Besiege is a creative physics-based building game that challenges players to construct medieval siege engines and destroy everything in their path. Developed by Spiderling Studios, this sandbox title emphasizes experimentation, engineering, and chaotic fun.
With its intricate mechanical systems and open-ended design challenges, the game appeals to both puzzle solvers and destruction lovers.
Whether you’re toppling towers with a flaming catapult or building a flying death machine, Besiege gives you the tools to innovate, destroy, and laugh at your own glorious failures.
Development and Release of Besiege
It was developed by indie studio Spiderling Studios and released in Early Access in January 2015. It quickly gathered attention for its physics-driven creativity and sandbox gameplay. After years of refinement and community feedback, the full version launched in February 2020 on Steam.
The developers consistently updated the game with new parts, levels, multiplayer support, and a level editor. Thanks to its strong modding community and flexible engine, Besiege remains a beloved title in the sandbox and physics-based genre.
Storyline and Setting of Besiege
Rather than following a traditional storyline, Besiege offers a series of imaginative levels set in fictional medieval islands known as Ipsilon, Tolbrynd, Valfross, and more. Each level presents a challenge destroy a castle, eliminate troops, transport cargo using machines you build from scratch.
The setting includes charming low-poly visuals of rustic villages, snow-covered fortresses, deserts, and skylands. Every environment provides unique obstacles, encouraging different engineering approaches. There’s no narration or dialogue the story is told through destruction and your machines’ trial-and-error evolution.
Game Modes in Besiege
This includes a variety of game modes that allow players to enjoy the title in multiple ways:
- Campaign Mode: This is the heart of the game. Players complete a sequence of levels by creating siege engines to overcome specific objectives, ranging from mass destruction to precision movement.
- Sandbox Mode: Offers an open space with unlimited parts and no goals. Here, creativity takes center stage. You can test crazy contraptions, experiment with flight, or just build for fun.
- Multiverse (Multiplayer): Added in later updates, this allows you to play with friends online. Compete in challenges, cooperate on builds, or create machines that interact in real time.
- Level Editor: Players can build custom maps and challenges using the in-game editor and share them via the Steam Workshop.
Gameplay Mechanics in Besiege
At its core, this game revolves around building and problem-solving. Here’s how the gameplay mechanics work:
- Block-Based Construction: Machines are constructed from a wide variety of blocks including wooden frames, wheels, hinges, pistons, springs, bombs, cannons, and wings. Parts snap together and interact based on physics.
- Realistic Physics Engine: Every object in Besiege is governed by gravity, friction, mass, and momentum. Whether your machine collapses under its own weight or flies perfectly depends on your design.
- Destruction-Based Objectives: Most missions involve toppling buildings, defeating enemies, or navigating hazardous terrain. There’s no one right way to solve a level only the way your imagination allows.
- Customization and Controls: Each component can be fine-tuned set keybindings, adjust rotation speed, change firing angles, or delay actions. Mastery comes from precise control.
Beginner Tips and Tricks
New to the world of this game? These beginner-friendly tips will get you building like a siege master:
- Start Small: Begin with basic catapults or battering rams before attempting flying machines or multi-jointed walkers.
- Balance is Key: Ensure your machine’s center of gravity is low and centered. Top-heavy designs often tip over quickly.
- Use Bracing and Suspension: Diagonal bracing adds structural integrity; suspension wheels help with bumpy terrain.
- Assign Custom Keys: Customizing controls for each component helps avoid chaos during execution. Group similar actions to simplify management.
- Slow Down Time: Use the slow-motion feature to better observe what causes your failures—and how to fix them.
Few Important Features of Besiege
Let’s explore some standout features that make Besiege an unforgettable sandbox experience:
1) Powerful Construction Toolkit
This game provides players with an expansive array of over 60 mechanical parts, from pistons and grabbers to balloons and flamethrowers. This toolset allows for endless creativity in crafting siege engines, walking robots, or bizarre flying machines. Whether you aim for efficiency or chaos, your imagination drives the design. Complex machinery is not just encouraged it’s celebrated.
2) Realistic Destruction and Reactions
Destruction in this game isn’t just visual it’s fully physics-based. Structures collapse differently depending on impact force and angle, while enemies react dynamically to explosions, blades, or crushing wheels. Every successful attack feels earned, as the simulation handles the carnage with believable feedback. This realism adds tension and satisfaction to every level.
3) Beautiful Minimalist Aesthetic
Despite the mayhem, the game maintains a clean, charming visual identity. Its low-poly design and soft lighting give each map a distinct, calming look from sunny meadows to icy fortresses. This contrast between serene visuals and brutal gameplay creates a unique, balanced atmosphere. It’s beautiful destruction wrapped in elegance.
4) Modding and Community Content
This game thrives on creativity not just from the developers, but from its vibrant community. With full Steam Workshop support, players can share custom levels, machines, and even new block types. This keeps the game endlessly fresh, as user-generated content floods in daily. Mods expand possibilities far beyond the base experience.
5) Multiplayer & Co-Op Creativity
The Multiverse mode brings players together to build, compete, or collaborate in real-time. Whether racing absurd machines or waging mechanical war, multiplayer adds a whole new layer of fun. Cooperative construction allows for intricate group projects, while PvP modes test engineering in chaotic showdowns. Social creativity is where Besiege truly shines.
Advanced Building Techniques
As you grow more skilled, apply these advanced concepts to take your designs further:
- Timing Mechanisms: Use timers, delays, and logic blocks to control sequences such as multi-stage rocket launches or trap activation.
- Suspension Systems: Build custom suspension setups for smoother movement across uneven terrain, especially for wheeled machines or tanks.
- Modular Design: Create machines with detachable or transformable parts build a walker that unfolds into a flying vehicle, for instance.
- Gyroscopes and Stabilizers: For flying or rotating machines, balance and stability are essential. Build gyroscopic devices or counterweights to keep your creations steady.
Why Besiege Stands Out
Besiege excels as a unique fusion of puzzle-solving, engineering, and chaotic fun. What sets it apart is its freedom there’s no “correct” machine or solution. Players are encouraged to think creatively, fail gloriously, and refine designs through trial and error.
Its satisfying physics engine, clever mission variety, and charming aesthetic give it universal appeal. Whether you’re a student learning mechanics or a gamer who loves experimentation, Besiege offers endless possibilities.
The inclusion of multiplayer, modding, and continued updates only strengthens its value in the long run. Every broken machine is a new idea in disguise.
System Requirements
To enjoy smooth gameplay in Besiege, your system should meet the following:
- OS: Windows 7 (64-bit)
- Processor: 2.2 GHz Dual Core
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Dedicated GPU with Shader Model 3.0 support
- Storage: 1 GB available space
This is an engineering playground where imagination meets destruction. Its elegant mechanics and endless replay value make it a must-have for gamers who love building, learning, and blowing things up with style.
