Farthest Frontier

87%
Game Brain Score Based on 7,606 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • optimization
Farthest Frontier Game Cover
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"Farthest Frontier" is a city-building simulation game set in the Middle Ages. Players must build a successful settlement in the wilderness by managing resources, trade, and diplomacy with neighboring tribes, while dealing with threats like disease, harsh winters, and rival factions. Emphasis is placed on creating a thriving, sustainable community with realistic townspeople and historical accuracy.

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Reviews

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 7,606 reviews
gameplay342 positive mentions
optimization149 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and immersive gameplay that captivates players.
  • Engaging resource management and farming mechanics that add depth to the game.
  • Regular updates from developers show commitment to improving the game and addressing player feedback.
  • Performance issues, especially with larger populations, leading to significant frame rate drops.
  • Lack of clear tutorials and guidance, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics.
  • Raid mechanics can feel repetitive and unbalanced, often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • gameplay1,070 mentions

    The gameplay of "Farthest Frontier" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating elements, particularly regarding AI behavior and resource management. While the game offers a rich city-building experience with innovative farming and production systems, players often find the mechanics repetitive and lacking depth in the late game, leading to a sense of tedium. Overall, the game is visually appealing and has solid core mechanics, but it requires further refinement and balancing to enhance the overall experience.

    • “Gameplay is not incredibly groundbreaking, but it gives a really nice level of control over your production chains, farms, market trading, and defense.”
    • “The gameplay is engaging without being tedious, and the upgrade system is a nice addition that has been fleshed out more than in other similar games.”
    • “It's a beautifully crafted game that offers deep, engaging, and rewarding gameplay.”
    • “Since the game is heavily reliant on AI for most of the gameplay, there are some portions of the AI that are kind of infuriating to deal with.”
    • “The gameplay loop ends in like 2 hours when you figure out the basics and proceed with repeating the same stuff all over again.”
    • “The game is okay at first, until you realize you have put hours in and there's a broken mechanic.”
  • graphics857 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and detail, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals, seasonal changes, and intricate animations that enhance the immersive experience. However, some players have reported performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios where frame rates drop significantly, even on high-end systems. Overall, while the aesthetics are generally considered excellent, there are calls for optimization to improve gameplay performance.

    • “I love the graphics, the effects such as weather and constantly changing harvesting grounds to go with it.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the leveling system makes sense, but it's not overly easy where I have progressed past the 1st town upgrade.”
    • “This is probably the biggest issue: even on my high-end rig during the later game phases, I get barely 20-25 fps on low graphic settings.”
    • “Graphics definitely do not justify how much it tasks your hardware; even the best of systems are struggling if you check the forums and other reviews.”
    • “The graphics engine isn't very efficient.”
  • optimization605 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly as population sizes increase beyond 200-500 inhabitants. Despite some patches aimed at improving performance, users continue to experience stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, even on high-end systems. Overall, while the game shows potential, its current state is deemed unplayable for many due to these optimization shortcomings.

    • “The game is relaxing and fun; however, it desperately needs optimization.”
    • “I understand this is an early access game, but they've had several optimization patches, and overall it's never noticeably improved the performance for me.”
    • “The only thing I wish is that end-game performance was a little smoother; although it is impressive that the game can run as smoothly as it does with a population of 1000.”
    • “Overall a decent simulation/colony sim, but it's exceptionally poorly optimized.”
    • “The performance in mid to late game is a large problem.”
    • “The game is certainly in need of optimization as on a high-end PC, there should not be this severe of lag/delay.”
  • grinding408 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players noting that while the farming system is intricate and engaging, it often becomes tedious due to excessive micromanagement and the need for constant oversight. Players appreciate the depth of the farming mechanics, including crop rotation and soil management, but express frustration over the repetitive tasks and the slow pace of resource gathering, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, while the farming system is praised for its complexity, it can feel overwhelming and lead to a grindy experience, especially in the late game.

    • “City builders are meant to be fun, not tedious.”
    • “Game is meant to be fun, not tedious!”
    • “There are weird things that happen, such as farmers not farming when they should for no reason, fixed by assigning and then reassigning them.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Farming is such a chore for little payback.”
    • “The farming system is explained terribly, the seasons go by too quickly to be impactful, villager behavior in regards to predators is nonsensical, the UI is missing obvious elements like showing idle villagers, flattening terrain is just a bog down mechanic that prevents fun looking hilly towns, the progression system is far too flat and there's no fanfare or depth to unlocks.”
  • music243 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of city-building gameplay. Many players appreciate the beautiful soundtrack, which complements the game's aesthetic, although some note that the limited variety can lead to repetitiveness over extended play sessions. Overall, the combination of calming music and appealing graphics contributes significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere.

    • “The music is beautiful, the graphics are gorgeous, I usually just play on pacify mode as I enjoy the more chill just building up your city mode.”
    • “The soundtrack is incredible and I find myself listening to it even while I'm not playing.”
    • “The music is fantastic - it suits the game, isn't overdone or intrusive.”
    • “These may look like nitpicks - but all of them in under an hour, as a new player, made me just close the game and go play Songs of Syx instead for the entire rest of my morning and I must say I had a much better time despite the slower pace.”
    • “I agree with another reviewer that the music is kinda meh - no happy tunes, so maybe make a playlist of fun city building music.”
    • “The music is basic, nothing extremely notable but nice for when you are playing.”
  • stability186 mentions

    The game's stability has been a significant concern among players, with many reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios. While some users acknowledge that the game is in early access and expect improvements, others express frustration over persistent freezing, screen tearing, and crashes, even on high-end systems. Overall, the consensus is that while the game shows potential, it currently suffers from a lack of optimization and stability, making it challenging to enjoy fully.

    • “Very stable and bug free for an early access game.”
    • “The time I have spent with this title so far is both highly enjoyable and almost entirely bug free.”
    • “Update: came back to the game with an updated PC and now a city with 400 population runs just as well as it did with less than 100; not sure if it's because of optimization changes or just the computer upgrade, but this game runs great now.”
    • “Technical: there was quite a lot of screen tearing, the performance overall seems pretty poorly optimized, and most importantly - every time you click a building, the entire game freezes for half a second.”
    • “Game freezes often for about 30 seconds.”
    • “I can't even get past the first few 'years' (a year is like 3-5 minutes) before a cascade of bugs and glitches makes the whole thing collapse, everything stops working.”
  • story135 mentions

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that it lacks a structured narrative, quests, or missions, making it feel aimless and like a sandbox experience. While some appreciate the potential for personal storytelling through gameplay, the overwhelming sentiment is a desire for a more engaging and guided narrative framework to enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers express hope for future updates that could introduce story elements or campaign modes to provide clearer objectives and depth.

    • “The slow pace of this game may not be for everyone, but if you immerse yourself into an imaginary story behind your town, it makes the game so enjoyable.”
    • “The fiddles and piano totally made you feel immersed in a story about a group of trailblazers trying to break free from the old life and take on a new life carved by themselves.”
    • “Overall, this is a great game, it's beautiful, the citizens walk at a good pace, most things make sense, and you are making your own story.”
    • “No quests, no reason to continue playing.”
    • “It doesn't have a campaign or a story - it's truly a sandbox game - so at times it can feel a bit aimless.”
    • “There are no missions, no scenarios, and no story (as of yet) despite giving you an opening cinematic montage of the reason you ventured into the wilderness.”
  • replayability88 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising the variety offered by random map generation and customizable difficulty settings, which encourage multiple playthroughs. However, some reviewers express concerns about repetitiveness and a lack of depth in late-game content, suggesting that while initial experiences can be engaging, the overall replay value may diminish after several sessions. Overall, the potential for replayability exists, but it may require further updates and content expansions to fully realize it.

    • “Various maps and difficulty levels make this highly replayable.”
    • “It also has high replay value, since you can customize the game difficulty and randomly generate new maps for your settlement.”
    • “The game has a very high level of replayability and it makes sure each play-through will feel different from the previous.”
    • “The geography does inspire any specific layouts, which really hurts replayability once you've figured out some optimal layout.”
    • “Overall I think it lacks replayability; after 3-4 games you have basically seen it all and there is little difference in your gameplay.”
    • “I really wanted to like Farthest Frontier more, but the unnecessary micromanagement, lack of replayability, and numerous bugs dampened my enthusiasm.”
  • atmosphere42 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring beautiful graphics, soothing music, and vibrant environmental details that transport players to a serene world. Reviewers highlight the cozy, bucolic feel of the settings, enhanced by seasonal changes and ambient sounds, making it a standout in the city-building genre. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's engaging experience, despite some minor performance issues.

    • “What captivated me about this game was its immersive atmosphere and vibrant flora.”
    • “Its beauty, immersive atmosphere, and ambient sounds transport players to another world, making it a worthwhile journey for those seeking a truly engaging gaming experience.”
    • “The art design and graphics are also so gorgeous, they really add to the atmosphere and immersion the game brings.”
    • “I'll be honest, since this is in early access, I would love to see either a mod or expansion with a fantasy D&D atmosphere.”
    • “Performance optimization is required; since it's early access, it's no big deal at this point. No major issues I encounter yet, just a few small bugs and hiccups. Other than that, even though they are totally different genres, Farthest Frontier's atmosphere accomplishes what Age of Empires 2 achieved back in the day.”
    • “I don't know why this is compared to Banished so much; Farthest Frontier nails the most important aspect of city building - atmosphere.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding joy in both intentional comedic elements and unintentional glitches, such as floating characters and absurd animal behavior. The developers are praised for their engaging updates and sense of humor, which enhances the community experience. However, some players note that while the humor is initially entertaining, the frequency of disasters can shift the tone from funny to frustrating.

    • “Even the early quirks mostly just made me laugh instead of frustrating the crap out of me (like not knowing why suddenly my entire army upped and left even though they were happy as a clam as far as their needs go - turns out money was in the wrong 'building' or whatever so they weren't paid. Cracked me up, one of the very few things I had to actually look up, but in the end it was just comical - especially me going what the hell just happened and trying to figure it out on my own).”
    • “I encountered some bugs during gameplay but it is to be expected, there was a silly one, a wounded woman floating while carrying herself to the healer: I found that so funny I cracked a laugh.”
    • “Enjoy building up your village and fending off raider attacks, until the game decides to send a raid that's roughly 1/3 the size of your total population, and your little rinky-dink town guard squad of 36 has no chance of fending off the 120+ raider swarm as they smash through your front gates or kool-aid man their way through any walls that look at them funny, then casually go about causing as much collateral damage as possible - not killing your villagers, not even pillaging or looting.”
    • “The constant disasters and negative events are overwhelming; it's not funny anymore, it's just torment.”
    • “The humor feels forced and falls flat, making the experience more frustrating than enjoyable.”
    • “I expected a lighthearted experience, but the jokes are repetitive and lack creativity.”
  • monetization8 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game features microtransactions and in-game purchases, which some players find off-putting, suggesting a potential cash grab. However, others appreciate the developer's commitment to quality, noting the absence of excessive microtransactions and high-quality DLC. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some players feeling frustrated by the monetization approach while others commend the game's value.

    • “Anything Crate Entertainment produces is blessed by the hands of their talented development team that listens to the community, produces only high-quality DLC, and has an absence of microtransactions.”
    • “Ideal city builder for people who are enticed by those fake ads for things like Rise of Kingdoms.”
    • “I keep having to re-roll the maps I get because they just suck for resource layout, and it takes forever to load. It even asks me if I'd like to close the program when it hangs up trying to load. I have a brand new computer now which runs faster than 95% of others according to benchmarks, but this game feels like a delayed cash grab right now.”
    • “This company seems like they really want to make a great game and not just a cash grab.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, feeling fulfilled by the experience of building and nurturing their medieval world, enhanced by a unique and cinematic soundtrack. However, some note a lack of narrative depth during raids, which diminishes emotional involvement in defending their settlements. Overall, the game fosters a sense of investment and care for the player's community, making the experience engaging and immersive.

    • “The soundtrack is like none I have seen in a game before; it gives a cinematic, heartfelt feeling of leading your village through the hardships of starting over and prospering from the sweat of your own brow. Despite playing like a madman for several days, I am yet to feel it is getting worn out.”
    • “I found I was actually getting emotionally invested in my settlement and cared about what was happening.”
    • “Needs more content and a few quality of life changes, but otherwise made me feel fulfilled building my medieval world.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

30hMedian play time
73hAverage play time
11-70hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 121 analyzed playthroughs

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