Realpolitiks
- February 16, 2017
- Jujubee S.A.
- 43h median play time
Get on Steam"Realpolitiks" is a single-player historical strategy game that offers a realistic experience of being a contemporary world leader, with the ability to try out the demo before purchasing. However, the game has been reported to have bugs and may require updates. Completion of the game takes approximately 43 hours.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Linux
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game offers a unique take on grand strategy by focusing on modern geopolitics and allowing players to control any nation.
- The depth of gameplay lies in its intricate system of policies, economic management, and international relations, providing a broad spectrum of challenges.
- The game performs well on a range of PC setups, with quick load times and stable performance even during complex scenarios.
- The RNG mechanics are profoundly broken, leading to frustrating gameplay where players can repeatedly fail actions despite high success probabilities.
- The learning curve can be steep for newcomers, with a lack of comprehensive tutorials and guidance on game mechanics.
- The graphics and sound design are functional but unimpressive, lacking the visual flair and immersive audio experience found in other modern strategy games.
- gameplay84 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a complex system of policies and economic management, appealing to veterans of the strategy genre, though beginners may struggle due to a lack of tutorials and opaque mechanics. While some players appreciate the depth and potential for strategic variety, many criticize the slow pace, shallow mechanics, and poorly implemented war systems, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game offers an interesting concept but suffers from significant design flaws that hinder its execution and enjoyment.
“The depth of the gameplay lies in its intricate system of policies, economic management, and international relations.”
“These scenarios provide different goals and obstacles, keeping the gameplay fresh.”
“Good game with a large amount of depth and fascinating gameplay.”
“The idea of this game is awesome, but the implementation of the gameplay is awful.”
“The gameplay is extremely slow and boring, especially the formation of blocks (alliances) and research of new tech.”
“Boring gameplay, no clue what I was supposed to do, and most of all, you can never win a single war, not a single.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of "realpolitiks" are generally described as functional but not impressive, featuring simple 2D/3D models and a basic map design. While some players appreciate the charming art style and find the visuals adequate for gameplay, others criticize the lack of detail and poor performance. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose but do not stand out in comparison to other strategy games.
“I have a bit mixed feelings about this game; first of all it's a great introduction to the concept of realpolitics, geopolitics etc and I truly enjoy the art and visuals.”
“It still is a fun game and the graphics, for what they are, are pretty good.”
“While not the most robust strategy game out there, it can be entertaining and has a charming art style.”
“While the graphics and sound design are not its strongest points, the depth of gameplay and variety of scenarios make it a worthwhile title for strategy enthusiasts.”
“Graphically, not much to talk about; it's a simple map and basic 2D/3D models on the map that can be altered by in-game options.”
“Forget the fact it performs poorly with terrible graphics.”
- story18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story in "realpolitiks" is non-linear, featuring various scenarios that reflect real-world and fictional geopolitical challenges, with a focus on diplomatic relations and espionage. While the game offers intriguing settings and impactful decisions, players criticize the simplistic and scripted nature of international politics, as well as the frustrating mechanics of spy missions. Overall, the narrative experience feels more like playing a character within a constrained story rather than managing a nation in a dynamic sandbox.
“The game wants you to have a specific experience which really makes it feel like you're playing a character in a story, not a nation in a sandbox.”
“The actions you make have a very big impact on the gameplay and story.”
“The overall setting and story outcomes are quite intriguing, but that's just all.”
“International politics are poorly written and based mostly on simple scripts; for example, the Olympics or space colonization missions are just a 'throw money at it,' and so is most of the remaining game interaction.”
“The next issue I have with it is the way the game handles spy missions; a 99% rate of failure, which I have confirmed even with the research into spying maxed out, gets old and fairly annoying, and sometimes angering, very quickly.”
“The game wants you to have a specific experience, which really makes it feel like you're playing a character in a story, not a nation in a sandbox.”
- stability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- -18 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is highly inconsistent, with many users reporting frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including game-breaking issues like unresponsive AI during peace negotiations. While some players have experienced smooth performance, the overall sentiment leans towards the game being a "buggy mess" that requires significant patience to enjoy.
“Runs great on my old MacBook Pro Retina 13.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action scenes.”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which is impressive for a game of this scale.”
“A buggy mess.”
“Constantly freezes up.”
“Game is buggy with occasional game-breaking glitches such as when you send a peace offer and the AI doesn't reject or accept, preventing you from sending another peace offer.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is generally well-optimized, featuring quick load times and stable performance during complex scenarios. However, some users noted inconsistencies, with a few expressing a desire for clearer performance metrics and improvements in certain areas.
“It's well-optimized, with quick load times and stable performance even during complex scenarios with numerous active elements.”
“Well-optimized performance”
“The lack of higher speeds is especially strange considering the performance seemed pretty good most of the time.”
“War is boring, and it's never clear how I can improve my performance, as performance isn't listed.”
“Right off the bat, it needs better optimization.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in "realpolitiks" receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its ability to evoke nostalgia, while others find it jarring and poorly suited to the game's themes. Critics highlight the soundtrack as loud and obnoxious, detracting from the overall experience and prompting them to turn it off. Overall, the sound design is deemed adequate but inconsistent in its effectiveness.
“The sound design in 'Realpolitiks' is adequate, with a suitable soundtrack that complements the game's political and strategic themes.”
“Most of the time, after not playing a game for a while, you launch the game and hear the music; you instantly feel nostalgic and want to hop into the game.”
“The soundtrack, my goodness, sounds like epic music from Hans Zimmer!”
“Forget the terrible soundtrack, the poor scaling, which makes certain text unreadable.”
“But instead I hear this loud, obnoxious music that makes me leave the game and uninstall again.”
“The music is jarring and does not fit with the game, and my impulse after 15 minutes was to turn it off and play other music in the background.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, users find the game to have good replayability, noting its addictive nature and charm despite some limitations compared to more intricate titles in the genre. While it may not reach the replayability levels of games like Europa, players appreciate the value it offers for its price.
“This is a highly addictive game with great replayability value.”
“It's perhaps not as intricate as some of the others in the genre, but I feel it has good replay value, and for the price, it's a great buy.”
“Buying this game, I thought I would find a more playable alternative to the 'Geopolitical Simulator' series.”
“It has a couple of issues for my liking regarding replayability.”
“Well, its replayability isn't as high as Europa, but it's got some charm to it.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted through its satirical take on diplomacy and politics, featuring amusing artwork and clever headings that add a comedic flair to the gameplay. While the game is described as funny and challenging, some players feel that the war mechanics and AI could use improvement, with humor being most effective in the artwork and loading screens. Overall, the blend of humor with classic strategy elements is well-received, despite some shortcomings in execution.
“Good game, maybe only a little short with some features, but still funny and challenging.”
“Take your classic paradox-style turn-based strategy game, pump some steroids and humor into it, and you'll be close to understanding what realpolitiks here.”
“Best part about this is the loading screen art is funny.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and stressful, with repetitive tasks that detract from the overall enjoyment. The simplicity of the gameplay, combined with the lack of engaging content, leads to a shallow experience that can feel monotonous, particularly during war combat where multiple confirmations are required for each action.
“The playability factor is about fifty percent; this is because you will find that after some time of playing, it can become very tedious and stressful. The game itself is simple, and there is not a lot to talk about in relation to world domination.”
“But this game has me grinding my teeth into fairy dust.”
“The war combat is also extremely tedious; you have to choose an attack plan so many times, and after each, close a confirm dialog, and repeat.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews suggest that while most countries do not overtly control their citizens, they subtly influence behavior and opinions through various forms of monetization, such as advertising and public initiatives.
