Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

I myself am guilty of looking at the box art and screenshots of Townsmen and writing it off as a mobile game unworthy of attention. The visuals are certainly generic, but it’s what’s inside that counts, and that’s a wonderfully complex city building system with a well designed UI that allows you to implement your grand vision. Veterans of city planning sims won’t find anything revolutionary in the gameplay, but what they will find is a pleasant, engaging experience.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Townsmen. It is a fun game, a great time-waster, and it really made my brain work, which is always a plus. It looks and plays very well. I enjoyed getting my medieval game on and I am confident others will as well. The complicated controls and learning curve may turn newer players off, but if you enjoy strategy games, you will have a good time building and maintaining your realm in Townsmen.

Townsmen is more than competent as a town-builder for those looking to be the ruler of their own little kingdom. It feels like just enough was done to separate it from its mobile origins, and you won’t have to spend a cent outside of the original purchase. If you’re looking for a smaller-scale SimCity or enjoy games like Settlers, then Townsmen can scratch that itch.

Townsmen is a good game that will keep strategy fans happy for a good while, but it’s held back by some awkward controls and its basic aesthetic. Despite this, it gets a solid recommendation if you enjoy the genre and especially if you are itching for some town building on the train.

Townsmen offered a decent medieval management experience on mobile and tablet, it's reiterated in this Switch version.

Townsmen allows us to manage our village, not only against the invading forces, but also against the different natural forces such as storms or snow avalanches. Despite this, the title is somewhat monotonous and has boring loading screens.

Over and over again some truly baffling decisions let it down, and while the scenarios justify the asking price in themselves, for any of us that prefer the sandbox mode of the simulations that we play, Townsmen is a complete misfire.

With a simple but competent art style, Townsmen delivers a town-building simulation experience akin to classic RTSs such as Age of Empires. Less focused on combat, but a bit repetitive, it compensates some of its problem with a huge amount of content.