Ostriv
- March 19, 2020
- yevhen8
- 28h median play time
Get on Steam"Ostriv is a single-player Historical Strategy game with a focus on organic town layouts and realistic challenges. Though currently in development, it offers compelling gameplay, sensational graphics, and a memorable soundtrack, despite some grinding, bugs, and long waits for updates. Buy now to support the creation of a living, believable city-building experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and intricate building animations, allowing players to watch structures being built piece by piece.
- Ostriv offers a unique and immersive city-building experience set in 18th-century Ukraine, with a focus on realistic economic management and resource allocation.
- The developer is actively engaged with the community, providing regular updates and addressing bugs, which enhances the overall gaming experience.
- The game can be painfully slow, with long wait times for building construction and resource gathering, which may frustrate some players.
- There are significant balancing issues, particularly with the economy, making it challenging to maintain a stable population and manage resources effectively.
- As the game progresses, it can feel repetitive and lacking in endgame content, leading to a sense of stagnation once the initial challenges are overcome.
- graphics412 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many players appreciating the detailed building animations and the overall aesthetic that reflects a medieval atmosphere. While some reviews note that the graphics are not the most advanced compared to other titles, they effectively complement the game's style and mechanics, creating a relaxing and immersive experience. However, there are mentions of occasional graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly on certain hardware configurations.
“The graphics are stunning, with picturesque landscapes and beautifully designed structures that bring the world to life.”
“The attention to detail in both gameplay and graphics is stunning - it's the only sim/building game that I've ever cared enough to think carefully about how to place buildings and beautify their surroundings.”
“Beautiful graphics - sure, it's a medieval village, but the way buildings are being built, the actual gardens, farms - they look great.”
“Graphics are ho-hum although the building construction animations are very interesting to watch ... for a while.”
“Graphically, this game isn't outstanding at all; this is more about the gameplay and mechanics. If you came here for aesthetics, you'll be disappointed.”
“Literally dreadful, the game is buggy as hell. Buildings jump about in the air, bits of wood fly across the screen, and the people are half a person with or without all the minimal graphic options on or off. Even with everything switched off, it's awful. Do not buy this game; it's woeful.”
- gameplay402 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Ostriv is characterized by its slow, organic pace and deep mechanics that require time to master, offering a relaxing yet challenging experience for players. While the game features a variety of unique building and economic mechanics, some users noted a steep learning curve and occasional technical issues, particularly in its early access state. Overall, the game is praised for its attention to detail and immersive atmosphere, though some players expressed a desire for more content and clearer guidance on mechanics.
“The gameplay loops are solid and engaging even in early access, the art is lovely to watch, and there is just the right amount of depth to keep you busy without feeling like everything is spiraling out of your control.”
“The attention to detail is extraordinary, and the gameplay is comprehensive to say the least.”
“The game has a lot of depth in terms of the mechanics and the story, as there are several paths to success, plus different strategies you can employ.”
“There are no issues technical point wise, I saw some crashing experiences and not saving etc., I didn't encounter any issues regarding the technical side, it runs like butter, but can't imagine sinking hours into this, there is no goal to strive for, gameplay is dull and there is no progress scale.”
“The game became boring in 20-30 hours when I understood all game mechanics.”
“It feels like the majority of the main functions don't work, I've tried over and over and I want to love the game but its broken mechanics void me from this and make the game pretty much unplayable.”
- music182 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players describe the soundtrack as beautiful, relaxing, and fitting for the game's Ukrainian setting, although some note a lack of variety in the tracks. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a soothing escape for players.
“It's obviously a labour of love and that shows in everything from the game's art design through to the gorgeous soundtrack.”
“The soundtrack is amazing and the gameplay is very relaxing.”
“The music perfectly accompanies the leisurely and medievalesque rhythm.”
“There aren't many music tracks, so they'll repeat somewhat often.”
“If you're just waiting for building to build, the music gets old after 30 minutes of listening to it.”
“The music is well done; however, it did cause me to almost nod off a couple of times.”
- grinding104 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while many players find the farming and management systems engaging and unique, they also note that the micromanagement can become tedious, especially as the population grows. Some players appreciate the depth of the farming mechanics, including crop rotation and soil management, but others feel that the repetitive tasks can lead to burnout. Overall, the game offers a relaxing experience, but it may require significant time investment to navigate its complexities effectively.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“There is no tedious road building because this is the 18th century and the footpaths trodden by your people around points of interest is really the only necessary sign of somewhere being a ways.”
“On top of running out of actual manpower, if you make one mistake you lose most of your population, making the run practically unrecoverable or really tedious to recover.”
“This is a very tedious task and can be made so much better.”
“Spent an all-nighter playing this game because I really wanted to get over the many tedious humps early in the game and just got so burnt out that I will most likely just revisit this game when it's complete and maybe then it will have the quirks out of it that are driving me nuts.”
- story64 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that while the gameplay conveys a subtle message, it lacks a traditional narrative. Some users express a desire for a more structured story mode or campaign, highlighting that the current gameplay mechanics do not provide enough engaging content or challenges. Overall, while the game offers captivating mechanics and depth, the lack of a compelling story detracts from the experience for some players.
“The graphics, the gameplay, the story - everything is incredibly captivating.”
“The game has a lot of depth in terms of the mechanics and the story, as there are several paths to success, plus different strategies you can employ.”
“This game is like a beautiful blend of Cities: Skylines with a detailed, but not over-complicated city building system and Stardew Valley with a small dev team and a cute story to tell while being easy to sink many hours into.”
“The game seems to have a subtle message, even though there is no story - it is effectively delivered by the gameplay itself.”
“What is lacking is more action, some random events, little missions or problems to deal with.”
“I put yes to recommend this game for sandbox builders out there, but the game needs more work and the lack of story does put one to sleep during this game.”
- stability64 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 84 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting a range of bugs and glitches, some of which can be game-breaking, particularly when the population exceeds certain limits. While some users have experienced crashes and freezing issues, others find the game surprisingly stable for an alpha version, suggesting that performance may vary based on individual setups. Overall, while there are notable stability concerns, many players still enjoy the game and recommend it, especially as it continues to receive updates.
“Surprisingly stable & bug free for an alpha.”
“Awesome game, satisfying content, good documentation, intuitive controls, very well done, no glitches or abnormalities, and excellent community guides.”
“The dev is responsive to any issues you may have (I had one, but the game is bug free). It's a great city builder that leaves out the violence of attacks, raids, and warring factions - thank god.”
“A lot of the times you have to completely start over and do it all again due to the game-breaking bugs/glitches.”
“There are small glitches which are easily fixed, and those are mostly easy to bypass, but the game's constant crashes make it unplayable for me; I have checked and I am not the only player to have this issue.”
“Sure this game is in alpha so glitches and crashes are expected, but even after starting the game, my game crashes at random between 10 and 30 minutes to hours after. If my city's population goes above 100, it crashes upon launching, sometimes even on the menu screen.”
- optimization62 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and quick loading times, others experience crashes and significant frame rate drops, especially in larger towns or when viewing detailed environments. Many users express hope for future updates to improve performance, particularly regarding CPU and GPU demands. Despite its early access status, several players find the game runs well with proper organization, though some still face issues that detract from the experience.
“The frequent updates are very nice, and I swear it is the most optimized game in the world; it loads, saves, and starts new games in less than a second.”
“I have been so impressed by the attention to detail and the overall performance of the game; I haven't yet seen any lag when my towns grow very large.”
“Beautiful, runs smoothly, encourages organic village design, and gives a feeling of peace.”
“So I would say optimization isn't there yet, at least for me.”
“Resource management is one thing, but the treasury is so badly optimized that you will see your treasury drop every month, slowly little by little.”
“The game really struggles performance-wise; it's early access so that's to be expected to some degree - but from the outset, the framerate halves when you're looking at trees, and it steadily goes down as your town grows - even on a high-end GPU.”
- atmosphere60 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its depth and detail, featuring a relaxing and immersive environment enhanced by soothing medieval music and beautiful graphics. Players appreciate the authentic representation of a Ukrainian village, the intricate city-building mechanics, and the overall calming experience that invites them to invest time in the game. The combination of ambient sounds, aesthetic visuals, and a slow-paced gameplay style contributes to a cozy and meditative atmosphere that many find enjoyable and comforting.
“A breathtaking atmosphere of a village, meditative gameplay and audio.”
“From the architectural styles to the authentic sounds and ambient atmosphere, Ostriv transports you to a bygone era in a way that few games can.”
“The music and atmosphere is one of a kind.”
“I desperately would love more decorations though, because with such a slow-paced game I could spend downtime really building the atmosphere!”
“It's very slow-paced as well, lots of time spent will just be waiting for things to be built or produced but it really adds to the very comfy and chill atmosphere.”
“However, there's another level of sophistication in the way that villages can be designed and laid out, or philosophies of arranging the economy between trade and internal economies, and the systems behind that lend themselves to the atmosphere of managing an 18th century country village.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is considered highly replayable, with many users praising its fun mechanics and unlimited replay value. However, some critiques highlight a lack of purpose and continuity that may hinder replayability in its current state. Suggestions for improvement include the addition of a seeded or random map generator to enhance the experience further.
“It is not as simple as it appears, but it is lots of fun with unlimited replay value.”
“A seeded or random map generator would also make for added replayability.”
“I would give this game a 10/10 because it definitely has a replayable factor.”
“The game in its current state lacks purpose and continuity, resulting in low replayability.”
“A seeded or random map generator would greatly enhance the game's replayability.”
“The game currently offers minimal replayability due to its repetitive nature.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be a deeply emotional experience, highlighting its beautiful and calming atmosphere, as well as its historical accuracy. The immersive elements, such as memorials that evoke personal stories, resonate particularly with Ukrainian players, making it not just a city simulator but a heartfelt tribute to their culture and history.
“It is immersive, and in an emotional way; for instance, clicking on a gravestone shows you the memorial, and you can remember when that person first arrived in the village and so on.”
“Beautiful, wholesome, calming, and historically accurate.”
“And as a Ukrainian, I find it touching; the only thing needed is Cossacks.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the stark contrast between the financial situations of the villagers, with most being nearly broke while a select few possess significantly more wealth, creating a comedic disparity.
“It's hilarious when most of the villagers have barely any money, and then there are a few who have 500 or more.”
