pummel them with rocks. It’s a little awkward to throw items and the impact of these connecting with an enemy is currently lacking; however, the idea and possibilities with this are exciting.
The third portion of the game is adventuring, where you can possess the townsfolk and head out on missions or defend your city. Combat in these sections feels a little basic and clearly needs more time to develop. While there is a levelling system that fleshes out your abilities, it lacks the finesse found in other adventure titles.
Keeping You Hooked
Impressively, the game manages to keep a strong pace, constantly giving you new tasks to do. Supported by the day and night cycle, you are constantly working the mill, cooking up dishes and fending against zombies, which leads to an addictive gameplay loop that quickly gets its hooks in you.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t run as well as you’d hope. The framerate drops in adventuring, leading to a choppy, uneven experience. While I adore the overall presentation, which brims with personality, more time is needed to improve how the game performs in each of its gameplay segments.
Masters of Albion is a strange mix of ideas that has the potential to be the perfect culmination of Molyneux’s legacy. Aspects from his previous titles have been worked into an experience that carries his signature blend of ambition, experimentation, and player‑driven wonder. While the game clearly needs more time to iron out issues, this looks to be 22cans’ finest release to date and a reminder of what Molyneux can achieve when his ideas are given room to breathe.
***PC code provided by the publisher for preview***
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
- For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
- Follow us on X HERE.
- Our Facebook page HERE.
- Our Instagram page HERE.
- Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE.
