Banished

I actually keep coming back to this game. Its core algorithms are compelling. However, once you understand how to play, it really is just you and the algorithms, and nothing else. For example, once a child reaches 10 years old, they are considered an adult and can become a worker. This is fine as an equation; 10 = adult; it's simple. To grow the population, you need an adult male and an adult female to move into a house together. This is also fine as an equation: in the game there are two types of adult, therefore, one adult of each type + space in household = additional member of population But like... it means you will routinely have scenarios where a 10 year old moves into a house occupied by a 50 year old, and they will have a baby, because the equations are simple. They're not real people; I'm not offended or anything, but it is an example of how simplistic and in need of polish the story around the game is. I understand that the game is not super concerned about the story; at core, it's an algorithm about meeting people's basic needs. But it kinda makes the game feel like I'm just plugging numbers into a simulator to get the equations to compute favorably. Of course, that is exactly how games function, behind the story! It's just that I personally do not want the pretense of a game to ever feel so stripped away that it exposes the mechanics to that degree. Tbh idk if I'd recommend it, but I sure do keep on playing it!

I was looking for "dwarf fortress look alike" for quite a long time. This game, so far made me feel horrible, countless villagers lost lives under my rule, due to unexpected food shortages, harsh winters, or lack of tools to chop logs into firewood. It's a lot easier than DF, and from every but one (fire that killed everybody but last person, who in turn died of cold :( ) crisis, few families always emerged, to start rebuilding their village. Game is awesome, playing it is a real pleasure, but be careful, watching their virtual lives, takes a lot time from your real life!

Well, somebody wrote this game would be perfect for a long winter evening, but i'd rather say it's perfect for one short winter evening, because that's how long this game is probably going to keep you interested. I've played for a few hours and build everything there was, it really felt like i have experienced all of the content and ever since i never bothered to play this game again. On the plus side: it was entertaining and fun to discover what the game has to offer. Even while writing this review i feel a little urge to play this game once more, maybe.

This isn't a city builder. It's smaller than that, more intimate. Banished is a village builder. In many ways it's incredibly simple. It's straightforward. You have one task and only one: help your villagers survive. Your first playthroughs will be focused on learning how everything fits together. You will see your population die, you will see the empty village as a remnant of your failure. As you learn the game you'll get better. You'll learn to perfect your village building. You'll become better able to balance expanding your population and managing your resources. Ultimately, this is a game I keep returning to because I love how relaxing it is. This game is a pure experience and alway worth playing. It is difficult, but it's fair. Any mistakes will be your mistakes, not that of silly AI.

like the title, this feels like watching the paint dry. Except, your paint will be hungry, cold and sick. And you will do everything you can to make it happy, because hey, that's YOUR paint. Especially that someone threw away this paint and it needs love. Inspecting homes to see 25yo male living with 5yo female is priceless, same goes for 11yo builder. This game is the shit. 11/10 must play. Also it's cheaper on GOG than it is on Steam. Take a note that game was made by a single guy, and he really earned his right to our money. Perfect city sim. What I look forward now are updates. New buildings, some tech advancements to be made and environment made more hostile. Oh how it would be great if you needed hunters to fend off predators and other wildlife that could destroy your crops.