Bellwright Early Access: Something To Survive For
Playing Bellwright is going to take some time. This is not a quick rogue-like or action platformer you can roll credits on in a sitting or two. Bellwright is an open-world survival RPG that combines real-time strategy with third-person action. While the day/night cycle is sped up for the purposes of the game, turning the countryside against the monarchy cannot be easily accomplished in a few play sessions. Bellwright is a game that requires patience, dedication, and determination. It’s no surprise that this won’t be for everyone.
Though, since launching in early access this past April, Bellwright has found a solid player base. Thousands of players are online via Steam’s community hub on a weekday afternoon as I write this, and according to developer Donkey Crew, over two hundred thousand copies have been sold. Bellwright also sits at 78% (or Mostly Positive) reviews on Steam, despite worries that disgruntled fans of the developer's previous early access game, Last Oasis (which remains in early access despite launching four years ago), might be disappointed by the sheer existence of this new early access launch.
For me, Bellwright is a great game to half-listen to while I also listen to a podcast. I may have to pause my podcast when I get into a conversation with one of the many fully-voiced NPCs, but that hasn’t been much of a problem. Typically, my interest in a game wanes as soon as I hear the term “survival mechanics,” but something about Bellwright’s larger goal hanging over everything is enough to keep me going. These days, survival games are all too common, and most of them have too vague a goal to keep me interested for long. Survival is not enough, but rebellion is something I can get behind.
Working Towards a Goal
Starting a new game in Bellwright begins with a short cinematic. As a child, the protagonist is in the wrong place at the wrong time when the young prince is mysteriously assassinated. After a brazen accusation, the protagonist is forced into exile. The gameplay picks up as you return home as an adult, ready to unite the countryside in rebellion against these tyrannical rulers. This is a goal that will take time and will be challenging, it’s also something that cannot be accomplished alone. The player will need to win the people's trust, bring towns and villages into the fold, and command soldiers in the inevitable battles to come.
The first few hours of the game serve as the humble beginnings of this legendary revolution. Learn to build a shack in the woods, harvest materials, collect food, and earn the trust of the village elder by completing quests and tasks. As with many games, these early hours are where the most patience is required. Learning the basics and earning the right to command others is not something that will happen overnight. But taking the time to earn this position of power makes it worthwhile.
Another survival game that has managed to win me over, is Sons of the Forest from developer Endnight Games. This game uses a different strategy from Bellwright. I don’t think I could tell you much about the goal or the overall story of Sons of the Forest, but why I appreciate it is that they don’t force the survival and building mechanics on the players. A nice addition is that there is a companion that can forage materials for you (something that also becomes available later on in Bellwright). But I’ve ultimately come to realize that in Sons of the Forest, I can find most of what I need just by exploring the exciting points of interest like caves, campsites, and other unique locations. So while Sons of the Forest minimizes the survival aspects of the game, Bellwright does not, and it still manages to keep me focused and engaged because I know what I’m working towards. Building a tree fort in Sons of the Forest can be cool, but once it’s done there’s not much sense of accomplishment. Once it’s done I just want to explore the next cave. But in Bellwright, when I build a weaver loom by chopping down trees and gathering flax, I know what it is in service to. With this, I can create a string, which then allows me to create a bow, which will then let me safely kill the wolves, which will earn me the trust of the local village, and so on, and so on, until ultimately achieving the goal of rebellion. Having this overarching goal gives every action a purpose, even the menial ones.
Now The Real Fun Begins
Having the goal is essential in getting through the early parts of Bellwright. Even with this goal, I found it helpful to multi-task, such as listening to a podcast while foraging and building. Eventually, after putting in your hours on these tasks, you will have workers and companions who will forage and build for you, allowing you to turn your attention to other things.
One of the most surprising features of this game for me was the combat. At its most bare bones, real-time strategy games usually involve two clicks to select a unit and another unit for it to attack. Bellwright adds to this in several ways, perhaps most notably by having the player on the ground in the fight as an individual. Rather than the usual top-down semi-omniscient perspective common in many strategy games, the player gets to be part of the action too. The combat is also much more involved than at first glance. The player can control the direction of an attack with a flick of the mouse, and can also block incoming enemy attacks directionally as well. In my experience, this gives combat a skill ceiling. Sure, anyone can run up to something and click wildly and you might find success most of the time, but another player can be more precise, blocking incoming attacks and only attacking in the moments the opponent’s guard is down.
Bellwright shines after the opening hours when the player gains the ability to craft weapons, gain companions, and earn the trust of the first village. This is just the beginning of a long and enjoyable conquest of the countryside, liberating villages, fighting off raids, and bringing swathes of people into the fold. As you progress, the more troublesome elements of survival and crafting become much more automated, but like any good RPG, this all starts with a handful of quests.
Building a Reputation
The name Bellwright comes from the bell towers, which, when constructed, initiate a village’s liberation. A liberation is when a town rises up against the guards stationed there, claiming independence from the tyrannical rulers. Villagers will arm themselves and attack the guards. Once they are all defeated the player will need to prepare for a raid that will attempt to reclaim the rebellious village. Once this reclamation is successfully fought off, liberation is accomplished.
Constructing a tall bell tower is not something any stranger can just start doing. Each town in Bellwright is full of villagers who have names and routines. Many of them will also have quests to ask of you. This can vary from foraging various materials and bringing them back to exploring and finding certain locations. This can be a great way to discover an area or find a material you might have otherwise overlooked, but the main goal is to build up trust with the people of the village.
As with most features of this game, building trust takes time. At first, the village elder might tell you to go fight some wolves, completely expecting you to not try or die trying. You will always start off as a stranger, because that’s what you are, but taking the time and putting in the effort to earn that trust is well worth it. If only just to experience the surprise when you return with the pelts of the wolves that were expected to kill you instead. Winning over the countryside is going to take a lot of effort, a little skill, and some luck. But rebellions aren’t built in a day.
Conclusion
A few concluding thoughts that didn’t fit anywhere else: Bellwright rides the line between simulator and fun, which is a very important line in a game where foraging and crafting are important mechanics. Sometimes Bellwright takes a step further to one side or the other, but overall it balances the mechanics fairly well. I may not enjoy having to stoop and wait a second to harvest every plant, but I understand that it would feel hollow to not move at all.
It is important to remember that this game is currently in Early Access, and likely will remain that way for at least a few years. When Donkey Crew announced Bellwright, many fans of their previous game, Last Oasis (still in Early Access despite launching in 2020), were worried that starting another game in Early Access was going to leave less time to build on what they had already started. Only time will tell if this is true, but Bellwright has sold well so far, and with that success, it could be the rising tide that raises both games.
Overall, I have had a lot more fun with Bellwright than I thought I would. It’s a game that requires free time and patience (usually a combination of both), which are luxuries I don’t always have. This is not a game for everyone, but if you’re looking for a long-term real-time survival strategy RPG, it’s hard to go wrong with this one. I look forward to future updates to Bellwright as well as when it eventually leaves Early Access.
What do you think of Bellwright? Have you played it? Are you interested in checking it out? What is your opinion on Early Access? Do you not mind or do you prefer to wait until the full game releases? Feel free to leave any other thoughts or comments below!