Machiavelli the Prince

This is a fantastic early exploration and trade route optimisation game, with heavy 4X influence and a really fun Renaissance era political system to navigate too. I played this for six hours straight on my first playthrough, and once I'd actually read the manual and figured how to set up automated trade routes suddenly the game got very good indeed. Bit early for me to review it properly but I think if you don't mind older game UI's and graphics, and you want meaty, deep gameplay that's mostly bereft in modern games design, this is an absolute steal!

I don’t know what I’m doing, but I do like seeing my profit go up! There’s plenty of mechanics that seem like they have a good amount of depth. Looking forward to learning this one!

A great re-make of one of my favorite old-school games. I remember playing this via email back when I had AOL.

If you enjoyed the original, which i loved, then its a nice return of an old friend.

I like this game.

Recommended — A Renaissance Strategy Gem With Rough Edges Machiavelli the Prince is one of those rare strategy titles that still feels singular decades later. It drops you into the bustling, treacherous world of Renaissance trade and politics, where every caravan route, commodity price shift, and diplomatic overture can ripple outward in surprising ways. The game’s greatest strength is how seamlessly it blends economic simulation with genuinely Machiavellian statecraft: bribing senators, buying church offices, influencing elections, sabotaging rivals, and occasionally resorting to darker methods. Few games capture the feeling of running a living, opportunistic mercantile empire quite like this one. That said, the interface absolutely shows its age. Expect clunky menus, limited feedback, and a learning curve that feels very 1990s. Reading the manual is a must. But once you push through that initial friction, the underlying systems reveal a depth and atmosphere that modern strategy games rarely attempt. Every decision matters, and the world reacts in ways that feel both logical and delightfully cutthroat. If you enjoy deep economic sims, political scheming, or historical strategy with real personality, Machiavelli the Prince remains a rewarding—and surprisingly fresh—experience. The UI may be old, but the design is timeless.

Want to establish a trade empire? Want to do dastardly things to your competitors? Want to be the Pope or the Doge? Dynamic systems - Good gameplay loop - Lots of fun

I received a free key from the developer as an existing GOG owner and also participated in the playtest. I’m very happy with this release! Machiavelli the Prince is a wonderful Enhanced Edition of a true classic. The game keeps its old-school charm while making it much more accessible on modern systems. Great atmosphere, unique strategy gameplay, trade, politics, intrigue, and that special Renaissance feeling are all still here. A lovely revival of a classic gem. Highly recommended for fans of old-school strategy and trading games!

A weak king makes his strong people, weak. in Luiz Vaz de Camões - Ano 1576 (eng+pt) I played the original game in '95 (Microprose). The cover of the Portuguese edition is a close-up of Niccolò Machiavelli, which I use in my library. It's a dangerous game to play, it's so addictive! But there's something in this game that I can never forgive the creators for - the absence of Portugal and Spain on the map! Thank you Andrew Greenberg for revisiting the game and bringing it to Steam. It's no easy task to get a '93 game running on current computers, but for now, this update (better than remaster) isn't bad at all. New functionalidades are great (see last youtube)! The music is much better than the Yamaha synthesizer used at the time, which became irritating after a few minutes! Are there still bugs? Yes, but I believe they will be fixed as they are found! The price? (Well, at the time - 1995 - I paid the equivalent of 75 euros today). We know that Steam charges high fees, but it's the price to pay for being in a safe and reliable community! Joguei o jogo original em 95, (Microprose). A capa da edição portuguesa é a do grande plano de Nicolau Maquiavel . Que utilizo na minha biblioteca. È um jogo perigoso de se jogar, de tão aditivo que ele é! Mas existe algo neste jogo que nunca poderei perdoar aos criadores - a ausência de Portugal e Espanha no mapa! Obrigado Andrew Greenberg por revisitar o jogo e trazê-lo para o Steam. Não é tarefa fácil por um jogo de 93 a correr nos computadores atuais, mas para já, esta quase remasterização não ficou nada mal. A música é bem melhor do que o sintetizador yamaha usado na altura que se tornava irritante passados poucos minutos! Se ainda há bugs? Sim mas creio que virão a ser corrigidos à medida que forem encontrados! O preço? (Bem, na época - 1995 - paguei na loja, o equivalente hoje a 75 euros). Sabemos que o Steam cobra altas taxas, mas é o preço a pagar por estarmos numa comunidade segura e fiável!

Ein nicht so komplexes Spiel, das aber trotzdem Spass macht. Bei den extremen Einstellungen wird es aber ein sehr knackiges und forderndes Spiel. Einzig wenn das Geld am fliessen ist gegen Ende, könnte man einige Hindernisse noch einbauen. Für mich zu empfehlen.