Chronicles: Medieval Sets 2027 Early Access With Sandbox Strategy and No Tom Hardy

In a preview reported by TechRadar, lead producer Sam Millen said Tom Hardy was only part of the trailer. "So, unfortunately, as much as we love him, Tom is not a part of the game," Millen told TechRadar. The studio instead cast Lars Mikkelsen in a chronicler role, providing voiceover during character creation and parts of the game. TechRadar noted that ten emails and two press releases mentioned Hardy before the preview.

Chronicles: Medieval begins in 1313 AD on a map stretching from the Pyrenees to Poland and from the British Isles to Northern Italy. Players start as a peasant who owns no land and can recruit a few companions from their town. The game draws inspiration from Civilization, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Mount & Blade. It allows players to zoom into sub-regions and inspect individual lords.

The game is described as a sandbox rather than a linear narrative. Players can buy tavern intelligence to reveal the map, recruit mercenaries, or avoid combat entirely. They can become a wealthy merchant, a feared bandit, or pursue political backstabbing to claim the English crown. Millen said, "It's a sandbox, so you can do whatever you want to do in the world. There's no linear narrative that you're set off on." He added that becoming the world's best merchant and getting rich from selling goods is possible.

Factions such as England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire have different army trees including levies and household troops. Troops can be upgraded as they gain experience, potentially progressing from levied infantry to cavalry. The game supports up to 2,000 troops on the battlefield, drawn from three unit categories: household troops, peasantry, and mercenaries.

Battles begin with top-down preparation. In the preview, Millen placed archers at the rear, pikemen at the front, and sent covert cavalry around a tree-shaded hillside to flank French forces. Once combat starts, the perspective shifts to third-person action RPG, with the player controlling a commander in battle. Millen's militia charged the enemy, and he used a poleaxe to send four opponents flying before dismounting and parrying sword blows with a blade.

The preview described the game as an impressively nerdy historical epic built by developers knowledgeable about the period. Its blend of Crusader Kings-style diplomacy, Mount & Blade combat, and grand strategy ambitions sets it apart from broader Age of Empires-style offerings. The game is slated for an Early Access launch in 2027.