Axes and Acres

About

In "Axes and Acres," become a lord managing a small plot of land, using peasants represented by dice to build, work, gather resources, and reproduce. With motivational cards, alter and improve your workers' abilities and make tough decisions every turn. Each play-through is unique, offering a fresh, engaging strategy game experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 92 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a nice balance of strategy and randomness, making each playthrough unique.
The dynamic difficulty adjustment keeps the game challenging and rewarding, ensuring players are always engaged.
Simple mechanics that are easy to learn but offer deep strategic possibilities, appealing to fans of board games.

The tutorial is confusing and buggy, making it difficult for new players to grasp the game mechanics.
User interface issues, including unintuitive controls and a lack of clear documentation, can lead to frustration.
The game can become repetitive after a while, with limited variety in gameplay modes and objectives.

gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and depth, offering a mix of easy-to-learn mechanics and complex strategies that keep players engaged. While the graphics are minimalistic, the randomized elements and diverse mechanics provide a fresh experience each time, though some players may find the limited building options and lack of alternate game modes restrict replayability. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging mechanics, but may frustrate those who struggle with understanding its intricacies without adequate guidance.
- “Each game is randomized and the mechanics are diverse enough so that you don't get bored easily.”
- “An engrossing single player game with simple mechanics and complex strategies.”
- “The game combines card and dice mechanics with a minimalistic art design into a game that's easy to pick up and hard to put down.”
- “The mechanics are pretty simple (though sometimes not completely transparent) and there is limited variety in what you can build, so it won't last too long for most.”
- “I also thought that I'd eventually tire of the gameplay loop--it's a game of raw mechanics, not much story, not much customization, only a handful of buildings.”
- “I had to restart some tutorial levels several times just to pass them, and I still didn't really get the game's basic mechanics when finished.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The graphics of the game are predominantly described as simplistic and minimalistic, which some players appreciate for allowing gameplay to take center stage, while others criticize them as lazy or primitive. Despite the simplicity, many reviewers note that the graphics are cohesive and well-executed, contributing to an atmospheric experience. Overall, the visuals may not appeal to those seeking high-end graphics, but they complement the game's deeper mechanics and meditative qualities.
- “The simplistic graphics make the gameplay the center star, as it should be, but personally I deeply adore both the graphics and the atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “While the graphics are simple, the gameplay is pretty deep.”
- “Don't confuse simple with lazy — the graphics are very well done and all fit a cohesive art style.”
- “The graphics are primitive, so if you want fancy graphics, then this game is not for you.”
- “Also, the minimalist graphics are beyond lazy; the 'clean' design is not actually that easy to navigate, and the font is ugly and a plague on my eyes.”
- “A very fine game, even if the visuals are very very simple.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its challenging mechanics and quick playtime, making it enjoyable for repeated sessions. However, the lack of alternate game modes may limit the long-term appeal despite the scaling difficulty.
- “This is a great dice manipulation game with a lot of replayability.”
- “Play is pretty quick, but the replay value is very high.”
- “Tons of replay value.”
- “Suffers for lack of alternate game modes though, so while the increasing difficulty of ranked mode could offer a large amount of replayability, the fact that core gameplay doesn't change limits that appeal.”
- “The difficulty scaling works toward replayability, if you like games that kick you back down a level for failing twice at your current level.”
- “Short, simple, and replayable.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and atmospheric, complementing the minimalist graphics and enhancing the meditative quality of the gameplay. While some players appreciate the acoustic tracks as good background music, others find them unremarkable and prefer to listen to their own music instead. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a fitting accompaniment that supports the game's aesthetic without being overly intrusive.
- “The simplistic graphics make the gameplay the center star, as it should be, but personally I deeply adore both the graphics and the atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “It therefore feels more meditative (helped in no small part by the relaxing music and minimalistic graphics) than punishing, even when you realize you have made a less than optimal play.”
- “Excellent, surprisingly deep board game with great, minimalist art and pretty music.”
- “The music is doable; there are two or so acoustic tracks that play and serve as some good background music, though about half of the time I prefer to listen to my own.”
- “The music won't set you on fire, probably.”
- “The simplistic graphics make the gameplay the center star, as it should be, but personally, I deeply adore both the graphics and the atmospheric soundtrack.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Overall, users report mixed stability experiences with the tutorial, noting some initial bugs and graphical glitches, but recent updates have improved performance significantly, leading to a mostly bug-free experience in the main game. The game is lightweight and runs well on various systems.
- “It's so light it can run everywhere and so far it has been completely bug-free.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, providing a seamless experience.”
- “I've played for hours without encountering any glitches or performance issues.”
- “The tutorial is pretty buggy, though the main tutorial and the in-game prompts do a good job of explaining everything.”
- “I have encountered some graphical glitches in the tutorial missions, and only there.”
- “By now it's at 1.06a; the tutorial works fine, but there are still some glitches, particularly with the undo feature.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its minimalist graphics and a soothing soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the relaxing vibe created by the simple yet effective sound effects, which complement the gameplay without being distracting. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fun and calming, despite the mental challenges presented by the game.
- “The simplistic graphics make the gameplay the center star, as it should be, but I personally adore both the graphics and the atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “Fun and relaxing with a nice atmosphere.”
- “Sound effects are simple but nicely done, nothing over-the-top or annoying, and fit in well with the relaxing atmosphere and minimalist style of the game.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real depth or engagement.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the overall ambiance is dull and fails to immerse the player.”
- “The environment feels lifeless, making it hard to connect with the game's world.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game's story is minimal, focusing primarily on gameplay mechanics rather than narrative depth or customization options. Reviewers express a desire for more variety and unique challenges to enhance the overall experience.
- “I also thought that I'd eventually tire of the gameplay loop—it's a game of raw mechanics, not much story, not much customization, only a handful of buildings.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some find the detailed management and repetitive tasks, like building multiple structures, tedious and overwhelming, others appreciate it as a strategic element that becomes more enjoyable with experience.
- “I really like all the concepts here, but when one of my objectives for the first phase is to 'build 4 builders halls' and knowing that accomplishing just this one task will require me to tediously click between 50 and 100 individual commands makes me want to quit immediately.”
- “This detailed management may seem tedious to many players, but after playing this fun game for a while, you will get used to it. However, it can feel like a grind, and not everyone will find it enjoyable.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's optimization features a dynamic difficulty adjustment that responds to the player's past performance, creating an engaging and challenging experience that intensifies as the game progresses.
- “The game dynamically adjusts its difficulty based on your past performance, which means that the game quickly tightens down and becomes a tense battle against time.”
- “The optimization features allow for a seamless experience, ensuring that players can focus on strategy rather than technical issues.”
- “I love how the game fine-tunes its mechanics to match my playstyle, making each session feel uniquely challenging and rewarding.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite its potential, the game feels unpolished due to poor optimization, making it frustrating to play.”
- “The optimization is lacking, resulting in long loading times and crashes that disrupt the gaming experience.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game features no microtransactions, providing a straightforward purchasing model without additional costs for players.
- “There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't rely on microtransactions to progress.”
- “The absence of microtransactions allows for a fair and balanced gameplay experience.”