Recent reviews by Him Henson

Provided you can get other players to join you, this can feel a *LOT* like playing tabletop D&D, which is very fun. Soloing is a little less enjoyable in my opinion, but the core gameplay would absolutely still hold up if you were to play solo.

If you're the sort of D&D player who likes to pour over splat books and optimize your character as much as possible, you may find yourself wanting for options that the Tabletop version offers which aren't present here. If not for the understandable choice of Larian Studios to move onto new projects, I would've liked to see the addition of Sword Coast Adventure Guide material to the game, but there's still plenty of options (Both mechanically and narratively) to make multiple playthroughs feel unique and enjoyable.

All in all, 8.5/10, very fun game.

♥♥♥♥♥♥' love city builders, beavers are cool, trees are neat. Droughts are cringe.

TL;DR Edition: Game's a good break from other games for me, controller's fun, give it a try if you've got a bit of money to burn

And now for something considerably more long-winded:
As a matter of transparency, I have to admit that I don't remember exactly how this game came into my possession, but if I genuinely bought it for $14 then I've gotten my money's worth out of it for sure by now.

The gameplay's pretty simple here, hacking and slashing your way through themed monsters is a good time, and the graphics are aesthetically pleasing which helps it along as well. I'll admit that it can be repetitive, even with all the characters handling somewhat differently, and not all being unlocked from the outset, this is probably a limitation of the twin-stick shooter format it's working with.

I'd recommend this most as a "change of pace" sort of game, to pick up for a couple of quick-ish sessions and then put back down as you transition back into other projects/social obligations/even other games. The Rogue-like elements here are tuned so as to not be frustrating, and Rogue-likes as a format lend themselves well to the sort of intermission/intermittent play I think this game does well.

With some basic crafting and passive abilities to boost, plus multiple difficulties and procedural map generation, there's a lot of potential for replay, however I don't tend to progression-hunt in quite the same way that these features would be most enticing for, I imagine. My personal history with MMOs makes grind a big turn-off for me in terms of gaming, and while I do enjoy the gameplay here, I can handily see how it could become a chore.

In conclusion, this is one of those games that I feel would fit quite nicely across the whole spectrum of gaming hardware (Including mobile, although potions would be a chore) but with the studio responsible for this game having *at least* stopped working on it(AFAIK) I don't think this is likely to happen. The controller support is nice, and I personally recommend trying this game with a controller at least once or twice if you have the chance.

THINGS I WISH I KNEW WHEN I STARTED:
- You can hold shift while giving orders to units, marking multiple points for them to reach
- You can (and should) queue buildings while the real-time is paused
- If you hit the middle button (by pressing down the scroll-wheel) you can see the actual edges of the terrain.
- ZOMBIES CAN SWING DIAGONALLY.

If you fall into one or more of the following categories you'll enjoy this game immensely:
- Steampunk Fan
- Zombie Survival Fan
- Tower Defense Fan
- Real Time Strategy Fan
- The type of person who measured the doorways in their house after watching zombie movies to figure out how much wood you'd need to keep on hand to board the doors, just in case

Just remember not to take the losses too seriously. It's easy to miss little details and have zombies slide into spots they shouldn't be.

I put 30 hours into this game when I pirated it, then bought it and put in another near 200 hours. Played through a lot of different development stages and have yet to experience anything truly detestable. Says a lot for an early access game. Game good.

It's bad I love it. It's glitchy and awkward and feels like it's designed for a 360 controller but since I picked it up I cannot put it down. It's so much fun to bash the everloving ♥♥♥♥ out of zombies and play matador with the juggernauts. But it's super stressful, and I hate this game, and I love this game. Also if you close the game during the death animation it will most likely keep your character from dying. Do with that what you will.

Enjoyed the game on Switch, the PC version was even better. Gathering storm and Rise and Fall both add depth to an already complex, engaging strategic experience.