Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles

About

"Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles" is a strategy game that allows you to build and customize your own bulwark, a mobile fortress used for defense and offense. As the Falconeer, you will command a squadron of falcons, utilizing their aerial abilities to explore, scout, and battle in a vast, open world. Upgrade your bulwark, train your falcons, and conquer territories to lead your faction to victory in this immersive and dynamic gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 725 reviews

gameplay53 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

The art style and visuals of the game are stunning and create a captivating atmosphere.
The building mechanics are innovative and allow for creative freedom in city design.
The game offers a relaxing experience with a unique blend of exploration and light strategy.

The controls can be clunky and unintuitive, especially for mouse and keyboard users.
There is a lack of clear direction and objectives, which can lead to confusion about gameplay goals.
The game feels shallow after a few hours, with limited content and repetitive mechanics.

gameplay
221 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
71%
5%
The gameplay of Bulwark is characterized by its relaxing and creative city-building mechanics, allowing players to construct visually stunning settlements with a high degree of customization. While the game offers a unique blend of light strategy and exploration, many players find the mechanics to be simplistic and lacking depth, leading to a repetitive experience after a few hours. Overall, it serves as a chill sandbox experience, appealing to those who enjoy artistic expression over complex gameplay.
- “It is rare to encounter a city-builder that is able to strike a good balance between creative freedom of building and gameplay mechanics like this one.”
- “The gameplay is a whole new concept and I love it.”
- “The mechanics are enjoyable enough but there isn't anything new to do or discover after investing 5-6 hours into a campaign.”
- “Great game, relaxing and therapeutic but gets boring after a couple of hours as you're able to explore the mechanics within a short time frame.”
- “Although the main focus of the game is to continue building no matter what, the content falls short and mechanics are not deep enough to challenge the brain in any form.”
- “The gameplay is so janky and restricted.”
graphics
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning visuals and unique art style, which blend beautifully with the gameplay to create an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. Players appreciate the meticulous attention to detail in the environments, from lush landscapes to intricately designed buildings, making the game visually appealing and engaging. Overall, the aesthetic quality is a standout feature, enhancing the experience of building and exploring within the game.
- “From the moment you dive into its meticulously crafted world from lush landscapes to intricately built fortresses, you're greeted with stunning visuals that showcase detailed environments in a beautifully designed art style with a novel UI paradigm.”
- “The game has beautiful art style, nice music and seems reasonably bug-free.”
- “The art style is stunning too, making every session a visual treat.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is great, the visuals stunning... but damn it, it's so clunky to play!”
- “Lack of visual variety: I quite like this game's visuals, I just wish that there was a bit more variety. When I first saw this game, I thought there was going to be a lot more visual variety. For example, I thought every faction would have a different design for the surveyor (the player airship), which is not the case.”
- “As someone who values gameplay and mechanics over atmosphere and graphics, I personally don't enjoy it much.”
music
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack, described as epic and immersive, complements the game's visuals and gameplay, creating a relaxing and engaging experience. Overall, the combination of beautiful sound design, orchestral and folk influences, and a strong artistic direction contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The soundtrack is epic, perfectly complementing the gloomy grandeur of the game's world and its battles.”
- “The music is amazing; I can't get enough of it.”
- “If you're looking for a relaxing base builder with a wonderful atmosphere and great music, look no further.”
- “While it lacks meaningful endgame, the novelty and music alone make it worthwhile.”
- “The atmosphere is really inspired, as I said, and so is the music; I just wish there were even more tracks with throat singing.”
- “The music in this game is very well-made.”
atmosphere
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
19%
8%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, meticulous design, and immersive soundscapes, creating a relaxing and engaging environment that encourages exploration and creativity. Players appreciate the attention to detail in weather effects and architecture, as well as the emotive music that enhances the overall experience. Many find themselves drawn into the game for hours, captivated by its unique sense of place and thematic depth.
- “The attention to detail is evident in every aspect, from the atmospheric weather effects to the diverse architecture of fortresses.”
- “The atmosphere is bewitching; so often I have dropped in to try a feature and found myself still playing hours later.”
- “If you enjoy games with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and theme, this is the game for you.”
- “As someone who values gameplay and mechanics over atmosphere and graphics, I personally don't enjoy it much.”
- “If you played Falconeer, then you will be somewhat familiar with the aesthetic - but the whole art direction, sound design, and overall atmosphere is very emotive, all accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack that perfectly fits the style and taps into the game world.”
- “The rest is mainly there to provide atmosphere, lore, and a bit of meaning.”
story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
55%
13%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the organic flow of missions and character-driven narratives, while others find it lacking depth and coherence. Many enjoy the rich worldbuilding and environmental storytelling, but some criticize the absence of a clear storyline and meaningful progression. Overall, the narrative elements are present but could benefit from more structure and content to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “The setting and story of the world got me intrigued, and it's a huge plus that all characters you meet are fully voiced with their own little stories to share.”
- “Awesome immersive universe and story.”
- “A beautiful and simple game that unfolds like a story.”
- “Tedious, crappy controls and just plain boring - no real story, bad voice acting.”
- “Otherwise the story is about as bare bones as it gets and the tutorial has way too much hand holding.”
- “Unfortunately due to the small number of captains, and the lack of a story or what could be considered legitimate progress after the initial set up of any map, the magic wears off pretty fast.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its stability and smooth performance, even when handling complex constructions, with minimal bugs or glitches reported. However, some players note a lack of optimization for mouse and keyboard controls, suggesting that the game feels more suited for gamepad use. While the performance is generally solid, there are calls for further enhancements, particularly in structured gameplay elements and ship upgrades.
- “Real chill, you're not gonna break a sweat, but it's beautiful and very enjoyable and works flawlessly without any bugs, glitches, or performance drops that I've seen.”
- “Clearly, significant effort has been put into optimization, especially considering the complexity of some of the constructions I managed to build without encountering significant performance issues.”
- “With an almost constant stable performance with only the rare stutter, it's surprisingly well optimized for its scope even with more complex and large constructs, something even other games in the genre struggle with.”
- “A word to those who prefer a more structured approach: be warned this game is more open-ended sandbox than optimized RTS.”
- “I must say: I am entirely unaware of what plans the devs have or whether or not content will follow or be optimized, but as of now, there is very little reason to buy the game.”
- “Why even release this for PC with the complete lack of any optimization for mouse and keyboard?”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game can be tedious and poorly balanced, particularly regarding navigation and resource collection. While some players appreciate the lack of excessive grinding for endgame buildings, many find the controls and interactions frustrating, leading to a less enjoyable experience. Overall, the game is seen as visually appealing but marred by repetitive and tedious elements.
- “The new splinter currency is a grindy mess and feels poorly balanced.”
- “Tedious, crappy controls and just plain boring - no real story, bad voice acting.”
- “There's only so much pretty you can build before it becomes either tedious or inconsequential or both.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Overall, "Bulwark" offers a decent level of replayability due to its unique buildings, airships for different factions, and multiple gameplay styles. While some players feel it may become repetitive after a few playthroughs, ongoing development and content updates promise to enhance its longevity and replay value.
- “Bulwark has it all, and while there is a focus on building pretty cities, unlike the vast majority of similar games, it actually has gameplay attached to it, along with unique buildings and airships for all four factions, offering a modicum of replayability despite its genre.”
- “Almost endless replayability.”
- “The game is still being actively developed, bugs are being fixed, and lots of content will be added, but it's already a very replayable piece of art.”
- “I suspect it would be quite short, and replayability-wise maybe a bit too similar to previous playthroughs.”
- “There are several ways you can play the game and it has a lot of replay value as well.”
- “Bulwark got it all, and while there is a focus on building pretty cities, unlike the vast majority of similar games, it actually has gameplay attached to it, along with unique buildings and airships for all 4 factions, offering a modicum of replayability despite its genre.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report a flawless experience with no bugs or performance issues, others encounter significant bugs that detract from gameplay. The game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck, but issues with mouse and keyboard controls and achievement tracking have been noted.
- “Also runs great on Steam Deck, so perfect for some laid-back couch gaming.”
- “The game has a beautiful art style, nice music, and seems reasonably bug-free.”
- “The game as it stands right now is rather buggy and doesn’t feel finished.”
- “Just not a lot of fun and it is quite buggy with mouse and keyboard.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model is praised for being fairly priced, complemented by great DLC options, reflecting a developer's commitment to creating a beloved game experience for players.
- “Fairly priced, great DLC and monetization model, and a developer who truly cares about creating a game for people to love.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the engaging personality of the developer, who is described as a "funny good man" with a distinctive beard, contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable atmosphere. Players appreciate the comedic elements found in community interactions and developer insights.
- “I read a few notes on a forum, YouTube, and even the dev himself with his beautifully crazy beard! He's a funny guy!”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever jokes and hilarious character interactions that keep me laughing.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, with witty dialogue and absurd situations that always catch me off guard.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game visually stunning, with many expressing that their experiences evoke strong emotional responses, particularly when reflecting on their accomplishments.
- “And boy is it pretty... just looking at what I'd done at the end of this session, beautiful and emotional.”