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.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
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 game is relaxing and casual, making it a great choice for players looking to unwind.
- The tutorial and game mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion about gameplay objectives.
- The game lacks depth and content, resulting in a repetitive experience after a few hours of play.
- Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, especially when using mouse and keyboard.
- gameplay349 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles" is characterized by its relaxing, chill city-building mechanics that encourage creativity and exploration, though it often lacks depth and clarity in its mechanics. While players appreciate the beautiful visuals and the satisfaction of building and expanding, many express frustration over poorly explained systems and a lack of engaging content, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, it offers a unique blend of casual gameplay with some strategic elements, making it enjoyable for those seeking a laid-back gaming experience, but it may not satisfy players looking for more complex mechanics or objectives.
“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.”
“This game is a perfect blend of chill vibes and deep, engaging gameplay.”
“The gameplay lacks direction and I don't really understand some of the resource mechanics.”
“What this is, is a 'shell game'; the mechanics are surface level, the progression is so linear and repetitive that the game feels the same from start to finish after the first initial setup of your build.”
“The city building and gameplay broadly is so shallow, or 'minimalist', as to be non-existent.”
- graphics200 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 2 % 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 beautiful visuals that enhance the relaxed gameplay, making city-building enjoyable and satisfying. While the art direction is often described as breathtaking 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 fantastic; it's very easy to build beautiful cities.”
“The game has beautiful art style, nice music, and seems reasonably bug-free.”
“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.”
- music77 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 4 % 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 composed, contributing significantly to the game's unique aesthetic and emotional depth. Players appreciate the combination of ambient sounds and engaging voice acting, making the music a standout feature that complements the gameplay experience.
“The atmosphere is really inspired, and so is the music; I just wish there were even more tracks with throat singing.”
“There’s no lyrics, but the vocals and general feel of the soundtrack make it seem like it’s a part of the world, like those singing it are the sailors on my surveyor as we sail through the skies.”
“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 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.”
“The game is gorgeous; the art style is really unique, and the soundtrack is a major selling point.”
- story54 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story and world-building elements receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the intriguing setting, fully voiced characters, and environmental storytelling. However, some criticize the narrative as being underdeveloped or lacking clear direction, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Overall, while the game offers a rich universe to explore, it may not satisfy those seeking a robust, linear storyline.
“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.”
“Otherwise 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 task 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.”
- atmosphere52 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, unique art style, and emotive sound design, creating a relaxing and immersive experience. Players appreciate the blend of thematic mechanics and aesthetic appeal, which encourages exploration and engagement with the game world. While some find the gameplay clunky, the overall ambiance and vibe are compelling enough to draw players back repeatedly.
“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.”
“As someone who values gameplay and mechanics over atmosphere and graphics, I personally don't enjoy it much.”
“The rest is mainly there to provide atmosphere, lore, and a bit of meaning.”
“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.”
- grinding22 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 playing.
“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.”
- optimization20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received positive feedback, with users noting its solid performance and stability, even when handling complex constructions. However, there are concerns regarding the lack of optimization for mouse and keyboard controls, as the game seems more tailored for gamepad use. Overall, while the game runs smoothly with minimal stuttering, some players feel it lacks structured optimization typical of RTS games.
“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.”
“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?”
“A word to those who prefer a more structured approach: be warned this game is more open-ended sandbox than optimized RTS.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its multiple play styles and ongoing content updates, although some players feel that it may become repetitive after a few playthroughs. While it is currently seen as a highly replayable experience, concerns about its length and similarity between runs 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 replayability-wise maybe 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.”
- stability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report it as reasonably bug-free after reinstalling, others find it quite buggy and unfinished, particularly when using mouse and keyboard. Overall, the experience is marred by inconsistencies that detract from the enjoyment.
“The game has a beautiful art style, nice music, and seems reasonably bug-free. Reinstalling fixed the issue I had with achievements.”
“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.”
“The game as it stands right now is rather buggy and doesn’t feel finished.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The monetization model is praised for being fairly priced and offering great DLC, 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.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % 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 "crazy beard," contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable atmosphere. Players appreciate the comedic elements found in forums and videos, enhancing the overall experience.
“I read a few notes on a forum, YouTube, and even the dev himself with his beautiful crazy beard, lol! A funny good man!”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply impactful, often feeling a strong connection to their creations and experiences within the game. The visuals enhance this emotional engagement, leaving players with a sense of beauty and fulfillment at the end of their sessions.
“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%
