Against the Storm

This game is hard for the sake of being hard, to the point it is un-fun. This is a rogue like no? so you progress the more you play no? well, to this game yes, but to get higher on the "prestige" tier you need to do higher and higher "challenges" on top of everything to the point it get obnoxious and outright not fun. It is an ok game below prestige 12, but there is nothing else to the game but that, so it is pretty much over for me at this point. The game is mostly complete to this date i am writing this, so i am not expecting anything substantial to change in the future. I would have waited for a sale to get this, not worth the full price.

The roguelike randomness is very frustrating at first, particularly the 'boss fight' seals near the end of each cycle of destruction. However, like any good roguelike you will learn the patterns and be able to anticipate and prepare for likely problems. More experience leads directly to better outcomes, which is a clear sign of good roguelike design. However, that said, my lord is it stressful. I keep coming back to this game, but I almost _never_ start a second city right after finishing one. I have to stop and destress before coming back. It almost feels like I am in an abusive relationship, but I swear Against the Storm loves me and I deserve everything it does to me.

Played all kinds of games for 30 years. To keep it short, this game is made by real professionals. The game design is extremely good. There are so many details that are just - great. Highly addictive gameplay, great atmosphere, game is made by people who had an artistic vision and that CARED about their product. Support developers like this. Buy the game. You won't regret it.

Great indie game that mixes up settlement building with the short, dangerous, randomized sessions that rogue-lites are known for. That makes for an experience where you have shorter, more varied play sessions than city builders are typically known for. It is definitely possible to lose just based on bad luck and not getting what you need to complete events or fulfill orders. But the number of different options or you have for where to make stuff and the recipes used to make them, really opens up so many avenues for creatively solving your problems, that you will be able to come up with solution to more "hopeless" situations than you think. The interface is really solid, though. The game was clearly designed by people who play these types of games - or at least play their own game significantly. You can pause any time and review your inventory, available crafting recipes, and/or blueprints prior to making any significant choice. The game does get pretty complex pretty quickly, though. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you're looking for. And it hurts to setup your production to focus on one thing, only to either forget a certain piece, or not get offered a crucial blueprint.

This game hits the spot for me. You build a base for 1-4 hours and then it's over for this time. Randomly generated maps to uncover each time. No enemies to watch out for, only random threats you uncover yourself. No need to uncover the last spot on the map with the rest already under control. The 'timer' stops the play just at the right time before it gets boring. You would think that it is not worth repeating this same exercise over and over again, but you gain XP and choose perks so that the next time is a little bit easier. Or, it would be, if you would not be forced to eventually increase the difficulty level to progress. But you can choose when, and at that time you know the game so well that you can take it. The variety of random elements is great, no game is exactly the same, but samey enough that you learn to play. The in-game encyclopedia is a great help and nicely compact. It is a complex game but easy to get into, especially if you stick to the lowest difficulty in the beginning. Also, the game in early access (August 2023) is more polished than most of the titles after release. I haven't had a single crash or a stuck character or menu in the game. And it looks nice and on the default zoom level you immediately see what is what. What I love: the possibility to pause and execute game actions. What is not to my taste: the fact that you seem to need four/five/six or so wins in a row to get a change to get a seal (a major progress element). Fortunately you keep the XP and level so not all is wasted on a loss. Not many games keep me stuck to the screen so I forget everything else. This does.