To be honest with you, Against the Storm is not my typical kind of game. But the creators reached out with a cool concept. The title mixes survival, roguelite, city building, and dark fantasy elements. And, my ultimate kryptonite, it boasts a beautifully artistic opening cinematic. So, I decided to give it a go.
I’ve played about an hour of Against the Storm, setting up camp, sheltering my villagers, and following the Queen’s orders, and I’m surprised at how chill it feels. Despite the fact that every once in a while, a giant thunderstorm from hell threatens my little enterprise.
This feeling comes partially from the fact that my workers are mostly smart enough to do their own thing. One of my first buildings was a woodcutters’ camp, to which I fittingly assigned a handful of anthropomorphized beavers. They happily felled the nearby trees, allowing me to send a shipment of lumber to my faraway ruler who rewarded me with the plans to build a new industrious structure. Constructing these and finding new resources leads to more buildings. This makes up the basic gameplay loop. And while pursuing this cycle, other things can pop up to keep play from getting monotonous. Unclaimed loot in the woods can put you ahead of schedule, mysterious glades hold dangerous creatures, and abandoned huts can open up new resource options.
With the game running predominantly on its own (which let me keep an eye on today’s live Blaseball Fall), and the constant sound of rain, the atmosphere is unexpectedly calming so far. If you want to check out the game and see what lies deeper into the frontiers than I’ve explored, Against the Storm is headed into Early Access November 1.
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