DwarfCorp

About

DwarfCorp is a single player strategy game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Completely Fair Games LLC and was released on February 1, 2019. It received neutral reviews from players.

"DwarfCorp is a single-player fantasy strategy game where you lead a capitalist dwarf colony to exploit new lands for profit. Manage resources, defend your colony, and promote or punish employees. Discover and interact with various fantasy creatures and design your company's logo and color scheme. The game takes about 4 hours to beat, but beware of numerous bugs."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+14

Skip User Reviews

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 124 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

The game has a charming art style and a unique blend of mechanics reminiscent of Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft.
Frequent updates from the developers show commitment to improving the game and addressing bugs.
The core gameplay concept is engaging, allowing for fun colony management and resource gathering.

The game is riddled with bugs, crashes frequently, and has significant performance issues, especially with larger colonies.
The user interface is clunky and difficult to navigate, making it hard for players to manage tasks and resources effectively.
Many players report that the game feels unfinished and lacks depth, with limited content and gameplay options.

stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players have not encountered severe issues, the overall consensus is that the game remains unfinished and poorly supported, leading to a frustrating experience for many. Despite occasional updates aimed at fixing these problems, the game's current state is described as extremely buggy and unpolished.
- “I like that the focus is on the bug fixes at the moment; they seem to be producing updates regularly too. A bug-free experience is the way to be.”
- “Just don't expect a bug-free or complete game; it's still very, very early access!”
- “Current version is buggy as hell and it does not seem as though there is any more support or development for this game, so the issues are very unlikely to be fixed.”
- “Bought and played the game for almost 3 years and somehow now it is even more buggy; can't recommend it at all.”
- “Currently it's extremely buggy with random crashes for many people, and it's really unpolished as well.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The gameplay experience is marred by frequent bugs and crashes, particularly when managing larger camps, leading to frustration and a lack of enjoyment. While the core mechanics show promise and draw inspiration from games like Dwarf Fortress, the current build offers limited content and depth, resulting in only a couple of hours of engaging gameplay before issues arise. Players express hope for future updates to enhance the game, but many currently find it unpolished and lacking in fun.
- “Core gameplay mechanics are good and I can see a lot more being added, looking forward to future updates!”
- “I love games like Dwarf Fortress and this one definitely twists DF to have similar mechanics but a lot more simpler for the more casual player.”
- “It's easy to understand and yet involves a lot of the complex mechanics from the original game.”
- “Bugs, crashes, and a way too different gameplay from older versions, no fun at all.”
- “Extremely limited content and depth of gameplay.”
- “Overall it's staying in my 'do not recommend' pile because despite the idea being great and super fun sounding, in practice it's just boring. I spent the whole time battling with the game to get anything done, not to mention the amount of hidden mechanics and sometimes broken menus.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The graphics of the game are praised for their beautiful retro style and vibrant art, often compared favorably to titles like Dwarf Fortress and RimWorld. While the pixel art and 3D environments evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of the PS1 era, some users note that the user interface can be clunky and detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the graphics are generally considered a strong point of the game, contributing to its charm and appeal.
- “Graphically, this game is definitely superior to games like Dwarf Fortress or RimWorld, which are probably the two best examples of the genre.”
- “I love the art style and the sound design.”
- “The art style is beautiful; the UI is kind of clunky when trying to distinguish what is what, but other than that, it's a great game.”
- “Sadly, while this game is definitely superior graphically, the user interface is terrible, the tutorial is backwards, and there are so many issues that make it difficult to get a colony established that I cannot recommend this to anyone.”
- “While DF will always be the king, it is really showing its age at this point, and I don't mean the graphics.”
- “Too bad it's most likely impossible to copy DF with even just these levels of graphics, so you can't get too mad at the devs. That said, don't get it.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including high resource usage, lag, freezing, and stuttering, especially during intense gameplay with multiple characters. Many players note that the game only utilizes a single core, leading to severe drops in frame rates, while some have experienced save game corruption. Despite these issues, a few players did not encounter performance problems, indicating a mixed experience overall.
- “Definitely needs an optimization update... good otherwise.”
- “Although I ran into an issue, this game only utilizes a single core which can get bogged down quickly. I believe the issue lies in the AI pathfinding, but I can't be sure. It runs smoothly at 120 FPS when paused, but at 1x speed, it drops to 12-25 FPS when 18 player-controlled dwarfs are present.”
- “I still recommend it, but I'd like a performance boost update soon!”
- “I'm not gonna lie, the game is currently horribly optimized and you'll most likely experience save game corruptions and horrendous lag.”
- “But after a few hours the game starts freezing and stuttering so bad it becomes unplayable.”
- “Performance issues after 2-3 hours (and I can't save, so sad).”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, noting that unique character names and clever design elements, like the splice tool, contribute to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience. The tutorial's engaging tone further enhances the overall comedic atmosphere.
- “The tutorial was helpful and easy to understand, and the splice tool was a beautiful idea. The unique names made me laugh!”
- “The humor in the dialogue kept me entertained throughout the game, making even the most mundane tasks enjoyable.”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty puns and clever jokes that catch you off guard and add a delightful twist to the gameplay.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to navigation issues and the AI behavior of dwarven characters, which can lead to frustrating situations like getting stuck. Additionally, the performance drops significantly with more characters, further exacerbating the grinding experience.
- “However, when I started playing, I found navigating to be tedious, and my dwarven crew was off fighting whatever, chasing raiders and goblin traders, and generally getting themselves stuck on blocks (underwater).”
- “Three additional hired dwarves on top of the starting set of five, around an hour into the game, cause the FPS to come to a grinding halt on my system.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally enjoyable and provides a decent ambiance, though some players feel it lacks originality. There is hope that future updates will introduce more varied tracks to enhance the overall experience.
- “The music is enjoyable.”
- “The music is good and provides a decent ambiance, but it lacks originality. I'm sure there will be changes or as more music is added, that view will change.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players are drawn to the game for its appealing visuals and immersive atmosphere, which enhance the overall experience and align well with the game's concept.
- “I bought the game because I love the visuals, the atmosphere, and the concept.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express confidence in the developers' direction, indicating that the emotional aspects of the game resonate positively and effectively with players.