PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC; Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver
A medieval rags-to-riches fantasy demands extreme patience of its players, but those willing to put in the hours will be rewarded with an absorbing simulation

Life was tough in 16th-century Bohemia, and so it is here, in its virtual counterpart. The first 10 hours of this game were thoroughly miserable. Stepping into the mud-soaked boots of Henry, a humble blacksmith-turned-knight, I am sent to deliver a message across a war-ravaged region. Yet before Henry can fulfil his duty, he falls victim to a deadly ambush, leaving himself and his Lord, Hans Capon, stranded without a penny or sword to their name.

As a stranger arriving in tattered rags, bloodsoaked and desperate, no one believes that you are a nobleman, or has the time to listen to your increasingly urgent pleas. Townsfolk comment on your odour and refuse to let you into various establishments. It’s a truly humbling gaming experience, creating a soberingly bleak recreation of what it’s like to be among medieval society’s downtrodden.