Masters of Albion Early Access - Our Impressions So Far

• Release Date: April 22, 2026 (Early Access)
• Platforms: Windows
• Developer: 22cans
• Publisher: 22cans

First revealed at Gamescom 2024, Masters of Albion is an ambitious god game, meant to be Peter Molyneux’s swan song as he approaches his late 60s.

After a rocky development cycle and rollout of his mobile game Godus, Molyneux has returned to his PC roots, alongside a 24-person dev team that includes personnel he worked with on classic titles like Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and Fable.

The assembling of this particular crew was intentional, as Masters of Albion aims to combine elements of these games despite their different genre roots.

Before we get into our impressions after over a dozen hours into the version releasing on April 22nd, we want to make it clear upfront that Masters of Albion is in its early stages of Early Access.

If you were hoping for it to be one of those Early Access games immediately polished out the gates, it is not the case, and the team has warned as such in interviews leading up to its release. That being said, let’s dive into our impressions so far.

Our Early Access impressions for Masters of Albion was played on the PC version on Steam.

In Masters of Albion, you are a god who rules over a small settlement with a literal guiding hand.

During the day, the game is a management sim where you can design the layout of your city, populate it with workers, and inspire craftsmen on how to create products that power your economy.

This phase is also where you can build fortifications and hire heroes to prepare for the nighttime cycle.

Doing so is crucial, as this is when the game becomes more like Tower Defense. With each passing night, you face increasing numbers of waves and enemy types.

As your territory expands, so does your arsenal of godly powers that you can use regardless of the time of day.

This includes combat-oriented spells like lightning and fireballs alongside city management utility like being able to speed up production or fly supplies between buildings rather than wait for citizens to carry them.

Your godly powers also include possession, which allows you to take control of your heroes (among other living things).

This unlocks the next major genre inclusion of Masters of Albion as doing so turns the game into something akin to an RPG, as you can venture into areas that your godly powers don’t have access to and even fight in direct combat against the nighttime waves.

So to recap, Masters of Albion uses the theme of a god game to mix together a medley that includes elements from genres like city management, tower defense, and an adventure RPG.

But does it all fit together?

If you grew up in the 90s and 00s, Masters of Albion very much feels like a time capsule.From the old school UI to the unhinged dialogue of the NPCs — games just aren’t made like this anymore.

Besides its nostalgic bits, we felt that the game's design system was its most “complete” aspect so far.

It was fun making recipes with an expanding arsenal of ingredients, creating hodgepodge buildings (before we knew they’d be judged by a government official), and seeing how wacky weapons would handle in the hands of our heroes.

Outside of specific mechanics, we felt that the game was truly full of surprises with each passing day. New regions are unlocked, additional quest givers appear, and fresh challenges arrive at a consistent pace.

While the other aspects of the gameplay loop besides the designing systems are present, we felt they have a long way to go to meet the level of the design system.

To start, the god hand powers, while versatile, often felt mundane or lacking in oomph.

We spent A LOT of time holding left-click to speed up the production lines because citizens would take a very long time on their own.

So while making the initial pie recipe design could be interesting, the novelty wore off when we had to use the god powers to speed up the farm, and then the mill, and the factory to make 50 of them.

In combat, while you do have the power to cast lightning, it never feels that impactful (even with upgrades) because your enemies become more formidable and numerous.

It often felt better to throw rocks and barrels and then switch to spells in situational moments. The power fantasy there just doesn’t hit.

Lastly, one of your powers is essentially dedicated to just digging up treasure chests.

We would’ve liked to see that gameplay aspect shifted to a tool that you could create and give to your hero for them to be used during the possessed adventuring phase.

It just didn’t feel that divine to dig up treasure with a shovel, and what you found was typically just a small amount of gold (which our economy had outgrown by then).

Speaking of the possessed adventuring phase, it’s the part of the game that we feel needs much more time to cook. In its current state, it’s hard to compare it to Fable (which is the inspired intention).

Even with leveled-up heroes and stronger weapons, combat feels rudimentary and very much stuck in the past.

When it comes to adventuring, the sense of exploration is lost as you realize your mighty hero can’t get around small obstacles and basic terrain. They’re classic expectations of video game confines, but it simply doesn’t feel godly by 2026 standards and ends up feeling on rails.

Overall, while Peter Molyneux’s Frankenstein monster made from his greatest hits does show breaths of life, it ultimately needs more time in the lab.

It’s great to take a step back into years past, but we’d love to see those boundaries pushed into modern times.

Let’s see more creative spells that really bend the rules to make you feel like a god and empower an adventuring hero aspect that’s truly immersive.

If you’re a longtime fan who’s really itching for a god game, there’s likely enough for you to enjoy it in the meantime.

At $25 for Early Access with a launch week sale, it’s likely to be a discount compared to the eventual final price (historically, Dungeon Keeper, Black and White, and Fable were around $50 at the time of their release, essentially AAA for today when adjusted for inflation).

With Masters of Albion being Molyneux’s first self-published game through 22Cans, there is a chance that it might be closer to a AA pricing when all is said and done.

Otherwise, if you want a more fleshed-out experience, you might want to wait for a few more major updates before giving it a hand.

Main Reviewer: Agilio Macabasco (originally published April 22, 2026)