Life is Hard
- August 14, 2021
- Pirozhok Studio
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Life is Hard" is a survival simulation game where players must manage the needs and wants of a character in a post-Soviet setting. Gather resources, craft tools, and maintain relationships to ensure survival in a harsh, oppressive society. Experience the struggles of daily life, grinding work, and bureaucracy in this grim, yet realistic depiction of life in the former USSR.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential and interesting mechanics that could lead to a fun experience.
- The pixel art and music create a charming atmosphere that many players appreciate.
- The variety of gods and heroes adds depth to gameplay, allowing for different strategies and play styles.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and UI issues that significantly hinder gameplay, making it frustrating to play.
- Many players report game-breaking bugs, such as crashes, unresponsive villagers, and inability to progress.
- The tutorial is insufficient, leaving players confused about mechanics and how to effectively manage their village.
- gameplay42 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its interesting mechanics and potential, while others criticize it for being frustrating, buggy, and poorly executed. Many users express a desire for better tutorials, keybinding options, and clearer controls, as well as improvements to the user interface and overall game balance. Despite its flaws, some players find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, particularly for fans of city-building and management games.
“Love the game, however I wish there was a wiki on PC or a better guide in-game, and a keybinding menu. Other than that, it's great and I love the gameplay!”
“The gameplay itself is very fun (as a big fan of hard games, such as Darkest Dungeons/Banished, and city building/management games, such as City Skylines/Banished again, this game fits right into my loves) with a very nice feel to placing buildings, and the expansion, while somewhat constrained, feels great (with the constraint helping the building in a good way).”
“There is a variety of gods to mix up the gameplay slightly, which helps the game differ each time you play it as well.”
“Very frustrating gameplay; I also think the game is now abandoned.”
“Everything stops working once in a while, from the UI to mechanics, and you need to restart and hope that the bugs won't carry over to your new game.”
“Gameplay... gameplay is a horrible mess.”
- stability33 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, including issues with character movement, building repairs, and user interface responsiveness. Many players report that these problems make the game frustrating and at times unplayable, despite its promising concept and enjoyable elements. While some users find the game engaging, the overall consensus is that it remains in a very unstable and unfinished state, particularly in its early access phase.
“Miners get stuck, buildings can't be repaired, can't upgrade town hall due to 'build workshop message' despite having a workshop, soldiers stuck after archer tower destroyed, interface buggy, buttons don't always do what they're supposed to, etc. I stopped trying after 6 hours and 5 restarts; too many game-breaking bugs.”
“The game is still buggy beyond belief, and the developers have shown no intention of trying to fix the bugs that are currently in the game over introducing new content.”
“It is an interesting game with a lot of promise; however, the current state of the game is a buggy nightmare that is an unplayable mess.”
- music14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and suitability to different environments, with many players appreciating the relaxing main menu theme and the pleasant soundtracks that enhance the medieval fantasy atmosphere. However, some users report issues with the music disappearing during gameplay and express a desire for more consistent musical presence throughout the game. Overall, while the soundtrack is a highlight, technical problems detract from the experience.
“This game's music is very wonderful, and the different tracks for different areas (such as underground/enemy camps/your town) are exactly what I would want for each area and comparing to each other.”
“I love visuals, calming music and overall feel of the game.”
“Really pleasant music, I was really surprised to hear such soundtracks from an indie game.”
“The military units stop to execute attack orders, the building denial doesn't work, the mines have invisible walls that block miners from going deep and even the soundtrack melts after a long playthrough.”
“- Background songs stopped while playing the game for some reason (worked the first time only).”
“I just wish there was more music throughout the game, as it just disappears when you actually start playing.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have transitioned from hand-drawn to pixel art, which has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the medieval fantasy aesthetic and find the visuals calming and enjoyable, others feel that the pixel graphics, though nice, could be improved. Overall, the art style complements the game's theme, but technical issues detract from the experience.
“I'm personally also a huge medieval fantasy fan (played D&D/Pathfinder for almost 2 decades now) and this art style (along with the music as listed above) is again perfect for that genre for me.”
“I really like the graphics and enjoy slowly building up my town!”
“First off, I really like the pixelated art style the game gives.”
“It's been so long since I played it, but it seems they changed the art style from hand-drawn to pixel art now.”
“Life is hard; it looks like Kingdom art style-wise, and I imagine a lot of people compare it to it, but that's where the similarities end.”
“I love the visuals, calming music, and overall feel of the game, but right now the game has too many bugs that make it unplayable after some time, like you can't build/upgrade after some time, you can't move the camera, close the build menu, or go to the main menu when you press ESC.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and sometimes frustrating, with early fights feeling particularly laborious. While some appreciate the game's atmosphere and effort, the lack of automation in resource management, especially farming, detracts from the overall experience, making it feel clunky and less enjoyable.
“The grinding can feel a bit repetitive at times, but it also provides a satisfying sense of progression.”
“While the game has its grindy moments, the rewards make it worthwhile and keep me engaged.”
“I appreciate the grind; it allows me to fully immerse myself in the game and develop my character.”
“It's not fun, it's tedious.”
“So with the other minor and annoying glitches and grinding gameplay, I still can't recommend this.”
“The game feels clunky (the interface is subpar at best), and only a few parts of the resource management can be automated, which is not great for a 'strategy' game (imagine sending a worker in Starcraft to the mineral patch manually every time).”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its nostalgic qualities and the significant effort put into creating an immersive experience, despite some minor early-game challenges. While it features innovative mechanics that enhance the atmosphere, some players feel that certain aspects, particularly in comparison to similar titles, could be better executed.
“Great game with a lot of effort and atmosphere; other than some small tedious fights early on, the effort is well worth it.”
“It has novel mechanics and a great atmosphere.”
“It manages to recapture an atmosphere from games of yore.”
“The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, lacking the depth that draws players in.”
“Despite the game's setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real sense of immersion or tension.”
“The world feels empty and devoid of character, making it hard to connect with the environment.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and sometimes absurd elements, such as amusingly awkward phrasing and unexpected gameplay scenarios that elicit laughter. Players appreciate the blend of intentional comedic moments and the charm of characters who navigate the game in unconventional ways, making for an entertaining experience without veering into frustration.
“Thankfully not a game-ending bug; it's just weird and sometimes hilarious.”
“Some questionable wording (which I love), and this is hilarious, such as a towns person who does more damage notified as 'has got more damage.'”
“He is really good at playing games in horribly 'wrong' ways and is quite funny, but thankfully not stupid, so he can be watched without frustration.”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and not heavily narrative-driven, focusing instead on simple quests and gameplay mechanics typical of a city simulation. While it incorporates RPG elements, players should not expect an extensive storyline, as the current emphasis is on gameplay stability and enjoyment rather than a deep narrative experience. The game is in early access, suggesting that future updates may enhance the story aspect.
“The game is fun; it's a nice take on a 2D aspect, like a city sim, but with much more effort put into it. It's enjoyable to explore and upgrade your buildings, and while it provides simple quests, they are still fun to complete.”
“It's not a story-driven game right now, but it has RPG elements and quests. The focus is currently on creating a stable platform that works for everyone, with almost no bugs.”
“The game is challenging but enjoyable, and while it's in early access, I believe the story elements may evolve as the game develops.”
“The story feels like a rehash of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk tale, lacking originality and depth.”
“The narrative is predictable and fails to engage the player, making it hard to stay invested.”
“The characters are one-dimensional, and the plot twists are easily foreseeable.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is heavily criticized, with players reporting frequent issues such as beer production explosions that waste resources and require constant repairs, leading to frustration in late-game scenarios. Additionally, the unreliable saving system further detracts from the overall experience, overshadowing the enjoyable aspects of combat and faction management. Overall, the game is seen as poorly balanced and in need of significant optimization improvements.
“Not to mention 80% of the time you produce beer, it results in a beer explosion, wasting valuable resources to repair two buildings on either side of it. You're constantly repairing around the brewery, and when you finally do have beer, 70% of your village becomes intoxicated and sick. It's just the worst and most horrible late game I've ever experienced. The game claims to be challenging, but it's not; it's just poorly optimized and balanced in those areas. Combat is difficult but fun to manage, but that's about the only enjoyable aspect I found, alongside its factions.”
“It could use a lot of optimization because, from my experience, the saving system is unreliable.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts very high replayability, offering players the opportunity to explore various playstyles such as warring tribes, peaceful communities, or merchants. The depth and attention to detail enhance the overall experience, making it a compelling choice for repeated playthroughs.
“Very high replay value, although initially, it's a lot to adjust to.”
“You could be a warring tribe, a peaceful tribe, farmers, merchants, etc. With all of this quality and attention to detail, the high replay value is shaping up to be a beautiful little game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the emotional impact of gameplay, highlighting moments of unexpected failure and absurdity, such as a character dying from minor interactions, which can lead to feelings of anger and disappointment.
