Foundation

🔥 What is Foundation?

Foundation is a unique, gridless medieval city-building game that emphasizes organic development, resource management, and creative construction. Developed by Polymorph Games, Foundation invites players to step into the role of a lord or lady tasked with transforming untouched lands into thriving settlements. Unlike traditional city-builders, Foundation allows for free-form placement of buildings, resulting in towns that grow naturally, just like real medieval villages. The game is known for its laid-back, cozy atmosphere, making it a standout choice for players seeking a relaxing yet engaging city-building experience.

👉 Features of Foundation

Organic Urbanism

• Build cities without the constraints of grids. Villagers create natural paths and construct homes based on your zoning, resulting in settlements that feel alive and authentic.

Flexible Building Creation

• Use a modular system to design unique structures like taverns, churches, keeps, and more. Snap functions can be toggled off for complete creative freedom, allowing for truly custom monuments and buildings.

Resource Management

• Oversee the extraction, production, and storage of resources. Establish trade routes and balance the needs of your growing population to ensure prosperity.

Dynamic Progression

• Advance your settlement by increasing money, various types of “splendour,” influence, and prosperity. Unlock new buildings and upgrades through a tech tree, and manage villager status upgrades for deeper gameplay.

Narrative Events and Quests

• Encounter narrative-driven events, quests, and missions that challenge your management skills and add depth to your city’s story.

Modding Support

• Join a vibrant community by creating and sharing custom content, including buildings, quests, and gameplay tweaks, thanks to robust modding tools3.

Immersive Soundtrack

• Enjoy a blissful original soundtrack by composers known for their work on popular grand strategy games, enhancing the medieval ambiance.

Gameplay

In Foundation, you start with a small group of settlers and gradually expand your village by painting zones for housing, farming, gathering, and more. As your town grows, you’ll need to manage resources, fulfill villager needs, and construct increasingly complex buildings. The game offers multiple modes, including free build and scenarios with specific objectives. Progression is tied to accumulating resources and unlocking new technologies, while narrative events and external requests add variety and challenge. The lack of strict grids and terrain flattening means each town develops its own unique character, shaped by both player choices and the environment.

Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros

• Relaxing, cozy gameplay perfect for creative builders
• Organic, gridless city growth for authentic medieval towns
• Deep customization with modular building tools
• Strong modding support and active community
• Engaging progression and narrative events
• Beautiful soundtrack and charming visuals

❌ Cons

• Progression can feel gated or unclear at times
• Some mechanics, like villager upgrades, require micromanagement
• Larger, multipart buildings can be challenging to design intuitively
• Less complexity and challenge compared to some other city-builders

Foundation stands out as a city-builder that prioritizes creativity, relaxation, and organic development, making it an excellent choice for players who want to craft beautiful, living medieval towns at their own pace.