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- Hooded Horse
- Hooded Horse
- Hooded Horse
- Hooded Horse
Against the Storm
Released On: Dec 8, 2023
8.1
All Platforms
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
91
90% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
91
90% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Against the Storm is an independent proposal that combines the foundations of a city-building game with the unpredictability of a roguelite, in a format that is not boring and offers constant replayability thanks to the versatility of the title.
In Against the Storm, Eremite Games has come up with something unique, innovative, the devs went beyond the borders of the genre, leaving behind its restrictions while creating something never seen before and that can create a new genre. The game has excellent playability and a potential to be fun for dozens or hundreds of hours, surprising us every time with something different. In my opinion - the game is close to perfection.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 115 User Ratings
8.1
75% Positive
86 Ratings
86 Ratings
15% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
10% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 115 User Ratings
8.1
75% Positive
86 Ratings
86 Ratings
15% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
10% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
I cannot stress how incredibly fun this game is to play. It is an incredibly unique RTS city builder with rouge-like elements that succeeds in every way. The gameplay has incredible depth and variety to it, with each run being a little different from the last. It is very polished, and the devs are incredibly active and responsive to the community with constant updates and patches being added to this already beautifully crafted game. I love everything about this game, and it’s clear the devs do too.
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PC
A remarkable achievement in blending compelling video game genres, and pushing the boundaries of both in the meantime. With a graphic style that evokes Warcraft 3 nostalgia, this is a must play game of the year.
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PC
Against the Storm offers an fresh setting and motivating gameplay mechanics. Graphically, this indie game can't really keep up with its glossy competitors. However, the great soundtrack, the original characters, the nasty weather and the dangers lurking in the forest create a very unique, mysterious atmosphere.
An unusual strategy with roguelike elements, excellent processing and addictive gameplay will definitely keep you entertained, and thanks to randomly generated content, it will definitely last a long time.
Against the Storm is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Not only did the developers successfully merge the genres of city-building strategy, roguelite, and survival into a cohesive whole, but they also created an incredibly addictive strategy game that is just complex and challenging enough, highly variable, and deep. Even after dozens of hours, it remains fresh, engaging, and impossible to put down.
A game that breaks the stereotype of having to perfect city construction. With a high-quality blend of simulation and roguelite elements, it feels like enjoying a single-player game campaign. Constructing cities in various ways each time and achieving goals provide a sense of accomplishment.
Against the Storm is an excellent strategy game, selling its mysterious dark fantasy setting and challenging city-building with confidence. Though a significant learning curve and the occasionally outdated presentation hold the title back from perfection, Eremite’s PC debut is a strong addition to the genre.
Incredible game. I suspect this will inspire many other roguelite city builders in the future. I can't stop playing. It scratches the same itch as CK3 and Civ ala the "one more turn" mentality, but perhaps to a greater degree
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PC
Against the Storm isn't a bad game. But is a case of false advertisement (at least classification) and questionable game design.
This game is positioned as roguelike city-builder, but it's actually more like pseudo-roguelite city-puzzler. Instead of "pseudo-" prefix you can you use "quasi-" or if you feel generous "semi-". Main point of rogueliK/Tes is difference in gameplay. Here, almost every game is identical, you should account only for minor differences and map mods. You get to make random-based choices, but none of them is game-changing. If you have to build specific service building in some point of the map run, you will have to do it anyway. And you still have all the disadvantages of the only one save file.
Why city-puzzler and not builder? Because, you are always faced with only two variants of end goals: reach high reputation of the settlement or fulfill specific map tasks. And achieve that while having resources that you have in your possession is more and feeling more like a puzzle than building a city. In its core it is an interesting and complex (only for computers, can't be imagined as a tabletop without simplification) puzzle, but still: would you be so interested to check up this page if it was a mere puzzle game? Answer for yourself. In addition, in this city game you can't tweak parameters of your game. Only what was intended.
But now let me switch to the second main point: questionable game design. Do you find games fun? Thing of them as entertainment? Well, developers created a game that designed to bore you down with all the tedium. As I said, there's only intended vision, you can't tweak parameters of the game (only with cheats or mods). So, it either align with yours or not, take it or leave it. But what are you taking, besides a low-random city-puzzler? Game where you don't get better (git gud). You may encounter some troubles with the game, run to the web-guides only to understand nothing. Those guides are written by complete fans with at least over 100 hours in game, and things described in their works will make sense to you at least after 30 hours of gameplay. Game slowly unravels you city-management capabilities with upgrades and better buildings through unlocks via levelling up (by experience) or buying upgrades (by resources awarded/gathered). And you can start to feel that you've nailed it, but actually you just got better buildings and upgrades for buildings and settlement.
You will not fare better in your hundredth settlement than you first city. There is not much of a development here. Anyway, your supply chain is 3 links long at maximum (resource node - refinement/intermediary product - end product).
But you will enjoy your first game way more. And it will last about 20 minutes! Prepare to multiply that time about 6x time.
Why? First game makes you miserable by not giving you all the opportunities, than you slowly unlock them, and later games make you miserable with disadvantages. Fundamentally, there are 4 general difficulty levels (untweakable, remember vision) and then there are 20 extra difficulties, where each difficulty represent added malus, and they stack consequently (meaning, latest difficulty is 4th level + 20 maluses combined). You gain one option to get three additional and powerful city wide upgrades, but they cost a lot, and feels like a band-aid on an open wide bleeding wound.
And most sinister of it all - the game has no ending. No credits rolling. You may feel that you were coming there and coming and coming, but you will never came to that satisfaction. You and any other player had or will abandon this game. And its deeply personal when (estimates are rough): the very beginning (0-1 hour), the third tutorial (10 hours), the last tutorial (30 hours), the unlock of seal contracts (50 hours), last seal (80 hours) and thing called "quick hand mode" (120 hours).
Ok, this game is long, repetitive and frustrating. But one may ask, is it user friendly? Well, if you had to build only one city, I would've called this UI great. There are several overview indicators, you can quickly navigate to some settings, information is available and easy to read. But…we are building plenty of cities, and I did find many features from other games lacking, especially when entered penalizing difficulties (where I stopped). There are no templates, np blueprinting option to place building for layout planning, no resource/product life after-production, there are no traffic heat-maps overlays (or any other overlays, only map indicators), after forbidding resource use/production in the building menu, materials don't return to warehouse and event resolve time estimates don't take logistics time into consideration, so you mismanage time and get heavily penalized on miserable difficulties.
As I said, you will drop this game. If it will be worth it depends on one your personal trait: frustration tolerance. It is worth your money only if you will play it significant amount of time.
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PC
I'm convinced...well I mean more than convinced since there are literally copy and pasted reviews for this game everywhere on steam (check for yourself. 0.1 play hours with copy and pasted reviews. Just check yourself.) ... that the reviews are very very inflated artificially for this game. Over 10k OVERWHELMINGLY positive reviews since DECEMBER? FOR THIS!? It looks like OG WoW graphically, and plays like watching paint dry if it was somehow based on **** RNG where the paint dries slower or quicker depending on the RNG. Its a below average city builder with "rogue lite (lol no)" mechanics. Ok. 10/10? What? WHERE DID THIS TEAM OF "6" PEOPLE COME FROM? WHO IS THIS DEV? WHY DID I GIVE THEM MONEY? And yes, I "understand the game". Whats there not to understand about gathering resources? The game is just MID. And the design and core mechanics are DUMB AND BORING.
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PC
Another glaring case of "don't believe the hype". EXTREMELY grindy, repetitive, and ultimately massively boring. Roguelikes are supposed to be varied and never the same : here you'll waste your time playing the same map over and over and over again. RNG is clearly against you and will systematically avoid giving you the things you need to progress; according to the devs, "that's the point, you'll have to change your strategy ! and make the best with what you got !" Except when the RNG decides it won't give you that crucial, absolutely necessary building even after 8 re-rolls, well, nomatter how well you play, you're F'ed. Need a building to produce cloathing ? 95% of chances you won't get it : as soon as something is requiered from orders, it just stops showing up, period. Either you got it earlier, either you're f'd. I swear after 6 random choices, RNG STILL refuses to give you what you need. A lot of things just don't work in this game (way too many ressources make the game unecesseraly harder than it should be, RNG is wayyy too prevalent, a ton of buildings serve no purpose and are just mild variations of the same things).
Worst part is the RNG, except you can remove "random", because the system is purposely unfair and actively works against you : if you're lacking 1 single building that would solve all of your problems, be sure you'll never, EVER get it.
TLDR : overly complicated mechanics for the sake of being overly complicated, EXTREMELY repetitive (you seriously feel like you're doing the exact same thing over and over again), and the most agressively unfair RNG I've ever seen in a roguelite.
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PC
Summary Banished meets Slay the Spire. Against the Storm is a roguelite city builder set in a fantasy world where it never stops raining. You are the Queen's viceroy - a pioneer sent into the wilds to establish and manage new settlements inhabited by beavers, lizards, and humans. Your goal is to survive long enough and gather the valuable ...
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Dec 8, 2023
Developer:
- Eremite Games
Publisher: Hooded Horse
Genres:
