Crown Wars The Black Prince

Crown Wars: The Black Prince is a single-player PC turn-based tactics RPG set in an occult-tinged version of 14th-century France. The official Steam and publisher listings still use the same name, with no verified rebrand or replacement edition. Developed by Artefacts Studio and published by Nacon, it combines squad combat, castle management, resource planning, and a dark-fantasy conspiracy surrounding the Hundred Years' War.

The game is built for players who want a focused military campaign rather than a broad grand-strategy sandbox. You command a barony, recruit soldiers, prepare mission-specific squads, and gradually rebuild the estate that supports your war effort.

Turn-Based Battles Built Around Squad Composition

Each operation begins with a practical question: which soldiers, weapons, and consumables best fit the mission? You can field a squad of six soldiers, combining different classes so that their abilities and positioning cover one another's weaknesses.

The six playable classes are Crusader, Alchemist, Beastmaster, Flayer, Duelist, and Gunner. Their roles are deliberately distinct. Heavy armor, explosive mixtures, trained beasts, close-range attacks, precision weapons, and firearms all encourage different approaches to the same battlefield.

Combat rewards careful use of terrain, class abilities, and turn-by-turn synergies. A strong squad is not simply the one with the highest damage. It is the group that can control space, exploit openings, protect vulnerable specialists, and adapt when an objective changes the shape of a battle.

Mission objectives are broader than eliminating every opponent. The campaign includes operations involving hostile forces, the Order's cultists, prisoners, and strategic errands across the realm. That structure gives the tactical layer a useful rhythm: scout the situation, choose the right companions, complete the objective, then return to the castle with resources and survivors.

Six Classes, Custom Companions, and Prisoners

Crown Wars: The Black Prince lets you train a roster of up to 32 companions. Recruits can be named and visually customized, giving the army a more personal identity than a collection of anonymous units. Their development is tied to skill progression, weapon mastery, and equipment choices.

The class system is especially important because each companion is more than a disposable combat token. A Crusader can anchor a formation, while an Alchemist can manipulate the fight with crafted mixtures. A Beastmaster brings a combat-trained bear, the Duelist specializes in personal engagements, and the Gunner introduces early firearms to the medieval arsenal.

You can also capture enemies alive and turn them into prisoners of war. This adds another layer to mission decisions, since a clean victory is not always the same as the most useful result. Capturing opponents can support the broader management loop instead of treating every encounter as a simple kill objective.

Players coming from squad-based science-fiction tactics may recognize the emphasis on roster building, but the medieval setting changes the texture of combat. The mix of blades, armor, alchemy, beasts, and primitive firearms gives the battlefield its own identity instead of reproducing a modern military formula.

The Castle Is Your Strategic Engine

Your castle is the operational center of the campaign. Between missions, you use recovered resources to rebuild and upgrade up to seven buildings. These improvements support recruitment, training, crafting, and the wider logistics of maintaining several squads.

The management layer is not a separate city builder. It exists to make tactical preparation matter. You must decide whether resources are better spent on stronger equipment, new items, improved facilities, or keeping your roster ready for the next operation.

Crafting includes weapons, potions, and other battlefield items. Those tools can change how a squad handles a difficult encounter, particularly when a mission favors control, survivability, or burst damage over a straightforward advance.

Players who enjoy medieval strategy but want more direct squad-level action may also appreciate turn-based medieval campaigns with settlement-building pressure like Norse: Oath of Blood. Crown Wars is more tightly focused on a story campaign and tactical missions, but both games connect battlefield success to the condition of a developing domain.

A Historical Setting With Occult Intrigue

The setting revisits the Hundred Years' War through a fictionalized conflict in France. Knights and brigands are only part of the threat. The central enemy is the Order, a malevolent force whose occult ambitions push the campaign beyond ordinary dynastic warfare.

Historical figures and references are woven into the setting, including Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, and Nicolas Flamel. The result is not a strict historical simulation. It is a tactical RPG that uses recognizable medieval politics, weapons, and factions as the foundation for a darker supernatural plot.

The campaign map asks you to choose which quests to pursue and when to deploy your squads. That choice creates a light strategic layer around the battles. You are not governing every province or managing a dynasty; you are deciding how to allocate a limited military force while trying to stop the Order from spreading its influence.

Content, Editions, and Paid Extras

The core product is a paid single-player game. The PC storefront catalog lists five paid add-on products: Blood Pact Weapon Skins, the Brotherhood of Light Cosmetic Pack, an artbook, a soundtrack, and a strategy guide.

These extras are primarily cosmetic or supplementary. The Brotherhood of Light pack adds a unique helm for each class, a weapon skin, and Sacred Emblems for customizing squads and banners. The Blood Pact pack provides additional weapon appearances. The artbook, soundtrack, and strategy guide are companion materials rather than new campaign chapters.

Nacon's PC digital editions bundle the base game with several of these extras, so players should check the specific edition contents rather than assume every storefront package contains the same bonuses. No verified season pass or substantial story expansion is required to understand the main campaign.

PC Features and Solo Play Reality

Crown Wars: The Black Prince is officially listed for PC alongside PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch. On Steam, it includes Steam Cloud, achievements, and Family Sharing. The storefront lists partial controller support, so keyboard and mouse remain the safer expectation for players who prefer precise tactical menu navigation.

The game is designed for one player. There is no verified online co-op, competitive multiplayer campaign, local co-op, or split-screen mode. Its replay value comes from rebuilding squads, testing class combinations, improving the castle, and approaching missions with different equipment and tactical priorities.

Localization includes English and French audio, with subtitles and interface support for English, French, Italian, German, Spanish from Spain, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. That makes the PC edition accessible to a broad international audience, although full voice coverage is more limited than subtitle support.

Who Should Play Crown Wars?

Crown Wars: The Black Prince fits players who want deliberate turn-based combat, customizable companions, medieval weapons, and a campaign structure that connects battles to base development. It is a good choice if you enjoy planning a squad before every mission and making equipment decisions that have visible tactical consequences.

It is less suitable for players looking for a massive real-time kingdom simulator, a competitive strategy game, or a co-op campaign. The castle layer is supportive rather than exhaustive, and the campaign is built around repeated tactical deployments rather than unrestricted exploration.

Those seeking a more conventional historical battlefield experience may prefer squad-based medieval warfare with real-time battles in Ancestors Legacy. Players who want a smaller science-fiction tactics structure with named agents can compare it with compact turn-based squad operations such as XCOM: Chimera Squad, though Crown Wars places greater emphasis on roster training and castle logistics.

Crown Wars: The Black Prince FAQ

Is Crown Wars: The Black Prince still the current name?

Yes. The Steam, Nacon, and Artefacts Studio listings currently use Crown Wars: The Black Prince. No verified storefront rebrand, renamed definitive edition, or replacement PC edition was identified.

Is Crown Wars: The Black Prince multiplayer?

No. It is a single-player tactical campaign with no verified online multiplayer, local co-op, or split-screen mode.

How many classes are in Crown Wars: The Black Prince?

There are six classes: Crusader, Alchemist, Beastmaster, Flayer, Duelist, and Gunner. Each uses different weapons and skills, allowing you to build squads around distinct combat roles.

How large can a squad be?

A battlefield squad can contain up to six soldiers. Across the campaign, you can train up to 32 companions and select the most suitable roster for each mission.

Does the game have castle management?

Yes. The castle acts as your headquarters, where you recruit, train, equip, craft items, manage resources, and upgrade up to seven buildings.

What DLC is available?

The paid add-on catalog includes Blood Pact Weapon Skins, the Brotherhood of Light Cosmetic Pack, an artbook, a soundtrack, and a strategy guide. The cosmetic packs add customization items rather than new campaign missions.

Does Crown Wars support controllers on PC?

Steam lists partial controller support. For the most reliable control of tactical commands, inventory screens, and management menus, keyboard and mouse are the safer default.