Banished

Incredibly fun and challenging game! Now gimme OSX and Linux support! I want to make hours fly while on the go! :D

Banished is a survival-themed citybuilder in which you manage a small village and its resources in a harsh frontier environment with little contact with the outside world. It succeeds admirably, especially considering the developer is just one guy. UI and graphics are smooth and pretty, mechanics are solid, and procedural generation allows plenty of room for experimentation. Difficulty is handled realistically: it can be very hard at times but the system respects its own rules. The interface is in general very concise, giving you what you need when you need it without a lot of irrelevant fluff. This is a game that knows what it wants to be, and nails it. The main problem with Banished is that it has limited scope. There are just a few resources and buildings to play with, and virtually nothing in the way of advanced construction projects or long-term goals. There's also not much in the way of dynamic events, and no quests or larger-scale activities to pursue. Once you build the village and figure out how to have enough food/wood/stone/iron, the thing basically runs itself. I would recommend this game to anyone who loves a good city sim, but ambitious builders should wait for a good sale because you'll get bored after a couple of success stories.

This was a really fun game to play. Though after a while when my city got larger it started to become more upkeepwork then a challenge to keep the colony going. That said this is an awesome sim with much variance. I would love to see some expansions in the future that perhaps take my village from and into different time periods.

Good solid building-up game with long-term fun and pleasure. The game is - if one survived the first winter - a smooth game like an evening by the fireplace. Really no action game and also no corresponding elements but of which there are already enough games.

Banished is rocksolid proof that it does not need a huge company to create a great video game! Banished looks amazingly beatiful. The sound and music is simple but matches the whole atmosphere wonderfully. Gameplay and Interface are very solid and intuitive. Banished does not redefine city builders with a new set of game modes, mechanics or other extras, but it doesn´t have to. The whole game is full of heart. Like grandmas cookies this game was made with love! The only downside to the game is that there are no real challenges or achievements. You must find your own goals and motivations. "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery