ArmaCulture

About

ArmaCulture is a single player role playing game. It was developed by RageForDragons and was released on May 20, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

ArmaCulture is an indie factory-builder RPG set in the midst of a bitter, industrialized war between two nations in a fictional world similar to our own. The game combines illustrated character art with stylized pixel art to create a unique and dark historic atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 157 reviews

story39 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game features a compelling story with strong anti-war themes, making it emotionally engaging.
Gameplay combines elements of farming and factory management, providing a unique and enjoyable experience.
The art style and music contribute to an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.

The tutorial is poorly designed, leaving players confused about essential mechanics and controls.
The game can be excessively punishing, with steep difficulty spikes and harsh penalties for mistakes.
Controls are unintuitive and clunky, making gameplay frustrating at times.

story
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
38%
4%
The game's story is widely praised for its powerful anti-war message and emotional depth, focusing on the struggles of civilians affected by conflict rather than soldiers. Players appreciate the immersive narrative and character development, although many express frustration with the steep learning curve and clunky gameplay mechanics that can detract from the storytelling experience. Overall, the story is considered a standout feature, with many hoping for a sequel or further exploration of its themes.
- “Fantastic game with stellar storytelling and a powerful anti-war message.”
- “Armaculture is a game that reminds us that war is extremely cruel to everyone, it tells us a story not from the soldiers' point of view like many war-themed games, but from the perspective of a civilian, the very people that suffer the most from wars.”
- “What I loved the most about this game is its story and characters.”
- “Playing through the tutorial, getting excited about the music and art style and initial story premise, and then being put into a time scramble where I don't know how to play the game and can't get feedback on how to fix what I'm doing wrong is an immensely frustrating experience.”
- “Piss poor introduction goes on about some grand story and does not tell you how to play the game.”
- “Story could be fleshed out a bit more than 15 weeks; it is really short and there is not enough time to enjoy much of the features.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
59%
10%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, combining elements of a visual novel and factory management reminiscent of Factorio, which some players find engaging while others deem poorly designed and confusing. Many reviews highlight the steep learning curve and lack of clear tutorials, which can detract from the overall experience, though the intriguing story and unique mechanics keep players invested. Overall, while the gameplay can be challenging and frustrating at times, it offers moments of enjoyment, especially for those who appreciate the narrative and artistic elements.
- “The gameplay is fun and relaxing even in hard difficulty, because once you learn what's best you can keep polishing it and win every time.”
- “The game has good gameplay, a nice soundtrack, and an interesting setting. Overall, considering how early in development it is, it's very good and I would recommend it.”
- “The contracts and market are fantastic additions that provide further motivations to learn all the mechanics so you can make as much money as efficiently as possible.”
- “This game has to be the weirdest, most poorly designed genre combination I have ever played; the gameplay is separated into two parts.”
- “The second part of the gameplay is the visual novel part, which is abysmal. Not only does the game have the most abysmal punctuation, which makes it hard to understand what a character is trying to say sometimes, but the fact that every character is supposedly omniscient and lying to anyone instantly results in what is essentially an auto-loss.”
- “If the game was much more user-friendly, with an overhauled tutorial and more mechanics explained rather than a wall of text in a book that just confuses me even further, then the story would be worth experiencing. As of now, the pain of learning the gameplay saps the fun.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The music in the game is widely praised for its melancholic and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience and fitting well with the game's themes. Many players express a strong appreciation for the soundtrack, with several recommending purchasing it to support the developer. Despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics, the combination of engaging music and storytelling contributes positively to the game's appeal.
- “The music is pretty nice and so is the art style, and the plot is very interesting but easy to get into.”
- “The melancholic tone of the soundtrack, coupled with a few emotional pieces, refines the experience.”
- “Immersive and atmospheric, the music fits with the theme of war so incredibly well that I would recommend you buy the soundtrack to support the developer, especially as the game is entirely free and the developer has poured all his time and love into this game.”
- “Playing through the tutorial, getting excited about the music and art style and initial story premise, and then being put into a time scramble where I don't know how to play the game and can't get feedback on how to fix what I'm doing wrong is an immensely frustrating experience.”
- “Really complicated and buggy, crashed at the end of the day for me, still I like the look of it and I look forward to its finished release, it was enough to make me purchase the soundtrack to help support the dev.”
- “Bought the music because I love it so much.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique art style, blending illustrated and pixel art to create a charming yet bleak aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals and the game's ability to evoke emotion through its artistic choices, although some find the combination of styles initially jarring. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, with many users expressing admiration for the artistic direction and character design.
- “The game does offer some beautiful graphics, an amazing story that saddens me to not be able to see it all through my own playthrough, and some interesting mechanics (though it's only cool until it screws you over).”
- “The art style is nice.”
- “I suspect that the difficulty and art style is why this game never took off.”
- “This paints a bleak world, which defines not just the setting but also the game's overall aesthetic.”
- “The visual graphics and UI will feel very familiar if you've played 'Papers, Please' before, but the UI for character interaction would have come closer to 'VA-11 Hall-A' or 'Stardew Valley' in terms of its visual novel aspect.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is described as somewhat tedious, with players noting that while the farming and upgrading systems are enjoyable and well-integrated with the story, the repetitive nature of the gameplay can become overwhelming. Despite this, the game's narrative and character interactions are praised, making it appealing for those who appreciate story-driven experiences, even if the grinding isn't to everyone's taste.
- “It just gets too grindy for me.”
- “Personally not my cup of tea but if you like farming games I highly recommend this one; honestly, I don't love the gameplay, I just love the story and some of the characters.”
- “The game has 4 phases, and while it offers opportunities to trade and improve your farm, the grinding can become tedious.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive quality, reminiscent of titles like "Papers, Please," and is enhanced by a fitting soundtrack that complements its war theme. Players appreciate the visual appeal and overall ambiance, although some express concerns about control mechanics that detract from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that many find engaging and enjoyable.
- “Immersive and atmospheric, the music fits with the theme of war so incredibly well that I would recommend you buy the soundtrack to support the developer if you have the funds and time to do so, especially as the game is entirely free and the developer has poured all his time and love into this game.”
- “Factorio meets Stardew Valley with the atmosphere of Papers, Please... what is there not to love?”
- “It has a very 'Papers, Please' type of atmosphere, which I love.”
- “When playing, you can really feel the atmosphere.”
- “Factorio meets Stardew Valley with the atmosphere of 'Papers, Please'... what is there not to love?”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's building system and user interface are criticized for being poorly optimized, especially when compared to other resource-producing games.
- “The game's building system and UI are poorly optimized compared to any other resource-producing game I've played.”
- “The performance issues make it frustrating to enjoy the gameplay.”
- “I often experience lag and stuttering, which ruins the overall experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players highlight the game's exceptional replayability, noting that it offers 10 to 20 hours of gameplay as they explore every ending and make different choices.
- “The extreme replayability it offers can easily give you 10 to 20 hours of playtime just trying to achieve every ending and explore all the choices.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh and engaging, making you want to dive back in to experience different outcomes.”
- “The variety of choices and endings ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, keeping the game exciting and worth revisiting.”
- “The extreme replayability it had could easily give you 10 to 20 hours of playtime just trying to get every ending and explore every choice.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to play again; the choices felt too limited to warrant a second run.”
- “While the game offers multiple endings, the lack of significant differences between them makes replaying feel tedious rather than rewarding.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game compelling, highlighting the touching story and character interactions that enhance the overall experience. The melancholic soundtrack further elevates the emotional depth, making key moments resonate more profoundly.
- “The farming, upgrading, and manufacturing system is nice, and I quite enjoy seeing the story play out and the interactions you can have with both sides. I found the ending pretty touching.”
- “The music: the melancholic tone of the soundtrack, coupled with a few emotional pieces, refines the experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with users reporting significant bugs and crashes, particularly towards the end of gameplay sessions. Despite these issues, many appreciate the game's concept and visuals, expressing hope for improvements in future updates.
- “Great concept, but either buggy or hard to use.”
- “Really complicated and buggy; it crashed at the end of the day for me. Still, I like the look of it and I look forward to its finished release. It was enough to make me purchase the soundtrack to help support the dev.”