RIOT: Civil Unrest

Great care is put into representing the historical riots portrayed in RIOT – Civil Unrest. It’s a shame the gameplay often lets down the great direction with plenty of irritating bugs and balance issues.

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RIOT: Civil Unrest is a real-time strategy game that simulates political protests and riots around the world. Players can choose to lead protestors or police forces, using non-violent or violent tactics to achieve their goals. The game features four campaigns based on true events, with multiple levels and objectives to complete. It also includes a level editor for players to create and share their own scenarios.

Play Modes

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

Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 697 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

stability45 negative mentions

The game features a unique concept that explores the dynamics of riots and protests, allowing players to experience both sides of the conflict.
The pixel art style and sound design are praised for their quality, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
The game has potential for deep strategy and replayability, with various equipment and tactics available for both police and rioters.

The controls and user interface are clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to manage units effectively during chaotic scenarios.
The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and lag, especially when many units are on screen.
There is a lack of clear tutorials and explanations for mechanics, leaving players confused about how to effectively use abilities and manage their units.

gameplay
151 mentions
23 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players citing confusing mechanics, poor controls, and a lack of clear instructions as major issues. While some aspects of the gameplay can be enjoyable, the overall experience is marred by bugs, unresponsive mechanics, and a feeling of frustration rather than fun. Despite its interesting concept and appealing graphics, the execution of gameplay leaves much to be desired, leading to a consensus that it fails to deliver a satisfying experience.
- “The gameplay is great and the depictions are actual events.”
- “Gameplay is pretty simple, but that just makes it more accessible, and the way it feels both as the police and the rioters leads to a great sense of balance.”
- “Gameplay is enjoyable and exciting.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it is extremely obscure.”
- “The controls are lacking, and the gameplay ends up feeling like you're fighting yourself more than the opposing side.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay destroys the game's potential, and now that the game has been fully released, any hope I was holding out for it is gone.”
story
129 mentions
16 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is criticized for its lack of depth and variety, with many players noting that missions feel repetitive and often frustrating due to AI issues and bugs. While some appreciate the real-world context and immersive storytelling, others find the overall campaign too short and lacking in engaging content, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction after completing the story mode. Overall, the potential for a compelling narrative is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience.
- “The storylines are awesome, based on real-world events.”
- “A big plus goes to the storytelling which is quite immersive for such a game and really gives you insight on local conflicts that you never get in touch with otherwise.”
- “It is very original and the fact that the story mode is based on real conflicts adds a lot of flavor.”
- “The overall length is very short and there is a lack of variety in the missions offered.”
- “After playing the main storyline there's nothing left... adding 2 sides to one map doesn't make it for a longer campaign.”
- “At the end, there are too many cons and too few pros... sadly this is not the game promised a couple of years ago... it is average, not intuitive, not clear strategy, with no story at all.”
graphics
95 mentions
40 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique art style and overall visual presentation, particularly the pixel art and animations. However, several users criticize the execution, noting issues such as muddy visuals, graphical glitches, and a confusing UI that detracts from the experience. While some find the graphics charming and fitting for the game's theme, others describe them as poorly rendered and an eyesore, indicating a significant divide in player opinions.
- “The graphics are nice, and the art style conveys the atmosphere wonderfully.”
- “In terms of graphics, the pixel art, animations, music, detail... the whole presentation is fantastic.”
- “The art style is done very well.”
- “I've seen better pixel graphics than this.”
- “The graphics are not pixels, they are actually badly drawn characters that are then 'pixelated' to simulate pixel graphics.”
- “Visuals are muddy, incoherent and an eyesore, by far the worst take on the over-saturated pixel art style I've ever seen.”
stability
45 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly disrupt gameplay. Many players describe it as an "absolute buggy mess," highlighting issues such as unresponsive units, broken mechanics, and a poorly optimized user interface. While some acknowledge the game's potential and enjoy its core gameplay, the overwhelming consensus is that it remains unpolished and unstable, particularly for a title that has been in development for several years.
- “However, the game itself is a hot, buggy mess.”
- “The mechanics are rough at the best of times, the game glitches to the point of breaking at least once per level, and the game takes very, very little care with the subject matter.”
- “The reason I can't give it a positive review is because it is an unoptimized, buggy mess.”
music
23 mentions
57 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while many players praise the soundtrack as "dope" and "fantastic," appreciating its ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, others express disappointment over the lack of music during gameplay missions. Some players feel that the music is underutilized, primarily appearing in cutscenes rather than throughout the game, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is highlighted as a strong point, but its limited presence in key gameplay moments leaves some players wanting more.
- “The soundtrack and art style are absolutely amazing, and are one of my favorite parts about the game.”
- “In terms of graphics, the pixel art, animations, music, detail... the whole presentation is fantastic.”
- “Now hear me out, the game rolls a fascinating theme, is unusual and new (in a good way), has charming graphics, neat music and good sound, and captures the whole riot atmosphere great, truly.”
- “It's like if you were at a concert but there was no music and everyone is trying to be obnoxiously loud by chanting their songs.”
- “Brah, it doesn't even have music.”
- “Even though the opening has music and sound, the levels do not have music, or maybe I didn't waste my time to find out.”
optimization
23 mentions
13 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
26 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting frequent crashes, performance issues, and significant bugs that hinder gameplay. Despite some enjoyment of the core mechanics, many users express frustration over the lack of fixes and improvements from the developers, leading to a consensus that the game is currently unplayable for many. Overall, players recommend waiting for substantial optimization updates before purchasing.
- “Reading the reviews, I noticed a frequent answer from the devs: they are grateful for the feedback and promise performance improvements.”
- “As cool as this is and as much fun as I did have, I would have to recommend waiting until the game is more optimized.”
- “The game's performance, particularly for a two-dimensional game with deliberately low-res graphics, is surprisingly poor, particularly when aiming abilities.”
- “The reason I can't give it a positive review is because it is an unoptimized, buggy mess.”
- “I have been waiting for years, but the optimization is just terrible.”
- “The game's performance, particularly for a two-dimensional game with deliberately low-res graphics, is surprisingly poor, particularly when aiming abilities - it goes without saying that trying to drop a molotov on top of a charging police line before they run out of its landing zone is already challenging, and it becomes impossible when the framerate drops into the low single digits.”
atmosphere
16 mentions
44 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its impressive graphics, art style, and sound design, effectively capturing the chaotic and chilling essence of protests and riots. While many players appreciate the thematic depth and immersive environment, some criticize the gameplay for lacking variety, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, earning high marks despite gameplay shortcomings.
- “The graphics are nice, and the art style conveys the atmosphere wonderfully.”
- “This game captures the chaotic atmosphere of protests quite well.”
- “The atmosphere is chilling.”
- “The gameplay is generally lacking atmosphere, and I feel like every mission is just the same thing time and time again, regardless of which side I play as.”
- “But apart from the concept and the atmosphere (the sound effects are top-notch), this game does not deliver in any way, even though it is in early access.”
- “The game creates a riot atmosphere!”
emotional
9 mentions
89 % positive mentions
-22 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game effectively evokes strong emotional responses, particularly in chaotic scenarios like the Arab Spring, thanks to its immersive sound design and pixel art. However, some players feel it lacks a deeper emotional connection overall, suggesting that while it achieves its intended emotional impact, it still has room for improvement in gameplay mechanics.
- “I get that this game tries to emulate a chaotic and tense, frantic, and emotional situation in an immersive way.”
- “The sound is immersive, and I highly recommend playing this with headphones; it might just cause you to be more emotionally invested in the well-being of your sprites.”
- “Starting off on the rioter side in the Arab Spring scenario, I found that the game succeeded in evoking a strong emotional response while also being suitably challenging.”
- “The story was heartbreaking and left me feeling empty.”
- “I expected a deeper emotional connection, but it fell flat.”
- “The emotional moments felt forced and didn't resonate with me.”
grinding
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Players consistently express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, describing it as tedious and time-consuming, often requiring an excessive investment of hours to progress. While the initial gameplay may be enjoyable, the repetitive nature of grinding leads to a decline in overall enjoyment, making it feel like a chore rather than a rewarding experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The hardest seems so broken and just tedious.”
- “I wish I hadn't spent 60 hours on this game, but I did. The game is pretty fun for the first time playing, but it slowly gets boring and tedious. The gameplay is pretty poor, like how you move your crowds or use your weapons, and how your opposing team can murder your crowds. If you even think about looking at the cops the wrong way, you will be punished.”
replayability
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
-20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while it offers some variation through different playable perspectives and equipment options, many players feel that the limited number of campaigns and issues with graphics and controls detract from long-term engagement. The early access status suggests potential for improvement, but currently, it may not provide enough incentive for repeated playthroughs.
- “The ability to play as both the rioters and police adds a nice replayability to the game, and combined with all the options for equipment and the like, there are many variations of each riot to play.”
- “This game is in early access and shows a lot of promise in terms of presenting an interesting topic, but there's still a long way to go for a game that might be a tough sell due to some limited replayability.”
- “It contains four campaigns with two playable perspectives, roughly giving an hour of playtime each; is there any replayability once you've finished?”
- “There's limited replayability.”
- “This game is in early access and shows a lot of promise, in terms of an interesting topic, but there's still a long way to go for a game that might be a tough sell due to some limited replayability.”
- “Contains four 'campaigns' with two playable perspectives, roughly giving an hour of playtime each; is there any replayability once you've finished?”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over the lack of updates and perceived laziness from the developers.
- “This game had so much potential, but it turned out to be a complete cash grab by lazy developers. They stopped updating it long ago.”
- “The monetization system is overly aggressive, making it feel like you can't enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like the game is designed to push players into spending more, rather than rewarding them for their time and effort.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game often revolves around dark and controversial themes, such as police brutality, which some players find amusing while others may view it as inappropriate or offensive. This polarizing approach to humor can lead to mixed reactions among the audience.