Dreadtides
- April 2, 2020
- HeadByte Studios
"Dreadtides" is a strategy game set in a corrupted fantasy world, where players must build and defend their city against nightmarish creatures to ensure their people's survival. Explore ruins, gather resources, and train units to push back the corruption and reclaim lost territories. With a focus on city-building and combat, players must balance defense and expansion to defeat the enemy and restore peace to the world.
Reviews
- The game combines tower defense and city building mechanics effectively, providing a fun and engaging experience.
- The developers are active and responsive, showing commitment to improving the game based on player feedback.
- The art style is appealing, and the soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience with its thematic variations.
- The game suffers from various bugs and optimization issues, particularly with resource management and unit behavior.
- There is a lack of features commonly found in modern games, such as achievements and a comprehensive tutorial, which can lead to confusion.
- Some gameplay mechanics, like the caravan system and unit controls, are underdeveloped and can frustrate players.
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Dreadtides combines city-building and tower defense mechanics, offering a surprisingly deep experience that blends these elements effectively. While the core gameplay is engaging and features clever mechanics, players have reported issues with the game engine's functionality, leading to confusion about whether problems are due to bugs or gameplay design. As the game is still in early access, there are expectations for improvements, particularly regarding performance during upgrades.
“Gameplay is surprisingly deep for a tower defense; the city building aspects really mesh well with the tower defense ones.”
“I tend towards turn-based strategy games more frequently than RTS, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the variety of mechanics which blend to form Dreadtides' gameplay.”
“The only major issue I had during gameplay was when upgrading a structure's tier; the game became much more demanding on my computer's processing.”
“It's early access and is still needing more work, but some really clever mechanics.”
“Although Dreadtides is in early access, it is a very good tower defense strategy game, with gameplay that will keep improving and a soundtrack that is nice to hear.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's music features a well-crafted soundtrack that transitions between a serene, soft melody with nature sounds during quiet moments and an epic, fast-paced score with drum beats during combat. This dual-phase approach enhances the overall experience, contributing positively to the gameplay, even in its early access state.
“The first is a soft melody with little bird songs and a breeze of air during the quiet phase.”
“The second is a louder, faster melody with drum beats during the fighting phase, which gives the soundtrack an epic feel.”
“Although Dreadtides is in early access, it is a very good tower defense strategy game, with a gameplay that will keep improving and a soundtrack that is nice to hear.”
“The soundtrack consists of two distinct phases.”
“The first phase features a soft melody accompanied by gentle bird songs and a soothing breeze.”
“There is a variant soundtrack that shifts between a soft melody during quiet moments and an epic score during combat.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their neat and colorful design, creating a visually pleasing experience. The art style is noted for its attention to detail, especially when viewed up close, although the lack of a comprehensive options menu limits customization. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal, complementing its mechanics effectively.
“These graphics are both neat and colorful, which is very pleasing to the eye.”
“Lovely art style.”
“I'm usually zoomed out trying to see more of the map, but when I'm closer to the models and I pay attention, the art style and attention to detail are pretty nifty.”
“The graphics lack an options menu, so you can't change the keys; the only options you can change are lowering the sound in the game and the quality of the graphics when you launch the game.”
“I'm usually zoomed out trying to see more of the map, but when I'm closer to the models and pay attention, the art style and attention to detail are pretty lacking.”
“The graphics are neat and colorful, but they don't stand out in a meaningful way.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits smooth performance, but users have noted some optimization issues that arise in larger cities. These concerns have been communicated to the developers, who are actively addressing them as part of the early access process.
“The few optimization issues have already been pointed out to the developers, who are actively working on them.”
“It seems to run smoothly until you get to a decently sized city, which is the kind of optimization issue I'd expect to be fixed over the course of early access.”
“There are some optimization problems that need to be addressed.”
“The few optimization issues have already been pointed out to the developers, who are currently working on them.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story is set in a dark fantasy world plagued by magical corruption, immersing players in a narrative that explores themes of decay and despair.
“The story takes place in a dark fantasy world that is marked by corruption.”
“The story plunges us into a fantasy world fallen into a magical corruption.”