Recent reviews by Craven Moorehead

Extremely chill version of Factorio. Lots of emphasis on exploration and expression rather than pure logistical challenges, which can be a pro or con depending on what kind of player you are.

There are a lot of combat tools which is surprising given how shallow the enemies and combat in general is, but its mostly opt-in.

The complexity takes a pretty huge dive once you get towards the end of the game, but honestly I think you could leave this game at Tier 6 and feel pretty satisfied.

Tons of cosmetic / building fun to be had, as well.

In brief, Against the Storm is a slam dunk in almost every single way a game can succeed. Immaculate systems design, fantastic sound and music, gorgeous and highly varied art-- what's not to love?

The only complaint I can really leverage is that this game has a steep learning curve. Having done each of the tutorials, I left them with a thin grasp on how to win. My runs were slow, arduous, and I couldn't really understand why. Thankfully, there's a bevy of resources online that can help you to focus your knowledge and close the last gap needed to truly understand all the systems at play.

Having played quite a few city-builders, Against the Storm inherits a lot of expectations of the genre that don't actually hold true (this isn't a bad thing, just dampens your onboarding). Not only are you not supposed to endlessly grow your settlements, in some ways you're actively punished for it. You have a finish line, and you must form a plan to cross it. Anything past that is substantially wasted effort-- and it took me a while to unlearn some of my conventional city-builder heuristics. You MUST form your plan around your environment and the resources you're given, which means strategies vary dramatically between runs. The variability between runs is a pillar of the game's design that keeps me coming back, and as a systems designer myself, I can't help but marvel at how well executed it is.

To that end, I adore the game. It is a very board-game / multiplayer-strategy-esque design, where at some point you need to pivot off of engine building to commit resources to accruing Victory Points. If you get the right rolls and have a good plan, you can cross that finish line VERY quickly, and it feels amazing when you execute a settlement to perfection.

Even 10 hours in, I see miles and miles of content laid out before me, and that's not even including the countless surprises that I'm sure are coming along the way. I cannot express how much depth there is to this game. So much content, so many intricate systems, and just when you think there's no way this game could possibly have more to it, it still has more to give.

Fantastic narrative full of surprises, beautiful shots, and lovely characters. I think this game puts more trust in its player than I would ever feel comfortable as a game designer, but I think Immortality pulls it off.

My only sincere complaint is that I think the credits were used imprecisely. I've seen quite a few people bring up that the game presents itself as "done" (credits rolling) while there is still a LOT left to see. Definitely impacted my enjoyment slightly, but the narrative was so compelling that I hopped right back in.

With the addition of Immortal Empires, this game has gone to an easy 10/10. Every DLC added with undoubtedly improve the game even further. This game will easily reach 1000+ hours from me.

Delightfully simple with a shocking amount of depth. Highly recommend.

By no means a bad game, but has a long way to go to compete with others of its kind.

For the same price point, you'll get a lot more time and fun out of Vampire Survivors. 20 minutes till dawn gets repetitive and the decision making isn't nearly as deep or interesting. These are things that could be solved down the road.

I look forward to trying it again after its grown.

A good and fun version of TFT :)

Insane amounts of content, extremely varied factions, and tons of attention to detail. Sweet real-time battles, engaging enough overworld strategy, all packaged in the classic Warhammer setting. Cannot recommend enough!

The best deckbuilder I have ever played. Legendary content, replayability, and characters.

Intricate, deep, amazing music, and overall one of the best experiences I've had in a video game in my life. Cannot recommend enough!