Does this game get any better ?

[MaroK]

Straight to the point. Was very excited to learn about this game as I love both strategy city builders and rogue likes as well. A game which mixes both worlds sounds like a perfect game for me on paper. Especially when I see the overwhelming positive reviews for this game.

Bought the game on winter sale for half the normal price, played the first mission and I have very mixed feelings about the game. Took me about an hour to finish and it was very... meh ? shallow ? artificial ? not alive ? I don't even know how to describe it.

The intro and the story background felt very rushed to a point where I don't care about it. I know the first mission was supposed to be a tutorial only , but it felt like the game was holding my hands very tight following just a checklist, do this, now do that. The villagers didn't felt alive, but more like I have a bunch of soulless walking robots ? Discovered a danger zone or whatever it's called which killed off 3 of my villagers. I didn't even blink because I couldn't care less about them.

When someone died due to an unfortunate event in Frostpunk, or due to illness or hunger in Northgard I felt devastated because I cared for my city and people so much. For some reason not here ? I love Age of Empires, played lots of Cities Skylines, Settlers etc. and spent tons of hours in probably all the popular roguelike games. This game looks like it's right up my alley on paper I am the correct audience for it, yet somehow it didn't clicked with me and left a sour taste in my mouth after the first impression.

I also didn't saw any roguelike elements so far. Now debating whether I should give it another chance which means passing the 2 hours mark with no option to refund after that, or just give up and do it right away.

Did anyone have a similar experience where the game didn't clicked with you right away but over time ? Or is this one of those games which you either love on first sight or you don't ?

[CaptMidway]

Yes it does.

Core game mechanics are locked behind meta progression for a long time.

This is not a story game. Its a rouguelike.

Villagers are a resource. There are perks that reward you for their deaths. Losing Villagers causes impatience. Sometimes you need more workers or can't afford the impatience loss. This is devastating. The time you finish a matters. So then does labor shortages.

Cheat Engine to give yourself meta resources if you want. Or play on the easiest difficulty for 10 hours and win faster.

[MaroK]

Originally posted by CaptMidway:

Core game mechanics are locked behind meta progression for a long time.

Can you elaborate on this a little bit more please ? I don't think I understood what you wanted to tell me.

[el Darkness]

You can refund for now and try demo. To be fair, you should have started with demo and decide later if you wish to buy it.

[FableNights]

Originally posted by MaroK:

Originally posted by CaptMidway:

Core game mechanics are locked behind meta progression for a long time.

Can you elaborate on this a little bit more please ? I don't think I understood what you wanted to tell me.

So, there are fundamental mechanics of the game that are locked behind the meta resources you acquire as you play; Food, Machinery, and Artifacts.

The game slowly eases you into it as you pick and choose what game mechanics you want to learn next.

This game is... weird.
It has a roguelike mode, but that is something you have to unlock by beating the hardest seal on the map at the highest difficulty; prestige 20.

Before that, it's a city builder with a particular focus on the very beginning stages of the city.
Up until you unlock that hard, roguelike mode, you're essentially playing a Roguelite in the sense that:

Every map is randomly generated.
You will never really get the exact same setup from game to game.
If you lose a settlement, you lose all the progress you made THERE, but can still keep going.

The game doesn't really have a huge focus on the intro and story, it's primarily focused on the gameplay itself.

Many people have treated it like a chill, short term city builder while others are basically pushing the limits of what they can achieve in shorter and shorter times.

If you're looking for a long term city builder with continuous progression as you watch your city grow bigger and more self sufficient, this isn't that.
This game is about making the most with what relatively little resources you can gain.
By the time you're making your city self sufficient and people happy, you're more then likely moments away from winning and going on to the next city to do something similar again.

[Crank Stanis]

Originally posted by MaroK:

Originally posted by CaptMidway:

Core game mechanics are locked behind meta progression for a long time.

Can you elaborate on this a little bit more please ? I don't think I understood what you wanted to tell me.

After you done with the first tun, you will see Citadel which is the center of the map.
I'm RTS-fan, city simulator like Frostpunk and Tropico etc.
"Against the storm" is similiar to Frostpunk, it's about surviving and the goal is to make full reputation bar.

Your level will unlock new upgrade, new event, rolls, perks, buildings etc.

[凝滞雪雾]

Not a city-builder game.
Villagers are resources.

[MaroK]

Originally posted by 凝滞雪雾:

Not a city-builder game.

It literally says "dark fantasy city-builder" in the game description. That is the very first sentence. Are you saying it's misleading ?

Originally posted by FableNights:

If you're looking for a long term city builder with continuous progression as you watch your city grow bigger and more self sufficient, this isn't that. This game is about making the most with what relatively little resources you can gain.
By the time you're making your city self sufficient and people happy, you're more then likely moments away from winning and going on to the next city to do something similar again.

I guess it's not the game for me then and I had different expectations. Thank you, this was very helpful.

[dhitch89]

Originally posted by MaroK:

It literally says "dark fantasy city-builder" in the game description. That is the very first sentence. Are you saying it's misleading ?

Not literally that it isn't; it's more that it has city builder elements.

But a standard city builder, it is not, I think was more his meaning.

[juni_bismalis]

The game is great fun imo.

If it doesnt "click" for you, I would personally get the refund before the 2 hour mark. I did the same for Frostpunk. Different folks, different strokes.

[kafelia]

It took me 100hrs to admit that i must like this game ! Not reccomending anyone to play it that long if they are not sure , but yes this was a weird one :p (now im almost 600hrs in and completed everything so i think that means i must love it)

[arjensmit79]

It took me about 10-15 hours before it clicked. I almost wrote a bad review at first. (maybe i actually did and deleted it later)
Mouse over my name now.

You need to increase the difficulty level before it's gonna click. And then the more you increase it the more interesting it gets.

[Liwet]

Game should be described as a Cities Builder.

[adrien_perleflamme]

To me, it's not for people who enjoy building fully functional, permanent cities.

It's a settlement building game, not a city management game. You build a settlement that lasts for a few years at most, explore and extract everything you need, quickly adapt to your constantly evolving environment (citizen needs and skills, forest hostility, glade events, Queen's orders, calamitite, cornerstones, perks and traders, mostly) and leave before everything falls apart. Rinse and repeat.

It's a roguelike, first and foremost. Players who like to juggle with randomness, fast-paced strategical choices and different play styles will probably like it if they don't hate resource management and the first few gameplay elements of city building games.

Clearly, if you like city builders because you like finding some permanent equilibrium and you don't like when some events mess with your perfect balance, this is not a game for you.

[dizzy99]

I kind of like the game, but to me it seems it's just a never ending series of produce this and that tasks over and over. I did do a refund, but will keep an eye on price and might get again if it goes a lot lower in a year or two.

[somniloquist1]

Think of it this way: if you like Banished, but only the early-game struggle, and wish it had more unpredictability, this is for you. If your favorite part of citybuilders is the later-game polishing and perfecting, this is not for you. Against the Storm is all early-game struggle.