Banished

Yeah this game is amazing. even more so because of the fact that this game is developed and supported STILL by ONE guy it's just fantastic. The people are lively, the maps are HUGE, the visuals are GREAT the gameplay itself is just perfect. No complaints just keep in mind that this game isn't meant for the casuals as this game is no walk in the park. People will die, they will get sick, they will age and drop like flies often. to add to the amazing game that is Banished there is no MOD SUPPORT!!!!! YAYS!!!! head over to either http://www.banishedmods.com/ (if you don't own the steam version or just want to download your mods manually) or the steam workshop (if you own the steam version) to see what's being done to the game by your fellow banished players!

I really enjoyed this game - the peaceful atmosphere, the simplicity and yet difficulty of the gameplay, and the basic idea: the costant struggle between limited resources to feed, shelter and educate you workforce, and the drive to increase your workforce to get more resources. After a while (a long while) the game lost interest mainly due to some little flaws, for example the pretty irrational way workers plan their way to work, often spending the whole day just wandering about trying to reach that wood just a step away. All in all, a good title, on the same level as more celebrated and complex games like, just to name one, simcity.

As a city builder it's easy to pick up and get into but it has the kind of subtlety where you can easily miss something and have some aspect of your supply chains start to fail requiring you to scramble to fix it. It holds your interest to a surprising degree given it's relative simplicity and has that "just one more turn" quality that leads to unexpected late night gaming sessions. It has a nice mellow atmosphere to it. There is indeed no combat though. It's all supply chains and population management so if that is your thing this is probably the game for you.

We all know that industry standards evolve over the years - our expectations grow quite fast and what used to be cool 4 years ago is no longer enough today. Banished looks like a 2014 game - you won't see the latest fancy shaders, animations and models you're probably used to if you've been playing AAA games. Descriptors such as "Amazing graphics and artwork" does not apply to this game. Instead, Banished focuses more on the simple things that we often forget. I know I might sound cheesy right now but this is the only way I can put this. Banished invites you to stop for a minute, look back and pay attention to the little, yet important things of life. It's all about helping a small group of people to go through the daily life and help them to prosper by having their basic needs satisfied. Sounds boring? It does, when you try to imagine yourself playing this game. Now, throwing away any prejudices and trying it yourself can bring you some unexpected results. After playing for about an hour (one hour? wow I though I was playing for 5 minutes!) you find yourself immersed despite the basic graphics and lack of breathtaking action. You know, there are games that have amazing artwork and music that make you stay for the atmosphere. Other games have outstanding action with a wide array of guns, levels and monster to slay. Banished has neither of those, though for some reason I see myself often leaving the AAA games on the shelf and playing this quiet "grass simulator". Maybe you will experience the same after spending some time in this game. Hopefully you will :)

It's Monday morning, I'm grumpy as heck because Banished wouldn't let me go until LATE last night. Its interesting that the game is so interesting. I'm only a little over 10 hours in and can imagine that bears or lions or mean guys might even make it better but whatever, I'm good. (and tired)