Hard Times

About Hard Times

Hard Times is a single player survival management game. It was developed by Radical Fiction and was released on March 30, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

Hard Times is an extreme urban survival game where you have to put yourself into the shoes of a homeless man, taking on all the challenges that daily survival places in the great metropolis of indifference.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

86%Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

gameplay3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Deep, intense, and atmospheric gameplay that immerses players in a harsh survival experience during the Great Depression era.
High replayability with many player decisions impacting the storyline and the ability to explore a large city with diverse activities like farming, fishing, crafting, and quests.
Addictive and satisfying survival mechanics that challenge players to manage multiple needs such as hunger, hygiene, stamina, and avoiding law enforcement.

Some technical issues including bugs, crashes, lag, and clunky controls that can hinder gameplay experience.
The crafting system is seen as underwhelming and sometimes confusing, with some crafted items being useless or unusable.
The game can feel slow, overly difficult, or repetitive for some players, with aggressive AI (especially police) and a steep learning curve that may not appeal to everyone.

gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The gameplay is simple, smooth, and entertaining, featuring enjoyable crafting mechanics and a unique theme. While it may start off slow, it becomes engaging with added side quests and humor, creating a fun and satisfying experience overall.
- “It’s simple, smooth, and entertaining, with great gameplay and good vibes all around.”
- “I like the concept already and the overall crafting gameplay is fun.”
- “At first it may seem a bit boring, but after 30 minutes of gameplay you realize that it's an amazing game!”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 60% negative mentions
The story features simple mechanics with side quests, fetch missions, and fun events that complement the building and collecting gameplay. While enjoyable and worth trying for adventure fans, some players note issues like NPC collision bugs and a basic crafting system that slightly detract from the experience.
- “There are even quests that you can complete for rewards, and little fun events to experience, such as the concert.”
- “It is definitely worth a try if you like building, collecting, quests, and adventures.”
- “It is a good game, do not misunderstand me, but there are some things that I do not like, for example the collisions with the NPCs, when trying to fish, the NPC that gives you the fishing missions moves you and cancels the action. Since I started to measure the time, it took me 6 minutes to complete the action. In addition, there are errors like stores and trash cans updating every time you enter and leave an establishment (for example the church or the subway), which makes getting items too fast. The crafting system is very simple.”
- “There's some side quests and jokes, and its simple mechanics work well for what it is.”
- “+ has fetch quests that you can complete for rewards”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, -50% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The graphics of the game are simple and reminiscent of titles like RimWorld and Prison Architect, featuring a minimalist, top-down style that suits its simulation gameplay.
- “The graphics reminded me of Prison Architect :)”
- “Hard Times is a free hobo simulator with RimWorld graphics.”
- “The graphics reminded me of Prison Architect.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is praised for its quirky and humorous writing, adding a fun and entertaining layer to the challenging RPG gameplay.
- “Funny RPG.”
- “Difficult, quirky, and funny too.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game has some optimization issues, but they are minor and do not significantly impact the overall experience.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users highlight the game's high replayability as a key value, emphasizing that it justifies the price.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users feel the game’s music aspect lacks interactive features, suggesting the addition of musical instruments and busking as a more engaging way to earn money instead of begging or stealing.