The Settlers: Rise Of An Empire Limited Edition

City builders rarely get the collector's edition treatment, which makes The Settlers: Rise of an Empire Limited Edition for PC a genuinely unusual find. Ubisoft and Blue Byte put together a package that respects the franchise's legacy while showing off the visual leap this entry represented.

The art book, titled "The Art of The Settlers: Rise of an Empire," is the highlight. Strategy game art books are rare collector's items because the genre so rarely produces them, and this one captures the warm, detailed aesthetic that defined the series. The two-sided poster pulls double duty with box cover art on the front and the full technology tree on the back, making it both wall art and a functional reference piece. That's clever design.

The bonus DVD packs HD trailers and a Making Of documentary, while the original soundtrack by Dynamedion GbR delivers the kind of orchestral warmth that Settlers games are known for. Decorative in-game content including statues and a pavilion let you customize your settlements with exclusive flair. A playable demo rounds things out, a quaint inclusion by today's standards but very much a product of its era.

For Settlers franchise collectors and strategy game enthusiasts who appreciate physical media, this Limited Edition is a well-rounded package. It's not trying to overwhelm you with quantity. It's delivering quality pieces that reflect the craft behind one of PC gaming's longest-running city builder series.