Diplomacy is Not an Option

About

Diplomacy is Not an Option is a single player survival city builder game with a historical theme. It was developed by Door407 and was released on October 4, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

In "Diplomacy Is Not An Option," players step into the role of a minor lord forced to fight overwhelming odds to survive, with over 25,000 enemies attacking their castle walls. The player must master engineering, economy, and even magic to have a chance at survival, while dealing with a demanding king and rebellious peasants. This intense strategy game offers a unique and challenging warfare experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+17

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,871 reviews

story205 positive mentions

grinding62 negative mentions

Engaging and addictive gameplay with a mix of city-building and tower defense mechanics.
Humorous and entertaining campaign with branching storylines and unique missions.
Challenging difficulty that encourages strategic planning and resource management.

Steep difficulty curve, even on the easiest setting, can be frustrating for players.
Randomly generated maps can lead to unbalanced gameplay and resource scarcity.
AI pathfinding issues and unit behavior can detract from the overall experience.

story
1,094 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
77%
4%
The story in "Diplomacy is Not an Option" is characterized by its humorous and lighthearted tone, with players enjoying the comedic cutscenes and dialogue that accompany the campaign missions. However, many reviewers express frustration with the campaign's pacing and difficulty spikes, particularly around mission 4, which is seen as a significant hurdle that disrupts the flow of the game. While the branching paths and multiple endings offer replayability, the current limited number of missions (only two available) leaves players wanting more content and variety in the narrative experience.
- “The story is hilarious and interesting for an early access game.”
- “The campaign has a branching storyline and multiple endings based on key decision points.”
- “The story is funny, with a great sense of humor that keeps you engaged throughout the missions.”
- “The campaign story is unbearably boring, trying to be funny but just comes off as childish.”
- “The story is forgettable with dry humor and there really isn’t much in the ways of content outside of the bare bones.”
- “The story is pretty awful and the writing is terrible too.”
gameplay
574 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The gameplay of "Diplomacy is Not an Option" is characterized by a blend of city-building, resource management, and wave-based combat, reminiscent of titles like "They Are Billions" and "Stronghold." While the mechanics are generally easy to learn and the gameplay loop can be engaging, many players find it repetitive and punishing, particularly due to steep difficulty spikes and a lack of meaningful progression or variety in missions. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for RTS fans, but it may require patience and practice to fully enjoy its intricacies.
- “The gameplay strikes a great balance between challenge and engagement, staying hard enough to keep things interesting without becoming too monotonous.”
- “The mechanics are intuitive and feel solid, spells and stuff are fun to use, battles are large and fun to witness, few extra mechanics such as collecting the dead before they turn into zombies is an interesting mechanic.”
- “The gameplay loop of resource collection, logistics, construction, expansion, clearing, and wave defense is really quite satisfying.”
- “In the end, gameplay is repetitive; you always start in the middle, from 0, and have to rebuild the whole same thing over and over again.”
- “The game suffers from extreme balancing issues and a range of mechanical problems that make it feel more like an early-access title than a finished product.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly stale, and most mechanics feel like nobody put any real thought into them.”
humor
290 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
1%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with many players praising its witty dialogue, hilarious cutscenes, and absurd scenarios that blend dark comedy with medieval themes. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss or overly drawn out, the overall consensus is that the campaign's comedic elements significantly enhance the gameplay experience, making it both entertaining and engaging. The game's lighthearted approach to strategy and resource management, combined with its charming art style, contributes to a fun and memorable atmosphere.
- “This game masterfully blends chaotic medieval strategy with laugh-out-loud humor, and I couldn’t get enough of it.”
- “The dialogues are absolutely absurd, the characters have comedic timing even when they stand still and silent, the dry humor throughout the campaign is mental, the puns are literally one after the other and reach the absolute peak during the undead version of the campaign, which is straight up genius.”
- “The campaign is hard but rewarding—and hilariously funny, with laughs guaranteed!”
- “They are supposed to be funny *cough*, and they are at least twice as long as they should be, which is not a great combo.”
- “The jokes fall flat and often feel forced, making the humor more cringeworthy than entertaining.”
- “I found the attempts at humor to be painfully awkward, leaving me more confused than amused.”
graphics
247 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
50%
3%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming low-poly art style that complements its humorous and whimsical tone, making it visually appealing and accessible even on lower-end systems. While some players appreciate the simplicity and aesthetic coherence, others feel that the graphics could be more polished or detailed, particularly in cutscenes. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received for their ability to enhance the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms regarding their basic nature.
- “The graphics are very cute with the low poly & the music is great.”
- “The grim humor plays well against the stylized visuals—crisp, slightly cartoonish graphics give the game a distinct look, while still maintaining enough clarity during the massive battles to avoid becoming overwhelming.”
- “I absolutely love the look and feel of the game, with the retro inspired graphics on full display every mission.”
- “The graphics are not the best, but that allows for armies that are very epic in size.”
- “This game doesn't deliver high resolution 3D graphics, or god rays or whatever.”
- “The graphics are very basic.”
replayability
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The game boasts high replayability due to its branching campaign paths, randomly generated maps, and multiple endings, allowing players to explore various strategies and storylines. Many users appreciate the engaging mechanics and humor, although some express a desire for more streamlined options to revisit different routes without repetitive early missions. Overall, the combination of diverse choices and procedural elements contributes to a satisfying and replayable experience.
- “Great game, tons of replayability and the story has multiple paths you can take.”
- “I love the art style and the insane replayability; even the campaign is quite replayable as each map is randomly generated alongside several key decisions that alter how it plays.”
- “The campaign itself is fairly non-linear, wherein some choices lock others out, resulting in multiple replayability.”
- “Very low replay value.”
- “Replayability shuts down after 10ish hours since you can't do much to customize your games.”
- “There isn't really any mission variety or replayability at this time.”
grinding
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
6%
90%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over the constant need for micromanagement and resource gathering. While the initial gameplay can be enjoyable, it quickly devolves into a monotonous experience, with many missions feeling drawn out and lacking balance. Overall, the grind detracts significantly from the enjoyment, leading to a consensus that the game becomes a chore rather than a fun challenge.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's boring, it's tedious, and really uninspired and not exactly balanced in any good way.”
- “The game is very tedious, especially earlier on in a mission, and even later when you have a sizable number of troops, you still have to basically micromanage constantly.”
- “The designs of units are kind of cool and I do think that the items and upgrades are well balanced, but achieving those resources to upgrade is done after most waves are done because you have to clear mobs to reach those resources and it can take a lot of time moving units there.”
optimization
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it performs well with large numbers of units on screen and runs smoothly on high-end PCs, players have reported significant performance drops during late-game waves and issues with specific hardware configurations. Many users appreciate the fluid gameplay and solid performance, but some express concerns about overheating and the need for further optimization to enhance the experience, especially on lower-end systems. Despite these issues, the game is generally well-received for its technical execution, with many enjoying the strategic depth it offers.
- “Performance is great for how many units are on screen during waves (upwards of 1000).”
- “The game engine is well optimized, with game speed remaining consistent no matter how many units on screen, and neither frame-rate nor simulation seem to be affected by basically anything that you can do.”
- “Awesome game, an excellent RTS, runs smoothly even with a huge amount of units on the map, the campaign is fun and varied.”
- “However, once your city grows large, the framerate can drop significantly, sometimes dipping into the high tens, which seems to be a limitation of the Unity engine’s optimization capabilities.”
- “The only issue you may have with it is the performance on the later waves - many mobs, many buildings, and many troops equals a higher performance hit.”
- “My biggest wish-list item right now is optimizing performance so my GPU doesn't catch fire.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its chill and atmospheric qualities that complement the gameplay, while others find it forgettable or lacking in variety. Many players appreciate the integration of humor and thematic elements, particularly in the undead campaign, where heavy metal tracks enhance the experience. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally enjoyable and well-produced, some players feel it could be improved to leave a more lasting impression.
- “The game’s soundtrack complements the action well, combining ominous orchestral scores with occasional comedic cues that echo its darkly humorous tone.”
- “From an amazing multi-forked campaign, to incredible music and vocals in the undead campaign.”
- “The game will please us with unhurried but thoughtful gameplay, pleasant visual style and relaxing soundtrack.”
- “Music is pretty chill but nothing you'll remember (that's a miss honestly).”
- “The cutscenes are a drag and the music could be better, but everything else is super solid and very addicting.”
- “All the while you have a varied but - honestly - not varied enough soundtrack acting as a white noise to your struggles.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
68%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and minimal bugs, there are frequent issues with random freezes and crashes, particularly after extended playtime or high unit counts. Some users have experienced significant glitches, especially during cutscenes and mission transitions, but many agree that the game is relatively stable for an early access title. Despite these concerns, the technical performance is generally praised, with only minor bugs affecting gameplay.
- “So far, the technical side (AI pathing, performance with large numbers) runs great.”
- “Extremely bug free.”
- “This is a promising game, and for an EA title, it's not that buggy at all.”
- “But... it randomly freezes and text bubbles don't load.”
- “Going to have to give it a negative review, simply because of the constant crashing/freezes; once they're fixed I'll update to support it.”
- “Entire computer freezes and game crashes.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with users highlighting the prevalence of ads for other products and promotional content, even after purchasing the game. Many feel that the game is a cash grab, failing to deliver on the satisfying experience promised in advertisements, and likening it to deceptive mobile game ads. Overall, players express disappointment in the game's monetization strategy, which detracts from its potential enjoyment.
- “The first thing that you get when you start the game is a popup with advertisements for other products.”
- “I bought this game, but it has ads in it for other games.”
- “The game was abandoned as a cash grab.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging cut scenes, simplistic yet effective art style, and relaxing music, creating a lighthearted and enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the blend of strategic gameplay reminiscent of titles like Age of Empires and They Are Billions, all set within a beautifully crafted environment that enhances the overall enjoyment. Many recommend playing in a relaxed setting to fully appreciate the game's charming atmosphere.
- “The art uses a simplistic style that allows it to show a large scale and unique design to convey an interesting, lighthearted atmosphere.”
- “This game is Age of Empires and They Are Billions put together in a beautiful atmosphere.”
- “Music - atmospheric and fits perfectly with the setting.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a deeply emotional experience while engaging with the game, often leading to tears and a strong connection to the narrative, particularly in the undead campaign. The game is described as an emotional rollercoaster that evokes a range of feelings, leaving a lasting impact on players.
- “Just shed a tear and go play that again.”
- “I just finished the undead campaign and I'm not even lying, I shed a tear.”
- “This game took me on an emotional rollercoaster that ended in not so good thoughts and is a time machine 10/10.”