Genesia Legacy: Ultimate Domain
A very original game ! I didn’t find a style close to this Genesia Legacy.
You build your city, from nothing, in a pure natural landscape. And nature is not so friendly! You have to assign farmers, woodcutters, gather water, in order to survive, and grow.
You have also research trees to evolve, and, for example, resist to diseases, build vehicles, trade, …
But, the game is difficult, in the sense of “punitive” : you make a strategic mistake, and your village will die from disease, or starve in winter, etc…
– Real player with 27.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building Resource Management Games.
If you’re looking for the original Ultimate Domain (US) / Genesia (EU), then steer clear of this game. I paid $19.99 for it and tried to give it a fair shake after discovering it’s not much like the original. Sadly that is when I learned that if you play more than 2 hours on a game you are automatically disqualified by Steam from receiving a refund. Note to self, don’t give games a fair shake if you don’t love them after 20 minutes anymore. Perhaps the developer will one day turn this into a game worthwhile, but at it’s current condition, it’s not worth more than $1.99, and that’s being generous.
– Real player with 17.8 hrs in game
Space Cats Tactics: Prologue
The demo looks pretty nice, though it can be a bit glitchy at times, but still it gives a great view of what’s to expect on the full game.
The combination of turn based Tactic, a little bit of RPG, and some strategy seems to work well in harmony, the zoom-in-out of the camera let us go in as detailed as the crews on board or as far as the space area outside the ship. Though this isn’t the 1st game i owned with this design, it’s still fun nevertheless, and i am starting to like this genre the more i play them. But hey, gotta be honest, it’s the cats i am after… lol! :3
– Real player with 3.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building Top-Down Games.
I stumbled across this game well looking over steam for a new game to play for my boardem… and well I LOVE this game so far the demo is well made and the story seems like it could add up to somthing and the devs art style is just AMAZING but I do have alot of issues to for one the first time I booted up the game it was full of bugs and crashed tryed again and it worked without issue but it is pretty bug filled and that makes sense for a pre alpha game tho tbh but add it to your wishlist and id wait for the 2022 game if you wanna really play this game for real rather then a demo but so far it looks amazing! good game! its a free demo try it out and if you like it then add to wishlist and if you dont then ignore theres not much to lose if you get the demo!
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game
Wingspan
First, I love this game. I love the cardboard version, and I love playing the digital one.
Second, the visuals are just lovely, though I don’t really understand some of the design choices (why would anyone choose to view just their Forest?), and I’d like to be able to watch the other players or AIs take their turns.
That doesn’t mean this version isn’t without it’s problems, which isn’t surprising so shortly after launch. I’m not sure what the rationale was for giving so many viewing options, but I only use the “full board” view (rather than viewing each of the environments), which requires a click to view powers of birds that have been played. The interface is very click-heavy to avoid making mistakes and to fix misclicks, which I appreciate, but if you have more than a couple birds in your hand (say 5+ total cards), selecting and playing birds from your hand is SUPER clunky and finicky. Since the game is a bit pricey, none in my gaming group have bought it yet, so I’ve only played the AI, which is pretty easy (no Hard AI has been implemented yet), but still very fun. In my last game I won 115-71-61-51, so it was a rout against the regular AI, but that was my biggest win to date.
– Real player with 3321.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building PvP Games.
I am a big fan of Wingspan. I’ve been playing the physical board game for a couple of years and the digital version for about a year. I currently have 158.4 hours into the digital version of it as of this writing.
There are plenty of videos out there showcasing what Wingspan is. I recommend you check them out. I will spare everyone the details here and focus more on my own pros/cons.
The big pros of the digital version for me:
-It eliminates all of the set up and tear down of the physical version. My wife only wants to play digitally now for this reason alone.
– Real player with 214.1 hrs in game
Adventures Diary of Merchant
Overview
In Adventures Diary of Merchant, the player starts the game by amassing wealth through opening numerous farms and ranches, then builds factories to process raw materials into more valuable commodities to either sell for a greater value than raw materials, or use to make stuff for adventuring purposes. Once four more people are amassed, the player can form their adventuring party and set out on their first adventure in Misty Forest. From there, the player attempts to build their business empire to earn enough money to cover ownership costs and buy better weapons and armor to make their way through the map, and ultimately get to Grand Devil City (
! beyond Grand Devil City, actually) and confront The Grand Devil to bring peace to the land.
– Real player with 12.9 hrs in game
Adorable, relaxing and fun! - AGAIN.
Bug fixed, I can play again.
Old review:
" There are things that need to be worked on and the game is not 100% translated, but I would recommend either way. "
Those were my words at 4 hours gameplay. Now I’ve encountered bugs I can’t ignore. I cant continue the game and its no longer fun and relaxing. I want to play but after I’ve purchased a Panda, I cant build, I cant save progress, it bugs entirely. I’ve tried starting over but its no help.
– Real player with 12.4 hrs in game
The Battle of Polytopia
I would like to begin with the disclaimer that I received Polytopia for free as I had the privilege of beta-testing it before its Steam release. However, I do not believe that this influences my view of the game in any major way that would impact my review. I also had prior experience with the game in its mobile form prior to its release on Steam.
Polytopia is simply a brilliant game. Midjiwan created a masterpiece that is continually refreshing and new, yet challenging to master. The AI is just punishing enough on higher difficulties to encourage thoughtful and deliberate gameplay, yet lenient enough to reward clever strategic moves. At no point have I felt like the game was too arbitrarily challenging or easy, instead it has consistently maintained a delicate balance in terms of difficulty (unless you happen to be stranded on a 1x1 island with no resources in sight, which although rare, is quite tragic). The game is also super approachable for beginners without much experience in this type of strategy/resource management genre. I think that honestly anyone from any skill level can thoroughly enjoy Polytopia.
– Real player with 52.9 hrs in game
I really do recommend this game after playing for about 11 hours. It’s the first time I play a game like this, but to my understanding it’s quite a lot like Civilisation but much simpler (and cheaper). Like all games, there are both good and bad things to this game. Let’s discuss it.
Firstly, I’d like to adress the negatives. Multiplayer mode is not that fun, in my opinion. Pass & Play works if there are two of you, but even then it’s a little tiresome to wait for your turn. I tried playing with 2 friends and it just took way too long. I haven’t tried online multiplayer because I don’t know anyone who owns this game. You can play with strangers as well, but the waiting time to fill a server is too much. That’s not really the game’s fault though, that’s just because not enough people have bought this game yet since it’s new.
– Real player with 28.7 hrs in game
The Shrouded Isle
My my…this is certainly a game that casts cynicism upon religious belief, is it not? Apparently “ignorance” is a virtue, boys and girls!
So what the hell IS this game? Well, it’s a strategy game/management simulator, in which you basically have to keep a bunch of aristocratic houses onside, while finding one poor soul to sacrifice every season to the mighty deity Chernobog! (A sly reference to a certain Ukranian nuclear power plant disaster, perhaps?) To do this effectively, you must interrogate potential candidates and keep abreast of their various vices and virtues, in order to decide who is most worthy of such sacrifice, and who is more worth keeping around to undertake morale-boosting tasks. But be careful! Target a single house one time too many, and there might be nasty consequences…
– Real player with 16.0 hrs in game
I got this game at launch. The premise seemed strong, the art direction was compelling, so I took the jump.
Positives
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Simple to learn - the mechanics are easy to get used to. The fundamentals are not bad, so you don’t need much time to get going. The important thing is how you apply them.
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Very hard. Go into this expecting to lose but have fun. Treat it more like a choose your own adventure crossed with XCOM or Darkest Dungeon.
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Art is amazing. The minimalistic use of colours looks top notch. The game allows you to switch between colour palettes, as well, so you can go with whatever feels best. I believe the limited usage of colours was a strong choice in making the game look a bit otherworldly.
– Real player with 9.2 hrs in game
Automobile Tycoon
Well… it’s not bad… but it’s not good.
I’ve burned quite a few hours in it, and keep coming back because I’m a car junky, but when I want that fix, I’m more often reaching for Automation, Gear City, or Production Line, and honestly I still prefer running Detroit in DOSBox, which this is supposed to be a spiritual successor of (it doesn’t catch the same magic though)
This is a decent spreadsheet simulator (turn off the inflation, or you’ll spend all your time micromanaging prices because costs spiral quickly but there’s no option to scale the selling price with inflation) but it isn’t really a car game. You could replace the products you’re making with just about anything, and change the R&D tree. Feels like it was built to be modular but then didn’t take off so they didn’t push it out with other assets.
– Real player with 43.4 hrs in game
It is an enjoyable game. It provides different starting conditions which provide longevity. The drawback is that it does not provide clear cut challenges and it feels more like a big sandbox, which should explain some of the earlier bad critics. If you have no need for step by step challenges (like objectives or do this and that), you will find this a very nice game.
I personally dislike these step-based gameplay, where the game leads you through specific paths. so this game is my piece of cake.
– Real player with 42.0 hrs in game
Crown Champion: Legends of the Arena
I’m actually writing a review for a game before I complete it, that I actually plan to complete shortly. This is a first. This is mainly since this game feels very RNG based similarly to ‘I am Overburdened’ in that regard. But this game let me put it to it simply, this is my FOURTH playthrough to try and get to the end. There’s that much in the game to consider that you have to think of when you start the game. Since if you do some things wrong early game it screws you over for the rest of the game.
– Real player with 266.6 hrs in game
This game is beyond awesome. It has SO much potential. I didn’t think it would be my thing, because strategy games usually aren’t my cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed Crown Champion: Legends of the Arena.
Though technically this is a management SIM, and this seems to be up my alley after all.
If the game were to be tweaked periodically it could grow into something bigger & better for sure!
There’s so much to say about Crown Champion I don’t even know where to start.
As the player you find yourself playing as a Slave Manager. With that comes an estate (in a decrepit state), which you buy & renovate & expand as you make a name for yourself - battle, after battle.
– Real player with 81.8 hrs in game
Fear Equation
I find it somewhat baffling that this mostly excellent game seems to have been released and then forgotten by most. While most games at least have a reddit sub dedicated to them, there is nothing for this game at all. Very few comments on indie game sites as well. Which is a shame, since it seems that, as a forgotten game, the chances of ever getting a sequel with enhanced mechanics is slim.
My only complaint with the game is that the social/faction mechanic is simply not as fleshed out as it could be. That whole aspect can be almost ignored with no consequence. Do they like you? Are they going to revolt? Meh…no matter most of the time. I would have liked to see some more interaction with the passengers themselves; in terms of maybe getting more detailed information by clicking on an individual passenger (relationship graphs to other passengers and to you. rumours, etc…) and perhaps be able to take more actions to affect their behaviour (ie. craft an edict. make a deal to send someone in with propaganda, etc…)
– Real player with 28.1 hrs in game
Overall, a visually beautiful, slower-paced game that reqiures you to manage the resources on the train, assign passengers to carriages based on their factions to prevent internal conflicts, and build defenses against the fog. Once you reach a destination, you can send passengers out to search for items/food/fuel, either through a random lottery or by rigging the lottery to send your stronger passengers.
It’s not a reactive game, like Deadnaut, instead you plan ahead and then watch it executed. Personally I prefer this style, but I tend to like management games anyway.
– Real player with 17.4 hrs in game
Sorcerer King: Rivals
After finishing game on insane difficulty I finally feel ready to write a review. In short, I think Sorcerer King Rivals is an amazing game. One of the best games I have ever played in fact. Having said that, I doubt it will appeal to people looking for a deep strategy game. Because this game is not that deep and not particularly hard, except, maybe for a highest difficulty. Also, I think it is important to mention, that I barely played FE:LH and did not like it at all so if you are looking for a similar experience, you may not like SC:Rivals. SC:Rivals is more like Eador: Masters of a broken world. So, as always, keep your expectations in check) Now, let’s talk about what is good, not so good, and pretty bad in this game
– Real player with 87.0 hrs in game
A great game. It’s fairly small in scope for a 4x, but I think this has allowed the developers to focus on producing a polished product. Sorcerer King: Rivals has lots of scripted story and events, which makes it different to other 4x games which rely soley on the quality of the AI players to pose a challenge. As Sorcerer King relies on heavily scripted events, don’t expect great AI. On the plus side, Sorceror King tells a great story with writing that is often hilarious.
You will see reviews complaining about lack of replayability, but I think if you want 300hours out of the game you need to look at the Civilization series or Galactic Civilizations 3. I’ve played Sorceror King for a total 65 hours. I will agree however, that the strategic map AI is extremely passive. It generally does not initiate combat and will wait for you to attack it. This means its not really much of a threat and this does effect replayability.
– Real player with 65.1 hrs in game