Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
- March 26, 2024
- Tomas Sala
- 7h median play time
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is an open world builder with freedom and expression at its core, allowing players to build sprawling towns, spires, and fortresses that become hubs for trade, or rallying grounds for conquests.
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Get on PS Store"Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles" is a creative sandbox building game where you design and build a magnificent ocean fortress settlement, inviting factions and unlocking new buildings. It offers light management and strategy elements, with no set goals or win-lose outcomes - the focus is on the design process and creative expression. The game features minimalistic interface and little hand-holding, allowing players to enjoy the freedom and flexibility to design their fortress as they see fit.
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Reviews
- The game features a unique and innovative building mechanic that allows for creative city design.
- The art style and visuals are stunning, creating an immersive atmosphere.
- The developer is very responsive to community feedback and actively works on updates and improvements.
- The controls can be unintuitive and frustrating, especially for mouse and keyboard users.
- There is a lack of clear direction and explanation of game mechanics, leading to confusion.
- The gameplay can feel shallow and repetitive after a few hours, with limited endgame content.
- gameplay173 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its relaxing and intuitive mechanics, allowing players to build and expand cities with a focus on creativity rather than complex management. While many enjoy the chill atmosphere and visual appeal, some players find the mechanics underexplained and lacking depth, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, it offers a satisfying blend of casual gameplay with enough strategic elements to keep players engaged, though it may not meet the expectations of those seeking more intricate systems.
“The gameplay is something I can always come back to and enjoy no matter the mood I'm in.”
“Once you get all the mechanics and features (which aren't too complicated), the game becomes one of those 'one more turn' type of games. It's just so satisfying to build, upgrade, and expand, and to explore and find new captains and crew to join you so you can set up new trade routes and ports.”
“The style and gameplay are great; it's easy to pick up but tough to master. You can play in a bunch of different ways, and there are enough units and factions to make it interesting for hours.”
“The gameplay lacks direction, and I don't really understand some of the resource mechanics.”
“Gameplay is severely lacking - one can experience 90% of the game in the demo.”
“The city building and gameplay broadly is so shallow, or 'minimalist', as to be non-existent.”
- graphics99 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style and unique aesthetic, creating a visually appealing and immersive experience. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful visuals with compelling world-building, which enhances the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of city-building mechanics. While the graphics are often described as gorgeous and charming, some users express a desire for more visual variety among factions and buildings.
“This game has just the right amount of abstraction combined with compelling world-building and a gorgeous art style.”
“The art style is stunning too, making every session a visual treat.”
“The game is gorgeous; the art style is really unique, and the soundtrack is a major selling point.”
“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.”
- music38 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its fantastic quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack is described as immersive and beautifully complements the game's art direction, creating a cozy and relaxing experience. Players appreciate the unique sound design and voice acting, which together contribute to a captivating and emotive gameplay experience.
“The music and the gameplay are both very compelling and fun.”
“The soundtrack is amazing, quite enjoyable.”
“The music.”
“The atmosphere is really inspired, as I said, and so is the music; I just wish there were even more tracks with throat singing.”
“While it lacks meaningful endgame, the novelty and music alone make it worthwhile.”
- story27 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story and world-building have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the intriguing setting and the depth of character backstories, while others criticize the lack of a cohesive narrative and clear objectives. Some players enjoy the sandbox nature that allows for personal storytelling and exploration, but others find the story elements to be minimal or poorly executed. Overall, the game offers a rich environment for those who value lore and world-building, but may disappoint players seeking a more structured narrative 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.”
“It's definitely geared more towards a relaxed player who is driven more by story and exploration.”
“The story is about as bare bones as it gets, and the tutorial has way too much hand-holding.”
“There is no story, no challenge, and no tasks or milestones to achieve.”
“Unfortunately, due to the small number of captains and the lack of a story or what could be considered legitimate progress after the initial setup of any map, the magic wears off pretty fast.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, unique art style, and immersive sound design, creating a relaxing and engaging experience. Players appreciate the blend of thematic mechanics and emotive elements that enhance the sense of place, making it a compelling choice for those who value atmosphere in gaming. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both captivating and chill, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“It's a great lightweight empire builder, with brilliant art style and amazing atmosphere.”
“The meticulous design is impressive and blends seamlessly with the game's relaxed yet engaging atmosphere.”
“If you enjoy games with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and theme, this is the game for you.”
“The rest is mainly there to provide atmosphere, lore, and a bit of meaning.”
“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.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game can be tedious and poorly balanced, particularly with the new splinter currency and navigation mechanics. While some players appreciate the lack of excessive resource grinding for endgame buildings, many find the overall experience marred by frustrating controls and repetitive tasks. Despite these issues, some still find the game enjoyable and worth the investment.
“The new splinter currency is a grindy mess and feels poorly balanced.”
“Navigating around your town by going tower to tower is tedious; it also has an annoying auto camera pan that ends up scrolling too far.”
“There's only so much pretty you can build before it becomes either tedious or inconsequential or both.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates solid optimization, running smoothly with minimal performance issues even during complex constructions, which is commendable for its genre. However, some players note a lack of tailored controls for mouse and keyboard, suggesting that the game feels more optimized for gamepad use. Overall, while the performance is stable and impressive, the open-ended nature may not appeal to those seeking a more structured RTS experience.
“In terms of performance, Bulwark impressed me with its stability.”
“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?”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its multiple play styles and ongoing content updates, though some players feel that it may become repetitive after a few playthroughs. While it is currently seen as highly replayable, concerns about its length and similarity in experiences persist.
“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 in terms of replayability, it may be a bit too similar to previous playthroughs.”
“Almost endless replayability.”
“There are several ways you can play the game, and it has a lot of replay value as well.”
- stability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report a reasonably bug-free experience, others encounter significant bugs that detract from gameplay. Overall, the game feels unfinished and lacks polish, particularly when using mouse and keyboard controls.
“The game has a beautiful art style, nice music, and seems reasonably bug-free.”
“The stability of the game is impressive, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
“I encountered very few issues, and any minor bugs were quickly resolved with a reinstall.”
“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.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The monetization model is praised for being fairly priced, complemented by high-quality DLC, and reflects a developer's genuine commitment to creating a beloved game experience.
“Fairly priced, great DLC and monetization model, and a developer who truly cares about creating a game for people to love.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
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 and amusing appearance. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone and comedic elements present in the game's design and community interactions.
“I read a few notes on a forum, watched some YouTube videos, and even checked out the developer 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 bring a smile to my face.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game visually stunning, with many expressing that their experiences evoke strong emotional responses, particularly when reflecting on their achievements.
“And boy is it pretty... just looking at what I'd done at the end of this session, beautiful and emotional.”
Critic Reviews
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles Review
Tomas Sala’s second Falconeer game may come across as nicher at first glance, but it’s far easier to approach and have a great time with despite some baffling inconsistencies.
75%Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles Review – No Mistakes, No Challenge
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles lets your imagination come alive as you build a staggering empire in every sense of the word. But because it’s a world without mistakes, there’s no challenge or pressure.
60%Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles Review (PC)
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is a great showcase for its world and has some nifty mechanics for both tower development and exploration. I once invested an uninterrupted 20 minutes simply placing foundations and balconies for a stone tower that served as the anchor for a couple of ports, simply to improve the architecture of that island. Unfortunately, the beauty of all these spires and walkways cannot compensate for a certain sense of aimlessness. The three campaigns don’t feel too different, and combat is too automated to feel interesting. Like its massive towers, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles has good foundations but it doesn’t offer something engaging to build towards. Review key provided by the publisher.
85%
