Nightside

About

"Nightside is a 2-player Sci-Fi Real-Time Strategy game with single-player, co-op, and multi-player options. The story-driven campaign follows a human explorer on a dark planet with four distinct alien races and mobile bases. With no fog of war, fast-paced combat, and an intuitive interface, Nightside offers a balance of micro and macro management on 18 maps."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+10

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 164 reviews

gameplay18 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features clever lighting effects and a unique dark atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
Each of the four factions has distinct mechanics and playstyles, providing a fresh take on traditional RTS gameplay.
For its price, the game offers a solid and enjoyable experience, especially for fans of classic RTS games.

The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to frame drops and sluggish gameplay, especially in larger battles.
Many players find the game lacking in content, with a limited number of maps and missions that can feel repetitive.
The user interface and overall presentation are considered outdated and poorly designed, detracting from the overall experience.

story
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The game's story, while featuring a unique organic-alien vibe and a campaign of fourteen missions across four races, is criticized for its lack of depth and engaging content. Players note that the narrative is primarily conveyed through brief text messages and rudimentary cutscenes, leaving much to be desired in terms of character development and mission design. Overall, while the setting has potential, the execution results in a shallow experience that fails to captivate players.
- “The story revolves around you crashing on this planet, getting in contact with aliens and stumbling upon their age-old conflict.”
- “The story is told through small in-game cutscenes and text logs of the central character before each mission.”
- “Follow Adam, a human explorer, as he discovers the secrets of this dark world through a story-driven single-player campaign.”
- “The story is there, and that's it - just some text and a few short crappy clips made with the in-game engine.”
- “The 'story' is played at the start of each mission in very brief, snippets of a few images and a tiny caption at the end.”
- “As it stands, it's a mundane RTS with annoyingly dark areas (hence the name), no voiceovers (not even interface feedback), and poor story.”
gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by classic RTS mechanics that are both intuitive and varied across four distinct factions, offering a fresh take on elements like fog of war and resource management. However, players have noted significant optimization issues, lack of comprehensive tutorials, and frustrating controls that hinder the overall experience. While the mechanics are solid and the game pays homage to beloved titles like Command and Conquer and Starcraft, many feel it falls short due to slow pacing and unpolished features.
- “Happy because the four factions are visually and mechanically distinct, but are all very intuitive to use!”
- “Mechanically the game is very solid and the four playable races are varied and interesting.”
- “This game clearly pays homage to Command and Conquer and Starcraft with its faster-paced gameplay and overall RTS mechanics, and that faithfulness to RTS's of yore pays off with a fun and addicting strategy game.”
- “The moving buildings are quite slow and add little to the gameplay, because it's often needed to turtle up and build up.”
- “Not about the gameplay, but the controls make the game unplayable: you can't do queued actions, you can't select multiple buildings, and the campaign assumes you already know the game's mechanics.”
- “Really slow gameplay.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the unique art style, atmospheric lighting, and overall visual charm, while others criticize the lack of depth and distinguishability among units. Many appreciate the dark aesthetic and the integration of sound and visuals, but some express disappointment over the absence of customizable settings for better detail visibility. Overall, the graphics are described as decent but not universally appealing, with a notable divide in player satisfaction.
- “They did such a great job on creating a sci-fi atmosphere, full of sound effects, incredible graphics (the lighting in this game is amazing), animations, and such a cool art style.”
- “I love the art style and theme of this game.”
- “Nightside has a lot of charm underneath its dark aesthetic, the units and buildings themselves brighten up the areas around them, an interesting way of creating 'fog of war'.”
- “I hate the graphical style and the game is just completely devoid of depth.”
- “It's just not appealing in my opinion, neither in the sound department nor in the graphics department.”
- “I gave up entirely when I noticed how horrible the graphics were at the beginning. I regretted this game so much; good graphics and gameplay make for a highly successful game, but this had none of those two aspects.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
36%
14%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising it as the standout feature, describing it as catchy, atmospheric, and fitting for the game's themes. Some users noted its relaxing qualities and retro RTS vibes, while others found it repetitive and distracting, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant asset, despite some criticisms regarding its execution.
- “The music is incredible; all tracks are catchy and fitting to the atmosphere.”
- “I'm not a huge fan of techno, but the music composed for this during games is beautiful.”
- “I really like the soundtrack for the Nova's levels; they fit well and add to the game's overall atmosphere.”
- “Thought it looked good at first, but after a while it got boring and the music is almost all I hear.”
- “This game is seriously not worth £10, more like £2. It's copied Starcraft and failed; the music is horrible and distracting, and the game just looks bad in general.”
- “Even though Larian's legendary composer, Kirill Pokrovsky, who would later compose everybody's favorite soundtracks for Divinity games, made an appearance, it was a very poor C&C clone.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its foreboding and immersive qualities, enhanced by stunning visuals, effective sound design, and a captivating soundtrack. Players appreciate the dark, isolated setting that creates a sense of tension and intrigue, making it a relaxing yet engaging experience. Overall, the combination of graphics, sound effects, and art style contributes to a compelling sci-fi atmosphere that resonates well with players.
- “The game is completely dark outside of units' lights, which gives a huge sense of outlandish isolation.”
- “They did such a great job on creating a sci-fi atmosphere, full of sound effects, incredible graphics (the lighting in this game is amazing), animations, and such a cool art style.”
- “A solid RTS game that has a challenging campaign, very fun units, and diverse factions, all with a dark atmosphere, great soundtrack, and an intimidating shroud of darkness.”
- “Atmosphere: actually decent.”
- “Music is incredible; all tracks are catchy and fitting to the atmosphere.”
- “I really like the soundtrack for the Nova's levels; they fit well and add to the game's overall atmosphere.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly during large-scale battles where framerate drops are common, even on lower-end PCs. While the gameplay is enjoyable and features unique unit mechanics, many reviewers advise against it unless players are specifically seeking a new RTS experience, as the lack of optimization detracts from overall performance.
- “Overall it is a fun game and has some interesting twists for units, but unless you really need a new RTS, stick to something tested and optimized.”
- “Gameplay-wise it's a good game, but I can't recommend it because of optimization issues.”
- “Optimization isn't really there: when huge armies fight, the framerate drops constantly, even though my PC is rather outdated.”
- “Coding is not optimized, leading to slow gameplay issues.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game fails to evoke emotional engagement, leading to a lack of enjoyment for players despite their active involvement in gameplay.
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its lack of stability, with multiple reports of bugs and poor overall quality. Additionally, players note a limited variety of options for units and technology, further detracting from the experience.
- “This game is buggy, poorly made, and has few expansive options for units and tech.”

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