The Settlers: Kingdoms of Anteria continues to confuse me

That’s… not The Settlers I remember.

Ubisoft have issued forth some screenshots and gameplay details of The Settlers: Kingdoms of Anteria.

I’m not going to lie: I have absolutely no idea what this game actually is. I mean, it’s an online game based around the town-building strategy series, only with some… changes. On the one hand, yes, you still have to build your kingdom and manage production chains and unlock building upgrades and make your kingdom bigger, but that’s not all. You also choose a Champion class and skillset and, uh, use it to battle enemies. With up to three of your friends. It… looks a bit ARPG-ish, I guess?

Of course, that’s not the only “online” bit of the gameplay – you can also visit and trade resources with your friends, and you’ll apparently be able to focus on whichever aspect of the gameplay you prefer. If you want to go adventuring and bash monsters, you can do that. If you want to focus on your kingdom and building a strong economy, you can do that.

A closed beta of the game is due to start relatively soon, so maybe that’ll answer some of my lingering questions and actually help me get a grasp on what the game is. Maybe. If you want to sign up, you can apparently do so over on the official website, although I can only see the option to subscribe to the newsletter right now. Or maybe the newsletter subscribers have a chance of getting into the beta? Good grief, this is as confusing as the game.