"Settlements built to be abandoned, and you keep founding more"
About
Against the Storm is a city builder set in a dark fantasy world ravaged by perpetual, destructive rains. You manage settlements of diverse species—humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies—balancing resource production, housing, and morale while expanding infrastructure and defending against environmental threats. Each procedurally-generated map presents a fresh challenge to establish a functioning society before the next storm cycle forces you to relocate and rebuild elsewhere.
Verdict
Against the Storm takes the genre's biggest weakness, the 40-hour campaign you abandon at hour 12, and chops it into 60-minute settlements you can't stop starting. Randomised buildings, races and glade events mean no two runs converge on the same solution, and the meta-progression keeps the hook set for hundreds of hours. The pause-heavy optimisation won't suit everyone, but the loop is one of the best in the genre.
You'll like it if …
- +randomised runs that make you adapt to what you draw excite you more than perfecting a favourite build
- +short 60-minute settlements suit your available time better than a sprawling campaign
- +melancholy atmosphere matters more to you than a story to follow
You'll dislike it if …
- −you want real-time flow over pause-heavy micromanagement
- −you prefer committing to one optimal strategy rather than improvising each run
- −you play city builders for a narrative arc
Breakdown
- +Randomised production chains force genuinely different strategies each time, turning each settlement into a fresh puzzle of managing what you got versus what you need
- +Multiple routes to victory through balancing orders, glade exploration and resolve rather than forcing one optimal build
- +30 to 90 minute settlement cycles create relentless 'one more run' pull without the fatigue of abandoning a 40-hour campaign
- −Late game leans hard on pause-and-micromanage optimisation, which won't suit players preferring real-time flow
- +Roguelite structure with procedurally-generated maps and meta-progression stacks hundreds of hours without the loop going stale
- +Glade events and race perks keep the decision space fresh across runs
- +Extraordinary value at under nine euros for base game alone, with DLCs adding maps, buildings and new races without feeling essential
- −Early settlement starts can feel repetitive before unlocks open up new strategic options
- +Dark fantasy framing of endless rains and a Queen's Viceroy gives the systems a melancholy weight, with lore nodding to Wheel of Time and Lovecraft
- −Atmosphere over narrative—players wanting a story to follow will find the world thin
- +Distinct art style that leans into the gloom of perpetual rain, with each race visually realised enough to feel like more than a stat block
- +Soundtrack and sound effects build cozy, rain-soaked melancholy that carries the mood even when pressure mounts, consistently cited as standouts
- +Menus are clean and systems read clearly despite enormous complexity
- +Runs well on modest hardware and Steam Deck, where trackpad input apparently handles it better than mouse and keyboard
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