Oh, hey! EXCELLENT GAME! I've tried my best to sell it to many friends, explaining that it is easily one of the best games I have ever played. It really is that good!
I love this game a lot. The pressure that it puts on you is what makes it engaging. The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way were seals. I found that the game, once you knew what you were doing, is very hard to lose. However, I can't say the same about the seals, I find them disproportionately harder compared to the rest of the game and feels really bad to fail after a long "run" (because every individual colonies do take time to complete). I would welcome the challenge if I didn't feel like I had to grind several hours just to try again.
All seals missions have the same requirements though, so once you've done a few it's quite easy to beat them. Crank up the rainpunk and do a load of trade routes and you're 75% there.
I'm at 70h and have done the gold seal. I haven't started climbing the prestige ladder yet but will need to so so when I get back to the game. I don't like how you have fewer options than it looks like you do. The need to get rep from things other than orders, and quite a bit of it (and even more on P1+), really locks you into one of a few playstyles. You basically can go for resolve, caches, or both, and for the most part that's it. Occasionally you get a cornerstone that can directly give you rep; occasionally you get a cornerstone that makes so much resolve that you blow off the ordinary ways to get resolve in favor of milking the cornerstone. But that's about it. That can let games get pretty samey at times. I still can't help but love the ability to get the city builder, make-production-chains kind of vibe without the need to know what you were doing the last time you played all the time. You can just make sure any long breaks are in between settlements...or be receptive to giving up on a settlement you started a while back IRL. Besides traditional RTS, nothing else even approximately hits that. They also definitely tapped into something real with the observation that the best part of a traditional city builder is the early part of the midgame, while most city builders end up devoting most of their time to endgame, which is the weakest part from a mechanical perspective.
Got really into this game over winter holidays and agree - initially very overwhelming but once you know the basic production chains, you start to figure out how to optimize a particular run based on the random elements (buildings you get, challenges you uncover in the glades, etc). This is a game where you kind of have to adapt to the events you are dealt but each run has a way to win, the challenge is finding it. Oh and the soundtrack is amazing!
"Doesn't scratch the city builder itch". I understand what you mean, but you can still scratch that itch on easier difficulty settings, especially after unlocking the higher-tier upgrades in Smoldering City.
Imma be PISSED if this game doesn't win anything in the strategy area at the game awards this year now that it released (release date was just after cut-off for last years awards).
I had the same thing when starting the game - 2 hour sessions of absolute engagement were a little overwhelming. But then I got addicted to that pressure. And after learning how to operate the game I just cannot get enough of it! The only point I disagree with is "coziness" - at low difficulties it's pretty chill, just don't make dumb decisions, or just play past completion - especially on the maps with farms, you can build pretty ridiculous stuff.
Thanks so much for all the kind words and for a very informative video! ^^
Oh thanks! I feel truly flattered guys :D
The goats themselves
Oh, hey! EXCELLENT GAME! I've tried my best to sell it to many friends, explaining that it is easily one of the best games I have ever played. It really is that good!
Your GAME WAS DOPE! been playing it since its release.
When you read the title of the video, already know the answer is a resounding 'YES', but watch nonetheless because IcOn^^
I love this game a lot. The pressure that it puts on you is what makes it engaging. The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way were seals. I found that the game, once you knew what you were doing, is very hard to lose. However, I can't say the same about the seals, I find them disproportionately harder compared to the rest of the game and feels really bad to fail after a long "run" (because every individual colonies do take time to complete). I would welcome the challenge if I didn't feel like I had to grind several hours just to try again.
All seals missions have the same requirements though, so once you've done a few it's quite easy to beat them. Crank up the rainpunk and do a load of trade routes and you're 75% there.
I'm at 70h and have done the gold seal. I haven't started climbing the prestige ladder yet but will need to so so when I get back to the game.
I don't like how you have fewer options than it looks like you do. The need to get rep from things other than orders, and quite a bit of it (and even more on P1+), really locks you into one of a few playstyles. You basically can go for resolve, caches, or both, and for the most part that's it. Occasionally you get a cornerstone that can directly give you rep; occasionally you get a cornerstone that makes so much resolve that you blow off the ordinary ways to get resolve in favor of milking the cornerstone. But that's about it. That can let games get pretty samey at times.
I still can't help but love the ability to get the city builder, make-production-chains kind of vibe without the need to know what you were doing the last time you played all the time. You can just make sure any long breaks are in between settlements...or be receptive to giving up on a settlement you started a while back IRL. Besides traditional RTS, nothing else even approximately hits that. They also definitely tapped into something real with the observation that the best part of a traditional city builder is the early part of the midgame, while most city builders end up devoting most of their time to endgame, which is the weakest part from a mechanical perspective.
Got really into this game over winter holidays and agree - initially very overwhelming but once you know the basic production chains, you start to figure out how to optimize a particular run based on the random elements (buildings you get, challenges you uncover in the glades, etc). This is a game where you kind of have to adapt to the events you are dealt but each run has a way to win, the challenge is finding it.
Oh and the soundtrack is amazing!
Get farm - find press and temple - burn oil to reduce hostility to zero - chill and win
oil doesn't reduce hostility now, they changed it way back because it was OP.
I've sunk hundreds of hours into it. I think it is absolutely brilliant.
Me too, it's one of my all time favorite games I regularly drift back towards to.
I love the challenge and the uniqueness to it. Im so tired of all other games just being a copy of the previous one.
"Doesn't scratch the city builder itch". I understand what you mean, but you can still scratch that itch on easier difficulty settings, especially after unlocking the higher-tier upgrades in Smoldering City.
BEST Feature of this game is that i can PAUSE it whenever I want to ! Without pause i would not have bought it.
Imma be PISSED if this game doesn't win anything in the strategy area at the game awards this year now that it released (release date was just after cut-off for last years awards).
I had the same thing when starting the game - 2 hour sessions of absolute engagement were a little overwhelming. But then I got addicted to that pressure. And after learning how to operate the game I just cannot get enough of it!
The only point I disagree with is "coziness" - at low difficulties it's pretty chill, just don't make dumb decisions, or just play past completion - especially on the maps with farms, you can build pretty ridiculous stuff.
This game is absolutely incredible
I put about 30 hours into it before deciding it was too boring and grindy :/
unique is right. nice review
great review.
Yes
Agree!
Wanted to watch your review but your voice and stutters made me go elsewhere.
Must be personal taste but I got accustomed and find his voice quite soothing to listen to