Crate Entertainment tackles the medieval survival city builder
For this new deep dive on Little Big Campus, we are putting on our builder's outfit. Before getting to the heart of the matter, I want to warmly thank the Crate Entertainment studio who graciously sent me a key to conduct this review. You know my deep love for complex management games, whether it is Anno, Banished, Manor Lords or Foundation. My goal here, and it is my absolute guideline, is to give you a completely honest and transparent opinion after testing the game live with you on Twitch.
It is actually fascinating to look at the journey of this independent team. Founded in 2008, Crate Entertainment has always made it their mission to design deep and captivating worlds, crafting exactly the games the developers dream of playing themselves. Many know them for their massive critical success with Grim Dawn, an excellent action RPG funded on Kickstarter in 2012 and released in 2016. Tackling a pure management game today highlights their versatility, while maintaining this absolute desire to offer mechanics of rare density.
💾 If you survived the unforgiving winters of Banished or spent nights optimizing your trade routes in Anno, you know exactly what kind of adventure you are about to dive into. Farthest Frontier pushes the slider even further.
Get ready to dive right into the heart of the Middle Ages, because Farthest Frontier is a proposal of dizzying richness, designed for patient players who love to see the fruits of their labor thrive year after year.
Pioneers facing unforgiving nature
An organic progression you have to earn
From the very first minutes, Farthest Frontier sets its pace. The game offers a highly organic and deliberately slow progression. Forget mechanics where placing three houses magically spawns dozens of workers. Here, you start with a handful of brave pioneers, isolated in a wild area that you will have to tame.
The growth of your population must be earned. New settlers will join your camp periodically, only if you meet specific goals and provide decent living conditions. It is essential to respect the natural order of things and listen to the needs of your inhabitants. Fortunately, an objective-based tutorial system gently guides you through your first steps to prevent disaster.
The relentless cycle of seasons
Anticipate or perish
Taking care of your villagers means securing water and food supplies while also managing many other critical aspects. The cycle of seasons flies by at a surprising speed, instantly breaking any potential monotony. Each time of the year brings its share of crucial challenges.
⚠️ The freezing winter will demand massive reserves of firewood and warm clothes to avoid tragedies. The scorching summer, on the other hand, will test your crops : you must strategically select plants capable of withstanding extreme heat to avoid losing your entire harvest.
Farming is indeed a major and incredibly detailed component of the title, featuring the management of soil fertility, plant diseases, and crop rotation.
💬 Before diving any deeper, check out the Farthest Frontier playtest we streamed live on Twitch with you, split into 4 parts. The very first session is available right below : a perfect chance to see the game running for real!
💡 Vital tip : systematically remember to fence your fields. Otherwise, deer from the nearby forest will come and feast on your hard work, leaving your inhabitants starving.
Urban planning, diseases, and invasions
Building a city also means protecting it
Structuring your city requires genuine urban planning. The placement of your buildings directly impacts the happiness and health of your population. Nobody wants to live glued to a cesspit or a foul-smelling tannery! You must therefore design pleasant residential neighborhoods and push the industry to the outskirts.
The advanced realism pushed by Crate Entertainment also extends to health. Diseases wreak havoc if you lack vigilance. Having doctors equipped with medicinal herbs, ensuring good hygiene, and varying the diet of your citizens to avoid scurvy or dysentery are daily tasks.
On the security side, the title gives you the choice of experience : the Pacifist mode, ideal for focusing 100% on management and enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of pure construction, or the Survival mode with combat, my favorite option. Having to erect palisades, train soldiers in barracks, and build watchtowers to repel raider attacks adds real spice to the adventure.
An art and sound direction that delivers
The art direction makes the bold choice of a striking realism. The map is teeming with details, vegetation reacts to the seasons, and watching your artisans go about their business provides a highly rewarding sense of accomplishment. This visual approach gives a tremendous charm to the colony, enhanced by a soft and soothing soundtrack that perfectly matches the pace of the game.
🕹️ With over 190 constructible buildings, around fifteen raw materials to exploit, and a technology tree offering more than 140 options, the gameplay depth of Farthest Frontier is simply staggering.
Our verdict : a long-term investment
Even though I could only scratch the surface of its potential during my two-hour live session, I immediately grasped the immensity of what awaited me. It is very easy to imagine the satisfaction of admiring your fortified city in the late game, with a humming economy and perfectly established districts. It is the kind of experience that almost educates you about medieval life along the way.
Released from its early access in late 2025 (October 23 to be precise), Farthest Frontier delivers an exemplary solid copy. Usually priced at $33.99 on Steam (and very often discounted around $20), its lifespan to price ratio is excellent. If you are looking for a demanding city builder, beautiful and extremely rich for your upcoming evenings, you just found your new home.
🕹️ If this review made you want to explore other titles that studios have entrusted us with, we also have the review of Escape the Mad Empire, the explosive mix of Diablo, Darkest Dungeon, and Baldur's Gate, as well as our thoughts on Lost in Tandem, the perfect game for your duo evenings.
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