Against the Storm (video game)

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Against the Storm
Single-player

Against the Storm is a 2023

roguelike
games and has a short playtime with goals players must achieve.

Plot

The game is set in a fantasy world eternally ravaged by the "Blightstorm". The only safe haven in this world is the Smoldering City, ruled by the Scorched Queen. Occasionally, the storm subsides and the Scorched Queen sends her viceroys to establish settlements with the purpose of gathering supplies for the Smoldering City until the Blightstorm hits again, destroying all settlements in the process.

Gameplay

When the storm subsides, players are tasked with

unlocked abilities, which can be used to make building the next village easier. Once several villages have been built, the forest destroys them, and a new map is generated.[2]

Development

Against the Storm was initially released on early access in October 2021.[3] Hooded Horse released Against the Storm for Windows on December 8, 2023.[4]

Reception

Against the Storm received "universal acclaim" on Metacritic.[5] The game was nominated for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[9]

Eurogamer gave the game a perfect score and described it as a "rare gem" and "one of the most novel and well-crafted city builders".[6] PC Gamer described the game as "one of the most clever, engaging, and endearing strategy games", and particularly liked how the game's premise upended traditional genre tropes for a city-building game.[7] PCGamesN said it has "a brilliant mix of roguelike, strategy, and small-scale city building".[8]

Rock Paper Shotgun praised its combination of city-building and roguelite elements, which they found surprisingly compatible. They also enjoyed how the cities have definite goals for success and a brief playing time of about an hour, unlike traditional city-building games. They concluded that it is "one of this year’s best" and designated it a "Bestest Best".[2] Ars Technica likened it to a "rogue-ultralite" for its coziness and praised the depth, strategic options, and replayability.[10] Sports Illustrated praised what they felt was "a unique blend of genres" and said it condenses the best parts of city-building games into a short and addictive experience.[11]

References

  1. ^ Saver, Michael (2022-12-27). "Made with Unity: 2022 in review". Unity Technologies. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  2. ^ a b Richardson, Liam (2023-12-04). "Against The Storm review: a roguelite citybuilder awash with great ideas". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  3. ^ Wutz, Marco (4 December 2023). "Against the Storm review: A perfect storm". Video Games on Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  4. ^ Bolding, Jonathan (2023-12-10). "Superb survival city-builder Against the Storm is finally finished and released". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  5. ^ a b "Against the Storm". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. ^ a b Cassidy, Ruth (December 14, 2023). "Against the Storm review". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Hafer, Len (December 20, 2023). "Against the Storm review". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Brown, Josh (2023-12-04). "Against the Storm review – a near-perfect roguelike strategy game". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  9. ^ Chandler, Sam (February 15, 2024). "The D.I.C.E. Awards 2024 winners & finalists". Shacknews. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  10. ^ Purdy, Kevin (2023-12-08). "Against the Storm feels like WarCraft without the war, and it's weirdly calming". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  11. ^ Wutz, Marco (2023-12-04). "Against the Storm review: A perfect storm". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-12-12.