Ark of Charon
- November 6, 2024
- Angoo Inc.
Get on SteamIn "Ark of Charon," players nurture a World Tree sapling and defend it from monsters during its journey to the nursery. Gather resources, instruct golems to mine and harvest, and build defenses atop the sapling to protect it. Players also construct weapons to fend off relentless monster attacks. This unique game blends colony simulation and tower defense gameplay for a captivating experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Genius design with a fun and addictive gameplay loop that combines base building, resource management, and tower defense mechanics.
- The game features a charming aesthetic and engaging mechanics that keep players entertained for long periods.
- The developers are responsive and have shown commitment to fixing bugs and improving gameplay since the early access release.
- The game suffers from significant bugs, including pathing issues and a frustrating hunger mechanic that can lead to game-breaking scenarios.
- The user interface and tutorial guidance are lacking, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics and progress effectively.
- The tech tree and resource management can feel unbalanced and poorly designed, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- gameplay27 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game features a unique blend of mechanics reminiscent of titles like "Oxygen Not Included" and tower defense, offering a fun yet challenging experience, especially on higher difficulties. However, players note that it suffers from bugs, a steep learning curve due to poorly explained mechanics, and a repetitive gameplay loop that can become stale. While the core mechanics, such as resource management and building, show promise, they require refinement and better guidance to fully realize their potential.
“I really like the mechanics of the game; just take the time to learn how everything works, and it has a really enjoyable progression.”
“It is rare to see a polished city builder come out in early access with good content, balance, interesting mechanics, and most importantly, fun gameplay.”
“Fun gameplay loop of having minions dig/build during the day, then tower defense at night with the option of taking over a turret and using it without ammo.”
“However, the gameplay loop is a lather, rinse, and repeat affair and can get stale.”
“Some of the mechanics aren't explained well at all, like when should you leave to the next location.”
“The biggest problem is the lack of control over the minions, the trickle in resources, the forced tech tree which means you can research something and not be able to use it, the generally boring gameplay loop of waiting to see what's below/behind some hard dirt, janky building and storage mechanics and other small issues.”
- stability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is mixed; while some players report a buggy and twitchy experience, others have found it to be mostly bug-free and running smoothly at default settings. Overall, opinions vary, with some enjoying a stable experience and others encountering significant issues.
“What's there, overall, is competent, well designed, and mostly bug-free.”
“The game runs great at default settings (which were set to max for me), and I experienced no crashes.”
“Good concept and some fun mechanics, but buggy and twitchy.”
“The real reason I wouldn't recommend this game is how buggy it is.”
“Really fun game similar to Oxygen Not Included, but not as in-depth or refined; still really fun, and I haven't had any glitches or issues like other reviews.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their charming aesthetic, reminiscent of titles like Terraria and Stardew Valley, contributing to an engaging visual experience. However, some users express concerns over the lack of graphics settings and optimization, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the art style remains a highlight, enhancing the gameplay as players observe their golems in action.
“I love the aesthetic and design of the game; it feels like Terraria, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and something else all at once!”
“The art style is absolutely adorable, and it's nice to just watch your golems run around and do stuff at 3x speed!”
“The good: roguelike colony management mechanics, the art style is nice, the defense against the monsters, research tree, the mystery, and the general gameplay loop.”
“Looks like an interesting and promising game, but I can't recommend it in good conscience due to a complete lack of graphics settings coupled with non-existent optimization.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is considered highly replayable due to its unique blend of colony-sim, tower defense, and rogue-lite elements, particularly through its rogue-like mode and tech tree that encourage experimentation with different strategies. However, players express a desire for quality of life improvements and a more integrated leveling system to enhance long-term engagement and ensure they can fully explore the tech tree before losing interest.
“The game is very replayable and is an interesting take on colony sims, tower defense, and rogue-likes like FTL.”
“The rogue-like mode and tech tree make it replayable, allowing you to try different tactics.”
“If the leveling system were integrated into the base game, it would enhance replayability, as many players may not experience the full tech tree before losing interest.”
“There are a bunch of minor things I'd love as quality of life upgrades just to make the game more playable.”
“Dev team, please roll over the leveling system into the base game; it will make the game more replayable as most players will not be able to experience the full tech tree before losing interest in the game as it currently stands.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a world tree on a quest to restore life to Earth, navigating perilous regions with the assistance of golems powered by the souls of defeated foes. Additionally, the game offers a casual difficulty mode, enabling newer players to engage more deeply with the narrative.
“The game also features a casual difficulty, allowing newer players to enjoy a more story-focused experience.”
“The world tree is on a mission to bring back life to Earth, traveling across several dangerous areas with the help of its golems, living automatons powered by gathered souls of its enemies.”
“No story.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly demanding, often reducing gameplay to a relentless farming simulator where managing golems' needs takes precedence over other activities like mining or crafting. This can lead to frustration, as the focus on farming can overshadow the game's broader strategic elements.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The main issue I am seeing with this feature is that the game turns into a farm simulator where nothing else can be accomplished except for farming and harvesting, or else all of the golems starve to death, and at progressively faster rates.”
“You cannot mine for materials, build weapons or rooms, repair, or even spend the time trying to produce ammo, because every bit of time now needs to be spent farming.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in "Ark of Charon" features a western-influenced Japanese orchestral soundtrack that, while beautifully composed, has been criticized for its stereotypical sound, leading to a sense of repetitiveness. Overall, it is regarded as fitting for a first-party 3DS title, with high-quality character models complementing the score.
“Ark of Charon's soundtrack is Western-influenced Japanese orchestral music.”
“Ark of Charon feels like a first-party 3DS official release with a beautiful music score and character models.”
“Special disappointment with Ark of Charon: the soundtrack.”
“Ark of Charon's soundtrack is Western-influenced Japanese orchestra.”
“It's not bad, but Japan overdoes this kind of music to the point it's stereotyped, and it all sounds the same to me, in my humble opinion.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant lag issues, especially in larger fortresses, and the absence of graphics settings exacerbates the problem. Users find it difficult to recommend the game due to these performance shortcomings.
“I'm currently about 12 hours into my run with a larger fortress, and the lag is getting pretty bad.”
“Looks like an interesting and promising game, but I can't recommend it in good conscience due to a complete lack of graphics settings coupled with non-existent optimization.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a somber tone, particularly during resource gathering, which adds a layer of depth to the gameplay. Players must remain engaged and active, balancing the tension of base defense with the introspective moments of exploration.
