They Are Billions

I wish I could get a refund on this but I gave the developer the benefit of the doubt for too long. Requires you play in Ironman mode with no reasonable alternative. Have to immediately head for hidden resources every map. Have to keep researching the improved buildings over again on each map. No room for error or even delay in executing the EXACT sequence the developer has in mind. Developer clearly feels they are competing directly against the player. Hero missions where it is not physically possible to get all the reward points because the map has been altered to make earlier guides invalid by removing required pickups. And no sunlight at all, ever. All maps are very dark, enough to make it hard to see necessary details on the screen.

This game is fun but there are so many issues with the game mechanics and design that I have to say to pass on this game (at least until the devs decide to address the issues). Please keep in mind I've only played campaign Pros: Game is kinda fun, and there is some satisfaction to beating a level. That's it. Cons: - If you let even 1 zombie through, you get a snowball effect where your entire base is wiped out in a minute. Best part? You're going to be zoomed out managing everything so you wont even realize your base is under attack until you've lost a few structures - No restart option while playing. Screw up somewhere and you get to sit and watch as your base is overrun before you can restart. - No in-game saves, so don't even think about playing and taking a break. - Poor in-game design of levels and start up. Fighting units take forever to get because you're wasting resources trying to build defenses and get your population up. - In-game tech tree is pretty pathetic because there is no re-spec option. Pick a tech that sucks or maybe a unit that needs resources not on your map? Tough luck loser, you're stuck with it. Good luck in the next mission! - Game genuinely feels hard because of poor game design. Thats definitely not a good thing. There's just so many dumb design choices that I cannot recommend this game. Its baffling that a game like this is always over 20 bucks but plays poorly. Only pick up this game if its on sale or you like artificial difficulty.

and just annoying for most. The art and style and animations are nice, the music is amazing and projects this sense of dramatic urgency. The game is mean to you. Just so you know beforehand if you do not like it - make a conscious decision for yourself with this game. Even tho everything is single player your defeats and failures are shown forever in the campaign, the steps you took to learn the game are marked as your personal failures visible in the user interface. The empire research is deliberately set up so you will fail missions if you do not have the appropriate units, or you are comfy with the micromanagement and already are a pro at the game. The world and setting is steampunk zombie apocalypse ... you'd think nothing can go wrong with this backing, but then they had to let their egos ride design choices...

PROS - If you haven't played the game, the concept will feel quite fresh. - There is no penalty for pausing the game, so you can think slowly. - RTS (real-time strategy) and city building game are combined with high perfection. - Impressive graphics and sounds that go well together - The middle save is smooth, so you can end the game at any time and continue. CONS - A campaign that is not complete and is not as good as it is - Low difficulty and high difficulty are extreme, so you can get tired easily. - It seems that there are various strategies that can be used, but when you try them, they end up with a certain strategy.

I'm not a massive RTS fan. I've played my share, though, including the obvious: All of Blizzard's IPs (Warcraft, Starcraft), HomeWorld 1 & 2, C&C, Red Alert, etc. It had been a couple of years since I'd played one when I picked up TAB on recommendation from a friend. I also usually focus a game and play it till I'm bored, at a few hours at a time and a few days a week. Baldur's Gate EE, for example, held my attention for a month in that pattern, Skyrim for a few months (but Elder Scrolls is my favorite so I always return every year or every other year and play 3-5). Counter Strike or Half Life will hold my attention for a month or two, and Doom as well, among a ton of others that holds my attention for a couple weeks or days (Euro Truck). I love these games, but I get bored after -20-60 hours of gameplay. There are few exceptions. I played Just Cause 3 for probably 200 hours over half a year when I first picked it up. I got TAB Dec. 2017. Since then I've put more than 450 hours into it--430 hours were BEFORE the Campaign was released. This game is a fking masterpiece. It has its issues, for sure. But the balance required to expand your economy and base size to build more units and defend your base with the few units you start with...this game is absolutely incredible. I've never played an RTS this in-depth and with such a high level of difficulty. Really, if I had to guess, all of the negative reviews are written after someone failed to check their blind spots and were destroyed by a decomposing aged zombie, then rage quit and wrote a bad review. I've lost this game a hundred times or more. I still keep coming back to it. Because the challenge is refreshing and the depth outstanding. Really, if people had more patience they'd end up loving this game. People don't put any effort into their gaming anymore though. (Think WoW classic vs current day--the difference in difficulty is incredible). All in all, highly, highly recommended.