Farlanders
- January 17, 2023
- Andriy Bychkovskyi
Get on Steam"Farlanders is a single-player turn-based strategy game set on Mars, featuring a good plot, spectacular gameplay, great graphics, and a memorable soundtrack. As a colony leader, build and manage residential areas, resource-producing factories, and terraform the planet for survival. Expand your colony underground to uncover new resources and rare minerals."
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Terraforming the planet is challenging and fun, providing a unique puzzle experience.
- The game features a good campaign progression that helps players learn and enjoy the mechanics.
- The pixel graphics and music create a charming atmosphere, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- The story is considered boring and unengaging, leading many players to skip dialogue.
- Victory in certain scenarios is heavily reliant on RNG, which can lead to frustrating restarts.
- Sandstorms can be devastating and difficult to prepare for, adding an element of unpredictability that some players find frustrating.
- story136 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it bland, juvenile, or uninteresting, while others appreciate its simplicity and the way it complements the gameplay. Many note that the campaign consists of a limited number of missions, which can feel short or grindy, but some also find the narrative engaging enough to enhance the overall experience. Overall, while the story may not be the game's strongest aspect, it does provide a framework for the gameplay and offers some enjoyable moments.
“There's a short but sweet campaign (with a decent story), three free-play scenarios with optional difficulty and a sandbox mode with adjustable parameters.”
“The story in the campaign is good, reminds me of Aven Colony and adds a fun dimension to the game.”
“Simple but engaging gameplay plus a surprisingly interesting campaign story.”
“The story is pretty dumb.”
“It's your standard 'we're on a strange new planet, maybe the corporation is bad' affair with a dose of 'the plot needs to happen' stupidity.”
“Side note: Sorry dev, but the 'story' and 'writing' is quite boring.”
- gameplay124 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique blend of colony simulation and puzzle-like terraforming mechanics, where players must strategically manage resources while adapting to random challenges. The turn-based system allows for thoughtful planning, with a gradual introduction of complexity that keeps the experience engaging and demanding. While the mechanics are generally well-designed and balanced, some players note issues with late-game food production and the randomness of terraforming elements, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the game offers a relaxing yet strategic experience, appealing to fans of city-building and resource management genres.
“Terraforming is the central mechanic - every few turns, you get a random 'puzzle piece' of terraforming technology, allowing you to reshape certain arrangements of land tiles into other, more favorable land tile arrangements.”
“Learning how to maximize the net benefits of every terraforming puzzle piece given to you lets you develop more of your land into a useful state fast enough to keep up with the gradually ramping difficulty via new game mechanics - colonist morale levels, punishing winter seasons, the unlocking of subterranean map layers, and oh-my-goodness-the-space-constraints-of-bad-map-seeds.”
“Compelling mechanics, fits well within the turn-based system and really scratches the itch of a 'turn-based city builder' quite well.”
“All of these things will combine to make the game very demanding, until you either master the mechanics or enter a slow-but-guaranteed death spiral.”
“It's also one of those games that is over as soon as it's done introducing new mechanics.”
“A hate-inducing mechanic that just makes it so what you can do is limited by the game's RNG.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by charming pixel art that many players find visually appealing and reminiscent of titles like "Into the Breach." While the overall aesthetic is praised for its clarity and unique style, some users note that certain elements can be cluttered or confusing, particularly in distinguishing buildings. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's relaxing atmosphere and engaging gameplay.
“Eye-pleasing art style, nice background music, and turn-based gameplay make it a relaxing experience.”
“The graphics give it a unique look and feel to the game.”
“I love everything about this game, from the beautiful pixel graphics to the deep relaxing gameplay, an easy must buy for strategy and sim fans.”
“The art style is a mishmash of different styles, none of them great, and the story is incredibly corny and juvenile, which feels really out of place.”
“The presentation did it no favors, as in contrast to the pretty pixel art used for the gameplay, the character artwork is bland and amateurish, suffering from a serious case of the same face syndrome.”
“My only gripe would probably be that graphically it gets a bit cluttered and I sometimes have a hard time pinpointing where I have built certain buildings, or if there are empty squares I can still build on somewhere in the center of my base.”
- music26 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players appreciating its pleasant and relaxing qualities that complement the gameplay. Some users highlighted the background music as a standout feature, while others felt that the full game's soundtrack did not live up to the demo's. Overall, the music is described as fitting and enjoyable, enhancing the overall experience despite some varying opinions on its impact.
“Eye-pleasing art style (probably inspired by Into the Breach), nice background music and turn-based gameplay make it a relaxing experience.”
“The hidden gem here however is the background music!”
“Best soundtrack award”
“Sounds effects are fine, but the music I wasn't thrilled about.”
“I also had a peek at the music (turning it off is usually the first thing I do along with getting any game into a window of a size I like).”
“Some bits remind me of a long ago game called Ascendancy (4X in space, turn-based), others of Jan Hammer, as well as a meditation music CD I have somewhere that someone gifted me in the early 90s.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the extensive terraforming required and repetitive clicking mechanics. While the early campaign levels serve as a lengthy tutorial, many hope for additional mechanics to alleviate potential grindiness in the later stages. Recent patches have improved some tedious elements, but concerns about the overall pacing remain.
“The first couple of levels of the campaign amount to an elaborate tutorial and were a bit tedious, but the rest of the game was worth the slog.”
“Nothing major, but clicking around can be a bit tedious (need to click every single wire, could use a click and drag option for example), and watching resources go into your storage each turn can take a while late game compared to the amount of time I actually play.”
“After half of the campaign, I worry that this will become grindy towards the end, but I hope there are some extra mechanics coming later.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mix of strong initial replayability due to its simple yet engaging mechanics and the potential for varied experiences, despite some concerns about long-term replay value after completing the campaign. While many players find enjoyment in replaying missions, others feel that the replayability diminishes significantly post-campaign. The game's affordability adds to its appeal, suggesting good value for the hours of entertainment it provides.
“This game is simple, deep, well-balanced, challenging, and has good replayability.”
“Relatively simple loop that has tons of replayability, even with its current limited missions.”
“I don't think there is much replayability once you have finished the campaign.”
“Sometimes it feels almost 'too random', but that will always feed its replayability in some way, so not a problem at all.”
“The game's price is so cheap compared to a potential of dozens of hours of replayability.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game is highly focused on optimization, particularly in terrain management, adjacency bonuses, and resource limitations, making it appealing for players who enjoy strategic terraforming puzzles.
“If you love terrain optimization with adjacency bonuses as well as managing limited resources coupled with a terraforming puzzle, this is definitely worth it.”
“The game is overly optimization-heavy, making it feel more like a chore than fun.”
“The focus on optimization detracts from the overall gameplay experience.”
“The optimization mechanics are convoluted and not user-friendly.”
