Ardarium
- September 10, 2021
- Daniel Cox
Get on Steam"Ardarium is a 2D simulation game featuring a dynamically generated world where plants, animals, and humans coexist. Witness the constant evolution of the landscape through erosion, tectonic shifts, and climate changes, while animals and humans interact, compete, and adapt. As a player, you can influence the world by spawning animals or meteor showers, offering a relaxing yet engaging sandbox experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Incredible value for the price, offering hours of engaging observation of a beautifully simulated world.
- Surprisingly deep mechanics that allow for believable and unpredictable outcomes, making it entertaining to watch civilizations rise and fall.
- Active development with ongoing optimizations and a responsive developer, enhancing the overall experience.
- Performance issues arise with larger map sizes, leading to noticeable frame rate drops during gameplay.
- The user interface and optimization could be improved, as even powerful PCs struggle with larger grids.
- Some players find the gameplay too passive, likening it to a screensaver rather than an engaging game.
- gameplay4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as a mix of fun and depth, featuring engaging mechanics and events, though some players note issues like slow panning and lag, particularly in larger settings. While it offers complexity, others feel the gameplay can be overly simplistic or lacking as advertised.
“It's a fun toy and surprisingly in-depth with some of its mechanics.”
“There's a surprising amount of depth to the events and mechanics.”
“The gameplay is simple to non-existent as advertised.”
“If that bothers you for this type of game (slow panning, laggy gameplay, etc.), you'll want to keep it below 900 tiles².”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with users noting significant performance issues when running larger grids, leading to frame rates dropping below 20 fps. While routine optimizations are appreciated, the overall performance tends to deteriorate as the game progresses and becomes busier, indicating a need for further improvements.
“Other than those, the routine optimizations and tweakings of the game are nice to see.”
“The UI and the optimization leave a little to be desired. I have a decently powerful PC, but running anything larger than a 20x20 grid tends to slow it down to less than 20 FPS.”
“My only gripe is with performance; it deteriorates noticeably as time goes on and things get busier. Hopefully, this can be improved somehow.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as very primitive, requiring players to rely on their imagination to enhance the visual experience.
“You do have to use your imagination, as the graphics are very primitive.”
“The visuals look outdated and lack detail, making the game feel less immersive.”
“Character models are poorly designed and animations are stiff, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- story1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players often engage in imaginative storytelling while taking breaks from the game, creating personal narratives about the characters and events they observe, which enhances their overall experience.
“I often AFK in this game and come back after a while to see what is going on, then make a little story in my head about these people.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks coherence, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Character development is shallow, leaving me with little emotional investment in their journeys.”
“The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises or excitement.”
