Realpolitiks

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 503 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

Highly replayable with a variety of countries to choose from and different scenarios.
Engaging mechanics that allow players to manage resources, conduct diplomacy, and engage in warfare.
Interesting political and economic systems that reflect modern-day geopolitics.

Simplistic and unrealistic war mechanics that often rely on random number generation.
Lack of depth in diplomacy and economic management, making the game feel shallow.
Numerous bugs and balance issues that detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
65%
14%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of intriguing mechanics and significant flaws, particularly in its war and diplomatic systems, which many players find lacking depth and clarity. While veterans of strategy games may appreciate the complexity and variety of scenarios, newcomers often struggle with the steep learning curve due to inadequate tutorials and a confusing user interface. Overall, the game offers a unique concept and some engaging elements, but its execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a mixed reception among players.
- “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.”
- “If you're willing to invest the time and effort required to master its mechanics, you'll find yourself engrossed in a world of diplomacy, espionage, and strategic decision-making as you strive for global domination.”
- “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.”
story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
81%
10%
The story aspect of "Realpolitiks" is characterized by a non-linear narrative that allows players to create their own geopolitical scenarios through various missions and challenges, rather than following a scripted campaign. While the game offers intriguing settings and outcomes, some players find the international politics and mission mechanics to be simplistic and occasionally frustrating, particularly regarding espionage failures and the impact of player actions on the overall narrative. The inclusion of DLCs adds alternative scenarios, but opinions on their usefulness vary, with some content feeling redundant or poorly designed.
- “Although the base game is okay, I strongly recommend that you also buy the DLCs with the game since you get two alternative timeline scenarios from the future and also new missions too.”
- “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 overall setting and story outcomes are quite intriguing, but that's just all.”
- “The next issue I have with it is the way the game handles spy missions; a 99% rate of failure, which after experimenting with I have confirmed, even with the research into spying maxed out, gets old and fairly annoying, and sometimes angering, very quickly.”
- “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.”
- “There are some story-based features that are unrealistic.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The graphics of "realpolitiks" are generally described as functional but unremarkable, lacking the polish of more advanced strategy games. While the user interface is clean and allows for gameplay focus, the visuals are basic, featuring simple 2D/3D models and a polished world map that do not stand out in comparison to titles like "Civilization VI" or "Europa Universalis." Overall, while the graphics serve their purpose, they do not enhance the gaming experience significantly.
- “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.”
- “While not the most robust strategy game out there, it can be entertaining and has a charming art style.”
- “Graphically, you see a polished world map with airplanes flying around and ships traveling from one sea to another.”
- “Graphically, not much to talk about; it's a simple map and basic 2D/3D models that can be altered by in-game options.”
- “Another frustrating aspect is the graphical user interface.”
- “Forget the fact it performs poorly with terrible graphics.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
29%
21%
Overall, the game offers substantial replayability due to its diverse choices and outcomes, allowing players to explore different strategies and scenarios. While some users find it highly addictive and engaging, others note that it may become repetitive over time. Despite varying opinions, many agree that it provides decent replay value, especially considering its price.
- “Realpolitiks offers substantial replayability, as every choice can lead to different outcomes.”
- “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.”
- “It isn't a bad game, but I don't see much replayability.”
- “Buying this game, I thought I would find a more playable alternative from the 'Geopolitical Simulator' series.”
- “Well, its replayability isn't as high as Europa, but it's got some charm to it.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
93%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including game-breaking issues and frequent freezes. While some players have noted that the game runs smoothly on certain systems, the overall consensus leans towards it being a "buggy mess" that requires 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've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “Extremely buggy.”
- “Update 102 extra hours in: same thing, very, very buggy.”
- “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.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The music in "realpolitiks" receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it adequate and fitting for the game's themes, while others describe it as jarring and obnoxious, detracting from the overall experience. While the soundtrack may evoke nostalgia for some, many users express a desire to mute it due to its poor integration with the gameplay. Overall, the sound design is seen as functional but lacking in memorability and coherence.
- “The sound design in 'realpolitiks' is adequate, with a suitable soundtrack that complements the game's political and strategic themes.”
- “And most of the time after not playing a game for a while and 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 and it 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.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
Overall, the game is praised for its strong optimization, featuring quick load times and stable performance even in complex scenarios. However, some users noted that there are areas for improvement, particularly regarding speed and clarity on performance metrics. Despite these minor criticisms, the general consensus highlights the game's solid performance and polish.
- “It's well-optimized, with quick load times and stable performance even during complex scenarios with numerous active elements.”
- “Starting with the great is the PC performance, stability of the game, and overall polish... it's damn good.”
- “Well-optimized performance”
- “One of the only grand strategy games set in the modern/near future era, but it's poorly optimized; a year takes a real-time hour to process.”
- “War is boring, and it's never clear how I can improve my performance, as performance isn't listed.”
- “Right off the bat, the game needs better optimization.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players appreciating the comedic loading screens and the absurdity of political scenarios, such as being a democratically elected totalitarian. While the overall gameplay may have its flaws, the humorous elements, including witty artwork and amusing headings, contribute to an entertaining experience that lightens the strategic challenges.
- “I would give it a solid 3/10 for everything - would have been 2/10 if not the funny loading screens.”
- “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.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and stressful, often requiring excessive time investment that can feel overwhelming. The simplicity of the gameplay, combined with repetitive tasks and cumbersome mechanics, contributes to a sense of boredom and frustration, making the experience less enjoyable. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the game's potential.
- “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.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “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.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The monetization of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with the outdated version still being sold for $15 despite the release of a superior sequel. Additionally, there are mentions of microtransactions, which some users view as being for a good cause, though the overall sentiment leans towards dissatisfaction with the pricing strategy.
- “Microtransactions for a good cause.”
- “Finally they superseded this game with Realpolitiks 2, but they left this deficient, obsolete version of the game on sale, as a cash grab, for a whopping $15 USD.”
- “Microtransactions for a good cause 😈”
- “Microtransactions for a good cause 😈”