Chuck’s Challenge 3D 2020
I had previously downvoted this game, citing many bugs and frustrations with the control scheme and the GUI. But after an incredible show of dedication from the developers in addressing and fixing (nearly) every one of my complaints in the “massive invisible” patch, I’m finally giving the game a thumbs-up. Very impressive, guys! Previously, I felt that this game might have perhaps gotten more attention and understanding as an “early access” title, but now it has earned its status as a finished product, one which can be built upon. I’m confident that the small number of remaining issues left will be addressed, and even if not, they do not detract too much from the game’s quality.
– Real player with 60.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building Sokoban Games.
Huge nostalgic trip for me. When I was young (can’t remember when, when I was 8 years old or so I guess?), I used to play this game called Chip’s Challenge . It was a timed puzzle game with Sokoban elements. I never quite got to finish it as the levels grew too difficult for me near the end, but I remembered it fondly as one of the most favourite games I used to play. Hell, I remember being incredibly jubilant when my father helped me to beat Blobnet. Yeah, that infamous level with all the blobs.
– Real player with 24.5 hrs in game
Spellcaster University
This game straddles the line between game and simulator, and it might leave people looking for either one disappointed. I, however, love this game, so I want to talk about it a bit.
The gameplay almost exclusively involves making choices from a mostly-random selection. You draw from a deck or speak to a faction, and then you choose the option that seems to serve your needs best. You have a limited time to make these choices because the Lord of Evil makes you move along almost as soon as you get rolling. The overall idea is to emerge from the storm of randomness with a healthy selection of graduates who buff your stats for the rest of the campaign. Ultimately, you run out of places to hide, so you have to find a way to survive the final level.
– Real player with 74.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building Simulation Games.
Charming if a bit clunky Hogwarts Sim Tower, card-draw based room choices. Can generate different mana as resources, which allow you to draw more cards of that mana type.
The mechanics are enjoyable, and the game is a great calm, casual experience. The campaign could use a lot of adjustment, it can feel a bit arbitrary and the only real direction is either provided through trial and error or community written walk-throughs. There isn’t particularly a feeling of progressing difficulty or even a real link between the areas as you progress. Challenge cards (You can optionally set a challenge at the start of the campaign, and completing it will unlock the card for future runs) are a cool way to provide goals, but they feel like a side piece rather than a main progressing thread. Some functionality/depth seems underwhelming on it’s impact on the game. Cool ideas, but they don’t actually end up doing a lot for you if you spend time manage them (ex. get 3-5 school “houses”, set priority to different types of magic for the house, drop the people gifted in those types in those houses, stop thinking about houses. There’s rarely a benefit to tweaking house settings beyond the initial setup).
– Real player with 40.6 hrs in game
DRONE The Game
One hell of a game. Although still a prototype, I think you’ll enjoy the public release. I was a backer for this project and I can say that the money I spent was more than worth it. If you paid mind to the game’s info, you likely saw the 12 backer tiers. I started out at Tier 2 (“Traveler”) when I first heard of the game. When they released the multiplayer demos I couldn’t wait, so I bumped up to Tier 3 (“Explorer”) a few months later. Last year I decided to upgrade to Tier 4 (“Operator”), and as of 2 July 2019 I ended up upgrading to Tier 5 (“Engineer”) because this game really has turned out so well. If you needed proof for how much these guys delivered, here you go.
– Real player with 51.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building Sci-fi Games.
This game showed significant promise in its early stages, and the main draw for me was being able to build and fly my own little fighting drones in the editor - with the hope of eventually being able to create land-based units with tank treads or mechanical legs.
However, development on this title unfortunately seems to have slowed to a complete halt: there hasn’t been an update, not even a bugfix, in over a year, and there’s been no word on how development is progressing in about 6 months.
They succeeded in their promise of delivering a functional drone editor, but even then a good portion of its features and place-able parts are unfinished, and at the moment users are restricted to basic cubes which they can cut into other shapes, as opposed to the totally freeform shapes seen in prebuilt designs. There’s also the slight issue of players being able to min-max their builds to obscene effectiveness by just putting a bunch of wings or something.
– Real player with 37.9 hrs in game
Maia
Been a year that I last wrote something about this game, and considering that the updates for the game come frequently, I think it’s time to update the review as well.
Last year I called it “playable”. This year I can actually call it entertaining. What’s most entertaining, at least for me, is that the colonists are actually very human. Allow me to explain.
In most games, you have people that feel more like worker drones. They will go from place to place, build, mine, craft, sleep, get hurt, go to the medic bay, build, mine, craft… The “people” here feel actually like people. And they don’t want to be treated like worker drones. They get stressed out if all they do is build and work.
– Real player with 101.5 hrs in game
The inspirations for this game are both obvious and subtle, influencing how it looks, feels and plays, or rather how you think you should be playing it.
It swings from a low pace base builder with an enormously detailed simulation behind every little thing you see and can interact with to a frantic struggle for survival as the dangers of Maia strike the unprepared mercilessly. Prepare to be unprepared and learn by failing.
If you prefer to learn from the mistakes of others - or perhaps boast about your most successful survival or expansion tips and strategies, visit the official wiki and help it grow.
– Real player with 37.0 hrs in game