Industries of Titan
- January 31, 2023
- Brace Yourself Games
- 10h median play time
Industries of Titan starts strong and has some bold ideas, but they just don't really go anywhere.
"Industries of Titan" is a city-building/management sim set on the moon of Saturn. You must build and optimize industrial factories, while dealing with rival corporations, political intrigue, and hazardous alien environments. Create a self-sustaining empire by balancing resource production, worker management, and research advancements.
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of city building and factory management, allowing players to build inside buildings and customize their layouts.
- The art style and soundtrack are praised for their quality, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- The developers are actively updating the game and engaging with the community, showing commitment to improving the game over time.
- Many players feel the game lacks depth and becomes repetitive after a few hours, with limited content and few meaningful progression mechanics.
- The combat system is criticized for being simplistic and unbalanced, with ships only able to engage in 1v1 battles, which detracts from the strategic elements.
- There are numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and AI pathfinding problems, which hinder the overall experience.
- gameplay217 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its artistic design and unique mechanics but criticizing the overall depth and execution. While some mechanics are seen as interesting, they often feel incomplete or poorly integrated, leading to a repetitive and shallow experience, especially in the late game. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant refinement and additional content to enhance the core gameplay loop.
“Absolutely love the gameplay, art style, story, and unique NPCs.”
“The overall gameplay loop is a healthy mix of micro and macro operations.”
“The mechanics of the game are intriguing and slowly change as the game continues.”
“The game has several issues right now: (1) a buggy transportation hub that can just stop working, making building a spread-out city almost impossible, (2) removing their own core mechanic of a modular building inside a building by making it more convenient and sometimes even more effective replacement buildings that you just place down, and (3) a rather small amount of building variety considering there is a campaign - why allow us to unlock so much in the first map?”
“It's very disappointing that there's a lot of mechanics, but none of them really provide depth.”
“The game has a solid gameplay loop for the first few hours but it does get a bit repetitive afterward, as the number of different buildings you have access to is quite low and the resource management aspect is fun but a bit shallow.”
- music100 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its quality, atmosphere, and ability to enhance the overall experience. Composed by Danny Baranowsky, the soundtrack is described as immersive, fitting perfectly within the game's aesthetic and setting, and is often highlighted as the standout feature amidst critiques of gameplay mechanics. While some players noted a desire for more variety in the soundtrack, the existing tracks are consistently regarded as excellent and enjoyable.
“The electronic nature of the music ties really well into the atmosphere of the game set in a dystopian corporate future located on the largest moon of Saturn where everything you see around has been utterly desolated as you attempt to rebuild what was once lost.”
“The soundtrack is top notch and fits the game perfectly.”
“A lovely game that is very well done and has a great art style, rocking soundtrack and simple yet effective mechanics; I look forward to seeing what the devs have in store over time.”
“When the included soundtrack gets stale, pop on a synthwave playlist from Spotify or Tidal in the background and enjoy the ambience.”
“I note that the early access OST differs considerably from the full game's, which initially surprised me as I believed the OST was already completed by then.”
“It's got awesome style and a really banger soundtrack but it lacks a real point and the roadmap for early access removed the stuff I was most excited for right before release.”
- graphics93 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style, vibrant visuals, and immersive sound design, creating a captivating aesthetic experience. Many players appreciate the unique voxel art and cyberpunk themes, noting that the graphics enhance the overall enjoyment despite some gameplay shortcomings. However, some users mention performance issues and a lack of depth in gameplay, suggesting that while the visuals are impressive, they do not fully compensate for the game's mechanical flaws.
“The visuals are gorgeous, particularly once your city is more established.”
“From the moment you start playing, you'll be immediately drawn in by the game's stunning graphics and immersive sound design.”
“This game is amazing: graphics are super crisp and the sci-fi industrial/dystopic art style is wonderful!”
“Graphics are fine - blocky pixellation but it works.”
“No variety of graphics settings would prevent the eventual crash and extremely sluggish performance in the end game.”
“When I reviewed this, I just finished this game. I expected there would be bugs in the early access period and I quite like the concept and graphics in this game, but actually there are still many that are lacking, such as gameplay. In my opinion, something still feels lacking; I hope with the upcoming update it will get better.”
- story39 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing yet ultimately unsatisfying, with many players feeling that it lacks meaningful progression and resolution. While the cyberpunk ambiance and unique NPCs are appreciated, the repetitive missions and lack of impactful storytelling detract from the overall experience. Despite some engaging elements, the narrative often feels disconnected from the gameplay, leading to frustration among players who hoped for a more cohesive and evolving story.
“Absolutely love the gameplay, art style, story, and unique NPCs.”
“The ambiance, story, lore, and general universe this takes place in is beautifully rendered, down to making your residents watch ads all day to make you money!”
“Whether you're a seasoned strategy game player or a newcomer to the genre, the game's deep mechanics and compelling storyline will keep you engaged for hours on end.”
“I probably would not have bought this if I realized that nothing changes after the first mission.”
“They spent so much time on the story, something a city builder hardly even needs, and then drop all the threads anyway, making you a fool for getting invested in any character.”
“The game has a theme, but the story and gameplay constantly contradict this theme to the point where I just find it being more like a laughing stock than trying to be anything.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Many reviews highlight the complicated UI, lack of challenge, and the time-consuming nature of tasks, which lead to a frustrating gameplay loop. Despite some potential in the game's concept, the execution feels like a grind rather than an engaging experience.
“This game, as it stands is boring, repetitive, and tedious.”
“The gameplay loop is boring and grindy.”
“The idea is great and there's definitely something there, but it's far too complicated and tedious to be fun.”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive dystopian setting, enhanced by a fitting electronic soundtrack and strong visual design. Reviewers highlight the compelling lore and aesthetic elements that create a captivating experience, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay execution and depth. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a significant strength, drawing players into its richly crafted world.
“The electronic nature of the music ties really well into the atmosphere of the game set in a dystopian corporate future located on the largest moon of Saturn where everything you see around has been utterly desolated as you attempt to rebuild what was once lost.”
“A game with a phenomenal atmosphere and amazing potential, unrealized by its developers who appear to have forgotten what they were making and lost passion for their project.”
“Came for city-building, stayed for cyberpunk atmosphere and brilliant OST.”
“I regret not getting a refund when I first purchased it; such quality when it comes to style and atmosphere and concept, but it just falls flat when it comes to feel, gameplay, and execution.”
“Despite the atmosphere, it's a very simplistic game, and once you've unlocked all the buildings, there's not much to do apart from gathering resources and building bigger ships to fight these boring one-on-one pew pew battles with rebel ships.”
“The current balance leads to a lot of 'gotcha' moments, and some fairly important mechanics (such as fuel being depleted and replenished from the atmosphere) are not covered in the tutorial, which can really cripple you early on.”
- monetization16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 81 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for its heavy reliance on forcing in-game citizens to watch advertisements as a primary means of generating revenue, creating a dystopian and tedious gameplay experience. Players feel this mechanic reflects a cash grab mentality, detracting from the overall enjoyment and depth of the game, while also drawing parallels to exploitative labor practices. The humor in the concept is overshadowed by the repetitive and uninspired execution, leading to dissatisfaction with the endgame.
“Everything is just unlocked by 'credits' that you accumulate from having citizen pops use monetization stations, and then credits are used to purchase blueprints for ship chassis and buildings.”
“Ironic that I force my citizens into 'monetization stations' while I sit at my PC 8 hours a day.”
“The ambiance, story, lore, and general universe this takes place in is beautifully rendered, down to making your residents watch ads all day to make you money!”
“Your main method of money is forcing people into cubicles to watch ads.”
“Not only is this game about being hit rapper Susan Wojcicki enslaving all citizens to watch ads all day, but being epic Fortniter Jeff Bezos refusing to give your workers anything higher than minimum wage or any breaks; they do not sleep, they do not eat, all they do is work.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report smooth performance with no crashes, others experience significant slowdowns and FPS drops, particularly in late-game scenarios. Despite some updates aimed at improving performance, issues like sluggishness and occasional lag persist, especially when the game reaches higher complexity levels. Overall, players are hopeful for future optimization improvements from the developers.
“Well optimized; no FPS drops or stutters at all.”
“Very promising game, super fun already, great soundtrack and addicting layout optimization.”
“So far there have been no crashes; it runs smoothly, even on my 8-year-old PC.”
“No variety of graphics settings would prevent the eventual crash and extremely sluggish performance in the end game.”
“Although Brace Yourself Games implemented some updates during early access to optimize gameplay, it still suffers from slow performance and the occasional lag when you pass a certain number of employees.”
“There's a distinct art style and theme here that has a lot of merit, but the mechanics are currently poorly optimized and implemented: refinement is novel, but unintuitive; roads are neat, but next to useless as you can complete a game without ever using them.”
- stability14 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many players experiencing frequent freezes and bugs, particularly with transportation hubs and AI functionality. While some users report enjoying the gameplay despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game feels unfinished and requires significant improvements before it can be considered stable. Players are advised to approach it cautiously, as it currently resembles more of a playtest than a polished product.
“I waited until the 1.0 release hoping that would mean something vs. early access, but I can't go for more than 7-8 minutes without having to use Task Manager to reload the game and start over after total freezes.”
“The game is a buggy mess, being pushed into the market as an early access title; they think early access means a subpar game and easy money.”
“Poor performance - accidental freezes and FPS drops on high-end PC (3090, envm evo 970).”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its distinct characters and dark, dystopian humor, with writing that cleverly satirizes societal issues through absurd scenarios, such as citizens being forced to watch advertisements. Reviewers highlight the humor as a standout feature, comparing it to the wit of GLaDOS and noting its ability to blend comedy with a critique of modern life. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm to the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable for fans of dark comedy.
“The characters have their own distinct personalities and are hilarious, in a good way.”
“The writing is very funny in a dystopian dark humor kind of way.”
“There's a certain dark and dystopian humor to the game which I enjoy.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the random generation of maps and the favor system that enhances replay value, many others criticize it for being too short and lacking meaningful replay options. Some reviews highlight a significant drop in replayability due to perceived simplifications and unmet expectations.
“The campaign adds replay value due to the favor system and the fact that the maps and research tree are randomly generated; no playthrough is the same.”
“But the replayability is huge.”
“Too short, but has replayability value.”
“No replayability, dumbed down, and broken promises...”
“I don't see much replay value in this game.”
“In current state, replayability is non-existent.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players experience a mix of frustration and satisfaction while navigating the game's systems, often feeling emotionally conflicted between enjoyment and a sense of wasted time.
“I emotionally switch between grumpy and happy when trying to balance all the systems and resources.”