Monastery Ora et Labora

<p>Independent Italian studio Dragonkin Studios has released the city-planning simulator Monastery: Ora et Labora into early access on Steam and Epic Games Store. The project proposes to take over the management of a medieval monastery and organize the life of a community of novices based on the historical Benedictine motto Pray and work. Players will have to develop the monastery from scratch, monitor the daily routine of the brothers and turn a modest settlement into a thriving spiritual and economic center.</p> <p>The gameplay combines elements of a colony simulator and a classic economic strategy. The main focus is on the distribution of responsibilities among the monks, each of whom is endowed with individual character traits and skills that progress as they work. To maintain the life of the settlement, it is necessary to build dormitories, refectories, kitchens, libraries and infirmaries, as well as to establish uninterrupted production of basic resources. Residents of the monastery can cultivate wheat and barley, care for apiaries, collect medicinal herbs, prepare stews and bake bread.</p> <p>A special emphasis is placed on crafts, including the creation of illuminated manuscripts in the scriptorium and complex brewing. The current version features the production of mead and 4 types of beer, including a traditional herbal gruit and a hoppy ale. Surplus products can be sold to traveling merchants or used to fulfill orders from neighboring settlements.In addition to economic tasks, players have to regularly conduct worship services, where monks generate faith points to activate the blessings of the saints, as well as deal with natural disasters, drought and vermin in the fields. The monastery development tree already includes 40 nodes of improvements and decorative elements.</p> <p>We are developing an ambitious and unique medieval monastery management simulation game. Early Access allows us to work directly with our community, gather feedback, improve core gameplay mechanics, and gradually add new content, mechanics, and world events to help the game reach its full potential.
 - Dragonkin Studios, game developers</p> <p>The release was not without controversial issues and technical problems. The developers openly warned about the use of generative neural networks at the stage of concept art and the creation of some visual elements, which caused a mixed reaction among some buyers. In addition, in the first hours after the start, a critical bug was discovered in the game, which provoked the uncontrolled appearance of gigantic crowds of visitors and broke the balance of the hospital. The authors had to urgently release a hotfix number 0.37.4 to stabilize the influx of characters.</p> <p>At the time of release, the simulator received 100% positive reviews on Steam with a peak online of over 200 users. The first players note the meditative pace, clear management mechanics and pleasant visual design, comparing the project with the urban planning hit Banished.</p> <p>According to Dragonkin Studios plans, the project will remain in the early access stage for about 18 months.During this time, the authors expect to expand the list of monastery buildings, deepen spiritual mechanics and add new external events. After a large-scale expansion of content and a full release of version 1.0, the cost of the game will increase, but for now the base price in the Russian region is 660 rubles, taking into account a temporary 20% discount in the first 2 weeks.</p>