How Bellwright Balances Fun and Realism

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Bellwright is a blend of survival and town management game where it combines essential aspects from both domains. On the survival aspect, players need to handle issues like hunger, shelter, and food supply. Meanwhile, on the managerial side, players are tasked with recruiting, housing, and overseeing the growth of their citizenry, in addition to resolving conflicts with hostile neighboring groups. Survival games typically draw from realism, as characters in these games must contend with hunger. This aspect frequently sparks debates about how realistic a survival game should be or already is.

In an interview with Game Rant, Florian “chadz” Hoffreither, project lead on Bellwright, and Sergii “serr” Greben, the lead gameplay developer, discussed the significance of realism in their game. Although Bellwright may contain certain realistic aspects, the team intentionally steered clear of realism for its own sake. Instead, their main focus was to create an immersive experience for players, making them feel like active participants within the world. Moreover, they aimed to emphasize the importance of every member in their expanding community.

Bellwright Never Uses Realism to Justify Game Design

During its Early Access period, the team at Bellwright has been consistently debating about realism and game interactions. These discussions can sometimes escalate into intense debates over the best way to incorporate a feature. However, it’s important to note that despite these debates, they all adhere to the fundamental belief that realism should never be used as an excuse for design. Hoffreither further explained this stance by citing an example – while death by starvation is common in many survival games, Bellwright has chosen to minimize its impact.

We often engaged in heated discussions, not actual physical brawls, regarding various aspects of our game. For instance, we debated on what survival truly means within this game context, questioned if town-building is a survival mechanic, sought answers for whether there’s a switch to enable or disable it, or if it gradually evolves. We also pondered about whether the world continues moving when we’re outside our towns and if others can visit our towns while we’re away on quests.

These elements may not be visible in the final version of the game, but they had a significant impact on how it felt to play. They transformed the overall gaming experience.

One deliberate choice we implemented is that the villagers in your game seldom face starvation. This was a conscious effort on our part to avoid creating a sense of pressure, such as “Oh no, I must return before 7 p.m., or my people will perish.” We believe that’s not an enjoyable gaming experience.

In the game ‘Bellwright’, while players may only observe the final outcome, there have been numerous internal discussions about each mechanic. One contentious issue that Hoffreither highlighted was storage and inventory management. The present system in place is a result of a persuasive argument for its implementation. Hoffreither emphasized that players frequently overlook certain design aspects, and as an example, it’s hard to envision the current inventory management system functioning differently in ‘Bellwright’.

Bellwright Emphasises the Importance of Community

The team intentionally made the player character not overly powerful, aiming for a more authentic and immersive gameplay experience. This design choice underscores the significance of the player’s community members in the game world. As stated by Hoffreither, this is also why players must construct structures piece by piece in Bellwright to emphasize their role as active participants in the game.

I advocated for this method primarily to emphasize that, as the player, you aren’t exceptional. Unlike your soldiers and allies, you don’t possess extra health or unique abilities. You’re no superior to them. What sets you apart is the strength of your followers – those you recruit or who support your cause.

To me, that was a crucial element. I intentionally made the initial structures seem somewhat monotonous to emphasize the idea that you’re not alone in this endeavor. It’s the people surrounding you who are contributing significantly.

As an avid fan, I’ve pondered over the idea of restricting certain actions by players in games, but I firmly believe that such a decision would be misguided. Instead, it’s crucial for players to appreciate the worth of their in-game companions. They should witness firsthand that these companions are not only logical but also possess genuine value.

With heartfelt consideration in every move they make, and welcoming player input during an Early Access phase, Bellwright seems poised to live up to both the ambitions of its creators and the expectations of its gamers.

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2025-04-12 16:24