Town-building survival RPG Bellwright hits Early Access this month

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Survival and town-building RPG Bellwright will release on Steam this month, with developers Donkey Crew announcing that they're targeting April 23 for a release. The low fantasy RPG was well-received during its Steam Next Fest demo last year for its blend of survival crafting gameplay and third-person town building.

"Set in low medieval times, Bellwright combines the thrill of survival, combat and open-world exploration, with a deeply immersive storyline of intrigue and revolt. Players will lead a burgeoning rebellion against a tyrannical Sovereign, liberate oppressed villages, and uncover the dark secrets of their lineage," said the developer in a press release.

PC Gamer writer Christopher Livingston took a look at Bellwright's demo last year and quite liked it.

"The process of building a settlement is slow yet completely engrossing. I obsessed over every single little building, which I truly built one stick at a time, until I finally had a place to sleep, a hut for resource storage, and a cooking pit for food. The idea of building a whole town using the same meticulous process was daunting, but that's the thing about Bellwright: you can recruit help. Gain an NPC follower and you can put them to work in your settlement. Those tiresome little tasks like collecting rocks and herbs and mushrooms can be delegated to your new settler. They'll help you farm and build and hunt, and you can even assign them tasks at workbenches like making weapons, clothing, and armor, so your town can grow even when you're not around to do it all yourself," he said.

Bellwright also includes a larger world to explore, with people who need your help alongside thugs and bandits to fight, wild animals to hunt, and more. That's on top of a survival experience where your character must eat, drink, rest, and care for their own injuries.

Donkey Crew says that Bellwright will be a "multifaceted experience from day one" when it launches into Early Access, and expects Bellwright to be in Early Access for about three years.

You can find Bellwright on Steam, where it will release on April 23.

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.