Imperiums: Greek Wars
So, I have been playing this game for about near 40 hours at the time of this review.
Imperiums, focus' on the Greek Wars time era. And the developers do a very good job in portraying accurate history, in my opinion. The game keeps trying to ‘curb’ you back toward history. However; you can fight against that, and go your own way. However it requires more effort or ‘elbow grease’ to get there. Basically, to ‘go against’ history; the game feels harder! Usually. Usually when trying to go against history. I really like this aspect of the game.
– Real player with 323.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Replay Value Grand Strategy Games.
As a strategy game Imperiums is one of a kind. Designed from scratched with pen and paper by a passionate developer and now released as the second entry in a hopefully long lasting series of strategy games.
Over the years the game is shaped and finetuned by the help of a small, but very dedicated playerbase who can discuss with the developer in forums on Steam and Discord.
Hundreds of players already mentioned their complains and wishes for the game and the developer keeps a list with urgent must have features and nice to have features for the future.
– Real player with 158.9 hrs in game
Strategy & Tactics: Wargame Collection
To start off I wanna say this isn’t a game of high quality. In fact, I found one of the games in this collection as a mobile game for my phone first (the WW2 Sandbox one) and it was pretty fun, but had all the ads and in-app-purchases that you see with mobile games. I definitely suggest that as a mobile game because it was free and pretty in-depth compared to most strategy games on mobile. On computer, meh. It was incredibly cheap, and even cheaper on sale, which was the main reason I bothered getting it. The deal was pretty good, because this is a 3-pack of games. They all play basically the same, so once you learn one, you learn all of them. As far as strategy games go, it’s simple compared to other games like it, and the mechanics become second nature within half an hour to an hour. The tutorials are pretty trashy, and don’t cover anything more complicated than basic movement and attacking, which means it’s up to you to really explore how combat and movement work. The AI is actually pretty good, but can be predicted and outsmarted with some practice. So why am I recommending this? This may not be a great game, but it’s cheap and simple. If you’re new to strategy games, or just enjoy casually playing them and don’t like diving heavily into grand-strategy games, this is a good choice for you. There’s also a mobile version, which I suggest for anyone. If you really like the complicated and in-depth mechanics that you find in games like Hearts of Iron and Victoria 2, though, stay away from this game on PC. There’s quite a bit of content, but you’ll get bored pretty fast, and personally I would take Hearts of Iron IV any day over these 3 games.
– Real player with 37.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Replay Value Grand Strategy Games.
Ok, here’s my take on the game. I’m used to playing Axis and Allies, both the Milton Bradley board games as well as the old Nova Games, which was the best…I also play the triplea version, which is excellent. This game is much more in line with the Milton Bradley games. A relatively simple game, simple mechanics. That being said, there are some very nice features that I enjoy. You can plot out moves in a step by step fashion. Moving infantry to take the first territory, then “relocating” mech units into the newly taken territory, and then launching an attack with them into the next. You are not required to to plan out every move for all your troops, they can be executed one at a time. This is definately a “beer and pretzels” kind of game.
– Real player with 35.1 hrs in game
Europa Universalis IV
I’m a divorced woman of color. Recently, my ex got our son Larry a video game called Europa Universalis for his 14th birthday. It seemed good for him, because it takes place in the distant past and he’s always been interested in history, so it seemed like a nice enough game, no graphic violence or anything, at least until I sat down and watched him play at it. I don’t know what sorts of racists made this game, but it’s basically a colonialism and genocide justification simulator. If you want to survive, you need to have access to money and soldiers, and the most (only) reliable way to ensure you have enough is to attack and conquer your weaker neighbors. If you don’t, you can be sure someone else will eventually come attack and conquer you.
– Real player with 4558.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Replay Value Grand Strategy Games.
So EU4 was a good game. Then they released the 450+ ‘bug fixes’. The entire game outside Europe has now been put back behind a new paywall unless you have the paradise DLC as it is now impossible to develop your provinces to spawn institutions as army tradition gives you impossibly high dev costs. I played one game and when I needed to dev an institution from a 1/1/1 grasslands province and starting cost is 120. That is only with 33 army tradition giving a 150% penalty. This was a custom nation and I had -20% dev cost. Good job paradox forcing everyone to buy your shittiest dlc in order to use any of the other DLC’s you have paid for. The game is now broken outside of Europe without the paradise dlc. You make me sick Paradox!
– Real player with 1819.5 hrs in game
Selenwald
Prepare to face the unimaginable magnificence of the university of Selenwald!
Enter the halls of Selenwald to learn forbidden knowledge never meant to leave the cursed edifice. Meet madmen and face horrors that cannot be described by mere words. Discover the truth that terrifies scientists and priests alike.
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Challenging Combat - Fight for survival having ultimate control over your character’s actions. Engage in melee combat or take enemies down from afar using firearms and powerful magic. Aim carefully since every attack can miss if executed blindly. Dodge enemy attacks and adapt to enemies' behaviour. Use stealth and assassinate or sneak past enemies to avoid risky encounters altogether.
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Resource Management - Most of your combat and survival capabilities are dictated by what resources you find. Resources are limited and so is the character’s inventory. Make choices on what to bring with you every time you descend to a lower level. Every bullet, potion and spell makes a difference.
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Character Development - Every class has different starting traits and types of inventory slots available. Make choices when being presented with new random traits to gain power and build interesting combinations. Modify your inventory with acquired accessories to further customize your character.
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Permanent Death - If your character dies, they die for good. Choose a new, random adventurer and embark on a new adventure. Even if you don’t manage to go far, your actions will have consequences that carry over to subsequent playthroughs. Dying is a natural part of the game.
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Random Dungeons - Every playthrough brings completely different areas to explore. No shuffled predefined rooms - truly original locations every time.
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Unique Setting - Visit Western Europe of the late 1700s to discover how scientists isolated from the outer world crossed boundaries dictated by known science to gain access to powerful forces reminiscent of magic. Gain answers to mysteries never before found on the pages of written history.
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Mature Story - Unravel the dark, rich story of philosophical nature. Witness how a groundbreaking scientific revelation drives even the brightest minds into madness. Meet tragic characters with intriguing past. Discover the very foundations of life and death and see the true, terrifying nature of matters humanity has desperately tried to explain with religion.
Evil Democracy: 1932
Did it keep my engagement? Yes. Was it cool playing as different parties and trying to change the outcomes of historical elections? Also yes. Is this game worth its price? No. Does it feel like it’s properly out of early access? Also no.
If you’re interested, definitely get it on sale. I don’t feel like I wasted my money, but I might feel that if I got it at full price.
I would hope there’s more to come for this game. The concept is genuinely interesting, but I want to do more than sitting around hiring people and firing people, releasing a new newspaper every six… whatever turns are. The time in this game feels entirely out of sync with reality. Like each turn moves you to an alternate version of the same moment, and that’s not good. I mean, I can form a coalition government with some other parties when elections roll around, but it actually does nothing for my party. What’s the point of being chancellor if it doesn’t do anything down the road? The turn passes and there you are where you were a turn prior. You’ve presumably become the leader of the country, but because you didn’t occupy enough positions in the cabinet you’re just back out on the campaign trail.
– Real player with 9.8 hrs in game
Introduction
Those five minutes are up and the average voter has made a very convincing case against democracy. We’ll get back to Churchill quotes in a moment, for now I must bring to the attention of my fellow gamers (and potential historians & political scientists) a title that manages to think outside the ballot box in spite of the inherent rigidity of its topics and simulated era. Evil Democracy: 1932 is the recent creation of the prolific developer and self-publisher, Hamsters Gaming. It’s their second project showcasing the word “evil”, after 2018’s Evil Bank Manager. You know what profession is despised almost as much as the “banksters”? Politicians.
– Real player with 9.2 hrs in game
Intelligence Trader
I’ve been playing this for about 4 hours and I like it so far. It definitely feels like the game is unfinished and there’s more to come, but the basic premise of the game is clear.
Pros:
Fun concept
Interesting story lines and missions
Nice graphics (I like the look of the agent photos)
Clear interface/map
Lots of potential for expansion by tying in the missions completed with the news headlines
Cons:
A little unorganized. You can’t click on an agent placed in country and get information about them. When intel comes in to sell, you have to scroll around to figure out the highest bidder. (easily remedied with an icon indicating high and low price, or maybe highlighting with certain colors to shoe high or low)
– Real player with 6.7 hrs in game
Bought it hoping find something similar to Kremlingames products. Unfortunately realised that it’s too early to buy it. Started the game and understand nothing. Russian translation is not finished, in some places in place of words I saw just black strips… Surprise… Cannot return an agent back from a country to base. News are very interesting, but I’d like to see it in a new window. Time moves too slow. There is no explanation what is specialization of agents.
Perhaps it’s only in Russian version, didn’t play English one. Hope to see something remarkable and interesting in future)
– Real player with 5.9 hrs in game
Taxer Inc
I have a suggestion - I would advise the developers to go deeper into the late stage of the game now. And add mechanics to the Government section - right now their role in the game is minimal. I think this part can be deepened. But that’s just my opinion.. :D
– Real player with 30.5 hrs in game
This game is very interesting. The perspective of controlling other countries with economic power instead of military power is simple and innovative.
However, I have a complaint about the NPCs' behavior.
While the player is limited in terms of revolution points, the NPCs continue to annex other countries without such limitations. Also, with each turn, the rebellion points for annexing other countries become higher, making it impossible to complete the game if you focus on internal affairs.
The only solution is to annex NPCs before they become too big, but geography often prevents that effort in Asia and Africa.
– Real player with 6.3 hrs in game
Victoria 3
SHAPE A GRAND TOMORROW
Paradox Development Studio invites you to build your ideal society in the tumult of the exciting and transformative 19th century. Balance the competing interests in your society and earn your place in the sun in Victoria 3, one of the most anticipated games in Paradox’s history.
THE ULTIMATE SOCIETY SIMULATOR
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Lead dozens of world nations from 1836-1936. Agrarian or Industrial, Traditional or Radical, Peaceful or Expansionist… the choice is yours.
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Detailed population groups with their own economic needs and political desires.
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Reform your government and constitution to take advantage of new social innovations, or preserve the stability of your nation by holding fast to tradition in the face of revolutionaries.
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Research transformative new technology or ideas to improve your national situation.
DEEP ECONOMIC SYSTEM
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Expand your industry to take advantage of lucrative goods, taxing the profits to improve national prosperity.
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Import cheap raw materials to cover your basic needs while finding new markets for your finished goods.
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Secure vital goods to fuel your advanced economy and control the fate of empires.
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Balance employing available labor force with the needs for new types of workers.
PLAY ON A GRAND STAGE
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Use your diplomatic wiles to weave a tangled global web of pacts, relations, alliances, and rivalries to secure your diplomatic position on the world stage.
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Employ threats, military prowess and bluffs to persuade enemies to back down in conflicts.
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Increase your economic and military strength at the expense of rivals.
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Accumulate prestige and the respect of your rivals as you build an industrial giant at home or an empire abroad.
Espiocracy
Disclaimer: Trailer & screenshots are early work in progress
GRAND ESPIONAGE STRATEGY
Choose one of 102 countries and guide character-driven national intelligence agency through rough seas of the Cold War. From Soviet KGB and American CIA, up to Israeli Mossad and British MI6, expect different approaches to grand strategy gameplay.
INNOVATIVE MECHANICS
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Espionage finally made as it should be
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Precise modelling of views & ideologies
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Direct links between causes and effects
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System of geopolitically active actors
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Emergent multipolar simulation
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Operation plans, campaigns, and opportunities
MEANINGFUL DECISIONS
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Prioritize grand scale and leave micro to your operatives
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Establish contacts, threaten, exploit, and trade
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Manipulate public opinion, support and establish political factions
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Launch coups and proxy wars, falsify casus belli
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Hunt spies and terrorists, protect internal stability
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Form alliances, prepare all-out attacks, break rules
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Advise country leader on critical decisions such as military interventions
DANGEROUS TIDES OF HISTORY
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Nuclear race: first atom bombs, thermonuclear revolution, mutually assured destruction
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Huge progress in technology, simulated in the game with Kuhn’s paradigm shifts
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After-war poverty, civil wars, controversial past
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Configurable balance between alternate history and determinism
Not Tonight
If you liked papers please you’re gonna love this game. Its the same concept of looking at papers and deciding whether they should pass, but as difficult as papers please was. (sorry my review will contain a lot of comparisons with papers please) Instead of working at one place you will work in many beautiful and interesting stations each with an interesting manager/boss. Each station will have different working requirements, some have 3 lines you will have to watch and let people through from and from as much as i’ve played you can get up to 4 sheets to check which creates a really hard game, and you will even have to check things like contraband and dress code. The game will guilt you into letting people in, you will also be bribed, there’s a resistance you could support and you can sell drugs/candy (still not sure) for extra cash.
– Real player with 31.5 hrs in game
Survive a oppressive world in this enjoyable Papers, Please-esque
Developed by PanicBarn, Not Tonight took place in an alternate history; a Post-Brexit United Kingdom specifically where citizens that are of European heritage (known as Euros) are constantly being oppressed by the government. You play as citizen #112, another ‘filthy Euro’ just waiting to be deported to your original country. Your goal is simple: avoid your inevitable fate, any means necessary.
Gameplay
As mentioned before, the game overall structure is similar to the much more well-known Papers, Please. In other words, a lot of micromanagement gameplay. As #112, you’ll be working as a bouncer for a multitude of different locales, ranging from nightclubs to drinking pubs to the London Wall itself. Your job is to supervise the entrance and decide whether the customers are allowed to enter or not. Or whether they deserved it or not.
– Real player with 28.9 hrs in game