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video game reviews

New Cycle: The Survival Village Builder You Should Consider

January 13, 2024 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent New Cycle for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. These will be my honest impressions of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

New Cycle is a survival village builder coming to early access to Steam on January 18. Because the game will be in early access, this will just be my initial impression of the game. I’ll revisit and review the game when they release 1.0.

Concept

A solar flare has destroyed society as we once knew it, sending the world into post-apocalyptic chaos. Those who remain must now build a new society from the wreckage of the old. This won’t be an easy task. Resources are limited, illnesses are rampant, nature is unrelenting, and morale is low. Can you usher your people into a new age, and rebuild society to its former glory?

Aesthetic and Performance

For an Early Access game, New Cycle runs fine. It still needs a bit of polish, but the game never crashed on me. The Aesthetic is a little dark, but I enjoy the sepia color scheme. It makes the game feel a lot more gritty and bleak.

Game Modes

The game offers most of its content through its game modes. You can enjoy the freedom of Sandbox, Manage a built city ravaged by a mysterious illness, or you can start from scratch in a campaign. The campaign has a few maps you can start from that affect gameplay. For example, you can start on a mountain where you have access to better mining but don’t have less food to work with. I love the work that went into the flavor. At the moment, the game has enough content to keep players busy till the full release.

Gameplay

Thoughts

New Cycle is the most technical village builder I’ve ever played, which isn’t a bad thing. At its core, it shares a lot of the core elements of other games in the genre. This game isn’t any more difficult to learn, but it is a bit more difficult to master. Where in other games I would sit back and watch my villagers live their lives, New Cyle had me worrying about all the elements that could end my civilization.

Just like any survival game, you need to worry about resources, hunger, morale, and the elements. This is a game where you have to be very careful about your efficiency because random events will set back your progress. There was a game where I ran out of food and my buildings got struck by lightning, and I had to start over because I planned poorly. I still recommend you go in blindly and learn from your mistakes, but having a guide handy doesn’t hurt.

Conclusion

This game isn’t going to be for everyone. The survival mechanics will turn away the more casual village builder fans. That said, the game is doing a good job of combining the survival and village builder genres. If you’re a technical person who enjoys the economics of survival but doesn’t mind the roughness of Early Access, you might want to look into New Cycle. To be clear, this isn’t a daunting technical game that requires good notes and a Ph.D., but it is less casual than the other games in the genre. I liked it, and can’t wait to see where they take it. Don’t forget to add it to your Wishlist!

Trailer

video game reviews

SteamWorld Build A Cute New Casual Village Builder with a Twist!

November 28, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent SteamWorld Build as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

SteamWorld Build launches on Xbox, Switch, PlayStation, and Steam on December 1st. If you enjoy village builders or are in the market for a new game, you need to buy this game.

Take command of a group of robot settlers as they make their last-ditch effort to escape a dying planet. Together, they must build a settlement, recruit new citizens, and mine for the materials that will lead to salvation. But getting off-world won’t be easy. Can you find a way off the planet before the monsters destroy your settlement?

SteamWorld Build is an adorable addition to the SteamWorld universe and a must-have for any fan of the series. The game does a wonderful job of capturing the quirky and delightful vibe of the franchise without sacrificing any of the fun. You don’t need to have played any of the other games to understand the story, but you are going to want to after. SteamWorld games are always a quirky good time and a fantastic addition to any library.

The art, graphics, and animation for this game are adorable. The scrappy design reminds me of the Warhammer 40k Ork Aesthetic, and I love it! If you are a fan of the SteamWorld games, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail put into capturing the essence of the series. If you aren’t a fan, you’ll appreciate the amount of detail put into bringing this world to life. Little details like watching them walk through the wash or getting a drink at the saloon as they carry on their tasks make the experience feel vibrant and alive.

Be prepared to lose a couple of days as you scrutinize the most efficient way to grow your settlement. I had so much fun with SteamWorld Build that it became an addiction. I restarted a few times as I tried the different maps and strategies until finally forcing myself away long enough to write this review. The casual gameplay yet engaging gameplay, the cute and quirky gameplay, and the pacing all come together to create an experience worth having.

SteamWorld Build is a fantastic blend of village building, resource management, and tower defense. It starts like any traditional village builder, with limited resources and a space to build. As the settlement grows, new mechanics are introduced to keep the game feeling fresh. Each world is split into four levels, each with unique gameplay and design. At the top is a basic settlement game where players recruit new citizens, keep them happy, and trade with the passing train. Lower levels introduce a mining game where players dig for resources, maintain the mine’s stability, and defend against oncoming threats. The lower you go, the more dangerous it is. It feels like playing three games at once, but it never becomes overwhelming. Building inefficiently does impede your progression, but I wouldn’t worry about that until your second or third playthrough. I recommend you go into this game as blindly as possible before looking up guides because learning from your mistakes is half the fun.

I love SteamWorld Build and recommend anyone looking for a new game these holidays to pick it up. It’s cute, it’s casual, and an addicting amount of fun. SteamWorld comes out on Xbox, Switch, PlayStation, and Steam on December 1st. Don’t forget to wishlist if you haven’t done so already!

video game reviews

Dungeons 4: A Wonderful Blend of Humor, Strategy, and Evil

November 15, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent Dungeons 4 as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions about the game. This will be my honest review of Dungeons 4.

If you enjoy my reviews, make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can always buy me coffee.

Dungeons 4 is a quirky and unique RTS out now for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam, Epic Games, and the official Kalypso store. The Absolute Evil is back to claim victory over the last remaining bastion of good. With your trusty servant Thalya captured, it is up to you to raise an army, spread your evil across the land, and get her back eventually. Do you have what it takes to finally defeat the forces of good?

This is the 4th installment to the Dungeons, but you don’t need to have played any of the Dungeons games to understand what is going on. Aside from a few references to the previous games, Dungeons 4′s story is self-contained and fantastic. Dungeons 4 is fun, quirky, and meta in a way that you need to play once to appreciate. It has a fantastic cast of voice actors, and a magnificent soundtrack to get you in the mood for evil.

Most importantly, the gameplay is fun. Dungeons 4 is a wonderful blend of the village management, tower defense, and RTS genre. The game will frequently switch between genres as you move through the camping.

Underground, you will build a dungeon where you gather resources and defend them against the forces of good. The game plays like the usual village builder, except the build phase won’t be endless. Eventually, you’ll build a strong enough force to clear the rest of the dungeon or make your way above ground where you’ll attempt to rescue your evil assistant Thalya.

Heroes will occasionally attempt to raid your dungeon to steal your resources, kill your minions, and destroy the heart of the dungeon. You’ll be responsible for setting traps, building an army, and keeping them happy. I found this part of the game extremely relaxing and my favorite loop. It was fun trying to design a dungeon that was both functional and well-defended. I wish there were a way to speed up the levels, but the wait isn’t long enough for it to be a huge problem.

The RTS portions of the game are a bit simple, but I found them perfect for my skill level. I am not good at RTS games, so I appreciated that it provided enough challenge to keep things fun. There are ways to make this game more challenging, and there is even a co-op mode for added insanity, but I enjoyed the normal solo experience well enough to recommend it.

I loved this game and see myself replaying it in the future. It’s cute, it’s quirky, and everything I want from a casual RTS game. If you a looking for a wacky, relaxing experience in any of the mentioned genres, do yourself a favor and pick up Dungeons 4.

You can pick up Dungeons 4 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam, or Epic Games for $49.99. You can also get it directly from Kalypso for $47.99. It’s free on Game Pass if you have a subscription.

video game reviews

Fabledom is the adorably wholesome village builder you should be playing

October 25, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

I was sent Fabledom as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, this will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.

Fabledom is an adorable city builder available on Steam. The game is in early access, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. It’s also got a healthy roadmap, and I am sure the game will get better. If you are looking to get into the genre, or simply looking for a new title to get into, Fabledom is a fantastic place to start.

Players start with a small population of peasants, limited resources, and an easy-to-follow tutorial. As your village grows, you unlock new mechanics. Fabledom lets players practice diplomacy with neighboring kingdoms, raise renowned heroes and armies, and find their true love.

Don’t let the adorable fairytale facade fool you. You’ll need to be tactical about how you grow your village. While I never hit the point where my village failed, I did hit bottlenecks in my progress that stemmed from my mistakes. I am sure there are guides designed to play Fabledom optimally, but I like learning from my failures. I always recommend going into these games as blindly as possible. It’s more fun that way.

I am obsessed with this game. The gameplay is relaxing yet engaging, the art style is cute, and the music is such a vibe. This is one of those games you need to try at least once, especially if you are curious about the genre. You can pick up Fabledom on Steam for $11.99 (normally $15.99) until October 30th. It’s worth it at either price!

video game reviews

The Wandering Village: A cute casual village builder you need to try once

August 1, 2023 josechurape Leave a comment

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. You can also buy me a coffee

I was sent The Wandering Village as a review code. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.

The Wandering Village is a cute and casual village builder with beautiful art, interesting mechanics, and a solid soundtrack. This game easily became one of my favorites due to its casual atmosphere. This game is simple enough to pick up quickly but offers enough of a challenge without becoming overwhelming. This game is the perfect entry point to the genre and a fantastic addition to any library.

The world has become toxic and uninhabitable. The few remaining survivors have found refuge on the back of a giant wandering beast, the Onbu. Together you will wander the world as you attempt to rebuild a symbiotic civilization on the back of the Onbu.

The Wandering Village is a beautiful game with many moving parts. I recommend you play a few runs without looking up guides. I believe most of the fun is trying to figure out how to grow your village properly, failing, and doing it better the next time around. I am sure there is an optimal way of running through this game, but I had as much fun failing as when everything was running smoothly. This game is casual enough that guides aren’t necessary.

The Wandering Village is one of the more casual village builders I’ve played. Worker, resource, and resource management are challenging enough to keep the game engaging without becoming overwhelming. There are settings you can tweak that makes the management mechanics more difficult, but I never felt like it lost its casual vibe. What does create a challenge is adapting to the random encounters throughout the Onbu’s journey. The types of scouting missions that become available, the types of biomes it walks through, and the Onbu’s health all affect the growth of your village. Players will often have to readjust quickly to changes. I lost a few villages because I wasn’t planning properly. You will eventually be able to have more control of the Onbu, but I enjoyed the random nature of the journey. It makes every run unique, giving the game lots of replayability.

I had a lot of fun with The Wandering Village, and recommend it to anyone in the market for a new game. The art is beautiful, and the mechanics are fun and interesting. The game just got an update that added a new biome, buildings, and encounters. You can pick up The Wandering Village on Steam and Xbox for $24.99 or play it for free if you have Game Pass.

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. You can also buy me a coffee

If you have been enjoying my content and want to support what I do make sure you like, comment, subscribe, and share this with your friends. You can also buy me a coffee