Gnomoria
You can literally play for 2000 hours (yes 2000) hours of this game, over a year and a half, and not get bored of it. It’s that good. You can create limitless amounts of new kingdoms with each new game, set difficulties, peaceful or not, metal/gem/coal resource abundance etc. There is much more than meets the eye of simple gfx and sound. After a while you figure out that if you want to build a stone temple, you have to dig a hole down and get stone, turn it into stone blocks (with workshops for each type of thing) and craft the blocks and tell the gnomes where to build. It’s total freedom but with that comes the complexity of running your own little kingdom. Are you up to the challenge? It’s like simcity or warcraft meets minecraft. For those that don’t like FPS games or need a break from them, this is a great break. Actually… it is more like a black hole from which you won’t want to escape. It is that fun. Oh, and development is constant. No fears as with some in-development games… the dev is at the ready and giving many new features on a consistent basis. Don’t starve, die of thirst, or get killed by bears, or anything that spawns below level -7 (that is where monsters can spawn, at level -8 and below). Monsters also spawn on the surface but they are usually wild animals only. Occasionally, depending on difficulty you get goblin raids (not too rough at first, again depends on your settings), but after a while they can get pretty tough. You will have to grow your own food, or forage from the naturally occuring fruit trees, or clip and plant some more of your own to make sure you always have plenty of spare food.
– Real player with 2886.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Colony Sim Sandbox Games.
Difficult review. The game’s definitely a mixed bag, with some fairly serious and annoying issues, but at the same a time, a lot of them are quite easy to resolve and I’ve somehow played hundreds of hours so … it did something right?
While not one of the many early access scams like “Towns”, “Timber and Stone” or “Spacebase DF-9”, Gnomoria’s 1.0 release was definitely disappointing.
The game was released feature complete, however it lacks polish and some of the leftover bugs are potentially gamebreaking. (although the 2 most common ones have a very simple solution, more later)
– Real player with 542.8 hrs in game
ISLANDERS
Islanders Review
This adventure never ends!
Some key points that this game offers:
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Procedural Generation; the fun never ends!
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Two gameplay modes
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Indie Gem 5/5
Gameplay & Controls:
The game is played with your keyboard and mouse; the layout and keys are pretty simplistic. This is in no way whatsoever a bad thing! This is simply a minimalistic game that doesn’t require much to offer you hours of joy.
You start the game on one island, choosing between two build packs. Once chosen it is up to you to determine where to place your buildings. Depending on the position that you build, you will receive a score for each placed building. There are several factors that multiply the score; it can either be increased or receive a loss. It comes down to some strategic thinking.
– Real player with 122.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Colony Sim Relaxing Games.
THE ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY…
Islanders is a simple yet sophisticated city builder that is both incredibly relaxing and delightfully addictive—and a VERY worthy addition to your game library!
[➕] THE POSITIVES
- The ART STYLE. The game makes the absolute most of its colors and shapes to provide a minimalistic setting where you can build and grow your idyllic island city. Everything is themed to “fit” together—from the sprawling farmlands to the Tetris-like cities and manufacturing areas—and ultimately results in an island-scape that feels like your own, personal creation!
– Real player with 73.9 hrs in game