Clockwork Empires

Clockwork Empires has a solid foundation, but all of the events that should be challenging and tell memorable stories mostly end up being small blips on the game's radar.

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Take on the role of a Junior Bureaucrat (Colonial Grade), sent forth to seek fame, promotions, and natural resources to feed the ravenous maw of Imperial Industry & Commerce. Build a prosperous colony, fill it with magnificent factories worked by oppressed labourers, and harness the awesome power of steam through fearsome machines invented by determined men and women of Science! History is yours t…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

47%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,025 reviews

gameplay56 positive mentions

stability142 negative mentions

Great mix of city planning and Lovecraft themes, providing a unique gameplay experience.
The game has a lot of charm and humor, making it enjoyable despite its bugs.
Developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.

The game is unfinished and has been abandoned by the developers, leading to numerous bugs and crashes.
Gameplay can be slow and tedious, with AI issues causing colonists to act inefficiently.
The UI is clunky and not user-friendly, making it difficult to manage tasks and resources effectively.

gameplay
156 mentions
36 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of interesting mechanics and a rich world, but is marred by significant bugs, lag, and clunky controls that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the unique concepts and potential for depth, many express frustration over slow progress, inefficient pathfinding, and frequent crashes, leading to a consensus that the game requires further polish and optimization. Overall, the gameplay shows promise but currently suffers from a lack of cohesion and refinement.
- “I really enjoyed the gameplay; this game had so much potential.”
- “The gameplay is rich and satisfying.”
- “The diplomatic and warfare options available in-game are plentiful and varied; combined with the organic nature of gameplay, they keep things interesting.”
- “Playing through the unpatched game and the tutorial shows you the absolute basics—no more than hints as to the mechanics and underlying strategies that you need to follow, and definitely no guidance as to the nuances of the game.”
- “It does crash, it does have blips and bumps in gameplay that are unpolished, and it does feel as though the game devs said 'good enough' when they should have committed to another few months of work at the very least.”
- “It takes ages to get anything done, villagers wander around aimlessly, there is no way to speed up gameplay, and the resource production/hauling/consumption balances are completely screwed.”
stability
142 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and an unfinished state that significantly detracts from the overall experience. Many reviewers describe it as abandoned and unpolished, with a lack of developer support and essential features missing or broken. While some players find enjoyment despite the issues, the consensus is that the game is currently too unstable and incomplete to recommend.
- “The game is still far too buggy to be enjoyable.”
- “Unfortunately the game is in a buggy unfinished state and so I can't recommend anyone actually spend money on it.”
- “This game in its current - and, as far as I can tell, permanent - state is a jumbled, buggy mess.”
graphics
94 mentions
23 % positive mentions
72 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have received mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and cohesive aesthetic, while others criticize the low-quality textures and lack of graphical options. Many players note that the visuals have potential but require further refinement and bug fixes to enhance the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are appealing to some, they are hindered by technical issues and a user-unfriendly interface.
- “It's truly too bad as the graphics are amazing, the potential is unlimited.”
- “- the graphics, sound and style are completely unique.”
- “The graphics are clean and very nice (though the clicking of modules amongst each other leaves something to be desired, trying to pick out the right one) and the humour is perfect for a Lovecraftian-steampunkish game.”
- “The graphics suck, it's incredibly user-unfriendly and the colors actually hurt the eyes!”
- “The game's graphics look like they need another round of refinement.”
- “Graphics aren't the most important part of a game, but if I am going to stare at a screen for 10+ hours, it should look better than this.”
humor
68 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its dark and witty humor, reminiscent of Gaslamp Games' signature style, which keeps players engaged and entertained through clever quips and quirky character traits. While the humor adds depth and charm, the game is noted to be in an unfinished state with bugs that can detract from the experience. Overall, it offers a unique blend of comedic elements within a challenging city-building RPG framework, appealing to those who appreciate a humorous take on cosmic horror and community management.
- “If you're familiar with Gaslamp Games, it's dripping with their sense of humor, and even if you aren't familiar, the quippy tooltips are a flavor goldmine.”
- “The humor is tongue-in-cheek and perfect, and the game has a surprising amount of depth to it where I keep discovering things I had missed during previous playthroughs.”
- “That's pretty much it for the downsides to me: a great blend of witty humor, city building, and trying to figure out why my colonists are running around in robes and talking about murdering people.”
optimization
44 mentions
18 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, especially as colony sizes increase, leading to low frame rates and stuttering. Many users note that despite having capable hardware, they experience freezing and glitches, indicating that the game is not well-optimized. While the concept is promising, the current state requires substantial improvements in performance and stability to enhance the overall experience.
- “The game needs to be optimized and some rough edges need smoothing out, but compared to a lot of early access games on the market, this one is good.”
- “Great idea, great concept, and likely going to be a great game once feature complete, optimized, and fully debugged.”
- “Many fixes and performance improvements to allow smooth running of the game and ruled out the majority of crashes.”
- “It is playable but it has serious problems with omissions/bugs that make some features unusable (or require manual patching to fix them) and serious slowdown/optimization problems that hit you around mid-game.”
- “Game crashes when there's too much going on - the game is clearly unoptimized.”
- “Right now the low performance is a bigger problem than appearing crashes.”
music
35 mentions
31 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as dynamic and fitting, with a spooky, ethereal quality that aligns well with its Lovecraftian theme. However, some players find the music less impressive compared to other titles in the genre, noting issues with the music options and volume controls. Overall, while the soundtrack is enjoyable for some, others feel it could be improved and more options should be available for customization.
- “The music is really dynamic and fitting.”
- “The graphics are nice, and the music is appealing.”
- “The current iteration of the music loops through a few tracks which have a nice spooky, ethereal feel to them, very much in line with the overall Lovecraftian feel of the game.”
- “It's broken and rough; for instance, if you go into the options menu, you risk being overwhelmed by the plethora of choices, such as music: on or off.”
- “Every time the game loads, you're pretty much past the point of certain that it has crashed again (nothing moves, the music stops), and then it starts.”
grinding
22 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly in the early stages where micromanagement becomes a chore due to bugs and glitches. While some enjoy the gameplay initially, many recommend alternatives like RimWorld, citing that the repetitive nature of tasks, especially in farming, detracts from the overall experience. Recent updates have attempted to streamline some processes, but the core issues of tedium and inefficiency remain prevalent.
- “It's the only strategy that really works, and it turns the early game into a tedious, boring nightmare.”
- “I could recommend this maybe if you are bored, have a lot of time or are really patient as well as really love this type of game... honestly just buy RimWorld, and if you already have RimWorld and are looking for something else like it... get mods, this game is still too tedious.”
- “In Clockwork Empires, losing is often tedious and frustrating.”
atmosphere
16 mentions
75 % positive mentions
19 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its unique steampunk atmosphere and engaging world-building, featuring diverse characters and intriguing writing. However, it suffers from bugs and an unfinished feel, leading some players to recommend waiting for further development before diving in. Overall, while the atmosphere is a standout feature, improvements in user interface and gameplay experience are needed to fully realize its potential.
- “I love the atmosphere and flavor of this game so much.”
- “It has its own great steampunk style and atmosphere; during your settlement's growth, you will meet bandits, other nations, fishpeople, and mysterious creatures.”
- “The game has a very nice atmosphere; I definitely recommend playing it, but with a big disclaimer that if you want a finished, seamless experience, it's better to just follow the game for now.”
- “Having at least two-story buildings would vastly help with customizing buildings and developing a more realistic atmosphere in the game.”
story
14 mentions
57 % positive mentions
21 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its depth and engaging storytelling, though it suffers from bugs and an incomplete narrative that requires a community patch to be playable. Players appreciate the potential for a rich storyline, but note that the lack of a fast forward feature can slow down the pacing. Overall, the narrative is seen as a strong point, contributing to a unique atmosphere and character development.
- “Love it! Overall, it's a great game; it has more depth and story than any other games of this kind I know :)”
- “It feels like there is enough content to get a good story going, but the lack of a fast forward feature means it takes a while to get moving.”
- “Very buggy, storyline incomplete and it can't be played without the community patch 0.9.5 (huge thanks to those who made it).”
- “Then there is the studio and their individual personality, mirrored in the story and character of the game.”
- “Having at least two story buildings would vastly help with customizing buildings and developing a more realistic atmosphere to the game.”
replayability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability through its rich content, diverse routes to success, and challenging combinations of biomes that become available as players progress. Developers are actively enhancing the experience to ensure it remains dynamic and engaging for multiple playthroughs.
- “The game is rich and satisfying, with an interesting late game, many different routes to success once your colony stabilizes, and increasingly difficult combinations of biomes (maps, basically) that open up for replayability and challenge.”
- “The developers are working hard to make a dynamic replayable experience.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Users feel that the monetization strategy, particularly the ads, overshadows the quality of the game itself, suggesting that the advertisements are more engaging than the gameplay.
- “The ads are better than the actual game.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional response to the game's unfinished state, highlighting a sense of heartbreak over the apparent care and effort the developers put into it. This sentiment underscores a strong connection to the game's potential and the disappointment of not seeing it fully realized.