Rise of Industry

About

"Rise of Industry is a strategic tycoon game set in the 1930s, where you build and manage a growing industrial empire in a procedurally generated world. Construct factories, manage supply chains, and trade resources to make your business thrive, while dealing with unpredictable events and AI rivals. Strive for market dominance and avoid hostile takeovers in this engaging and challenging game."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,473 reviews

gameplay104 positive mentions

grinding95 negative mentions

The game offers a compelling mix of economic management, logistics, and industrial planning.
Beautiful visual design with a vibrant and clean art style.
Detailed and satisfying logistics system that feels rewarding as you optimize supply chains.

The tutorial is painful and does not adequately prepare players for the complexities of the game.
AI competitors are passive and do not provide a real challenge, making the game feel less competitive.
The game can feel repetitive and lacks depth once players have established their production chains.

gameplay
447 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
7%
The gameplay of "Rise of Industry" is characterized by its blend of resource management, production chain building, and economic simulation, offering a rewarding experience for players who enjoy strategic planning. However, many reviews highlight issues such as a clunky user interface, poorly explained mechanics, and a lack of depth that can lead to repetitive gameplay. While the game has potential with its charming visuals and interesting mechanics, it often falls short in execution, leaving players wanting more complexity and engagement.
- “Challenging and rewarding gameplay: mastering the intricacies of managing production, transportation, and finances can be challenging, but also immensely rewarding when you see your empire flourish.”
- “The gameplay loop revolves around managing your balance sheet to break even, researching the tech tree to get to the end game which is a car prototype, creating new production chains to meet demands and contracts, and looking out for logistical and production efficiency.”
- “The core gameplay loop is entertaining if a bit long-winded; I would find myself leaving the game running in fast forward mode while making tea a number of times.”
- “The gameplay leaves me wanting more, but not in a good way.”
- “Unfortunately, gameplay-wise, the game is just not enough.”
- “The mechanics are too simplistic; there are no importation mechanics as far as I know, so if your region misses coal, your only option is to buy an entire region in order to get the resource.”
graphics
351 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
48%
4%
The graphics of the game are generally described as charming and visually appealing, featuring a clean, low-poly art style that enhances the overall atmosphere without being overly demanding on system resources. While some players appreciate the simplicity and aesthetic consistency, others feel that the graphics lack depth and variety, leading to a somewhat monotonous experience over time. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing positively to the gameplay experience, though opinions vary on their complexity and engagement.
- “The graphics are beautiful, giving a real feel of things growing and moving.”
- “The graphics are charming and consistent in style, the sound effects and music are very good without being quite up to the standard of TTD's ragtime, and the feeling of watching an anthill enjoyably expand is probably unmatched in any game to release in the last decade.”
- “The art style is incredible with each factory, field, and vehicle lovingly crafted with cartoony beauty.”
- “Strip away the graphics, which I quite like, and focus on the underlying fundamentals and you find a fairly unenjoyable game.”
- “From the graphics losing all the charm of the promo shots due to pixelation and render errors to the clunky and chaotic UI, the severely limited building and infrastructure options to the even more limited products and research - this game looks great on the store page but disappoints in every single aspect once you load into the game.”
- “A fantastic game with pathetic graphics; the gameplay is awesome, but these stupid voxel graphics make me sick. You'd think if a company took the time to craft a game of this caliber, they could at least have some decent graphics.”
grinding
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and requiring significant micromanagement, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. Players often find themselves bogged down by repetitive tasks, such as setting up production chains and managing resources, leading to a sense of monotony rather than engagement. While some appreciate the depth of strategy involved, many agree that the game could benefit from a more streamlined approach to reduce the grind and enhance the gameplay experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “As if this wasn't tedious enough, every building has a limited number of truck slots, arbitrarily somewhere between 2 and 9.”
- “Starts slow then just gets tedious.”
- “The micromanagement gets tedious and boring after a while, but it's good fun for maybe 10-ish hours at first.”
- “Although the premise was promising, the gameplay was lacking in variation and depth, quickly becoming repetitive and tedious.”
music
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its calming and pleasant nature that complements the visuals and gameplay. While some find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting, others describe it as generic or lacking variety, often opting to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, the music is generally seen as a solid addition that enhances the game's aesthetic, though it may not be memorable for all players.
- “The graphics are simple yet highly effective, and the music is outstanding.”
- “It's a fun game that can be played casually, nice music and a unique looking art style, simple at the start and quickly getting more complex.”
- “The simple and stylized visuals and great music help sell the setting of an early 1900s industrial world, ripe for exploitation.”
- “I turned the music down very early and didn't miss it at all.”
- “The sound is mediocre at best, some you can barely hear, you may as well play your own music while you play.”
- “The game's visuals and soundtrack are solid overall, but a total lack of variety across cities/regions makes repeat playthroughs unappealing.”
optimization
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
15%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly in mid to late game scenarios where stuttering and slowdowns are common, especially on larger maps. Others noted that while the game can run smoothly on decent hardware, it still requires further optimization to handle complex logistics and larger-scale gameplay effectively. Overall, while some players found the optimization satisfactory, many highlighted the need for improvements to enhance the gaming experience.
- “It created a fun competitive economic dynamic that rewarded heavy optimization and planning, which in my opinion, was the high point of what the game offers.”
- “Production chains are interesting to set up, performance is good, and the game provides a lot of assistance for some of the micromanagement needed for this type of game.”
- “The game is well done, no performance issues or ugly bugs in this alpha.”
- “This game is buggy, very unoptimized, and managing the trains in mid to late game is horrible due to the lack of granularity on how to manage items for the logistics of the game.”
- “The only other glaring issue I faced was the game constantly stutters horribly, locking up for 3-10 seconds at random and completely stopping until it starts moving again, often making you mess up roads or whatever else you're working on.”
- “Performance started degrading rapidly for me in mid and late game, especially when running in x4 fast forward mode; the game rarely got more than 30 fps at 1440p on decent hardware.”
story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
81%
12%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting the absence of a meaningful narrative or mission-based structure. While some mention a sad backstory, it does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience, which is described as shallow and lacking in compelling goals or challenges. Overall, players express a desire for a more developed story mode or mission system to provide context and motivation for their actions within the game.
- “I like Anno games much more, which contain characters, stories, missions, and surprising turns while managing the economy.”
- “I hope they will add upgrades to the industries, perhaps politics and missions from towns, better control over what kind of trucks spawn, perhaps help the modding community by having highlights to assets/mods that might be implemented, or something else for that expansive immersion. It can sometimes feel quite empty despite a quite extensive research progression tree.”
- “This is a heartbreaking story, and there is more to it, but a sad story around the game doesn't change the feelings I have about how it plays.”
- “It doesn’t bore you with stories or missions, as it doesn’t have either of those.”
- “The game lacks the element to keep my interest going; I don't know if it's because it needs a storyline or better upgrade mechanics, but I do not know what to do after I built 5 orange juice factories.”
stability
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
87%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, crashes, and unoptimized performance, particularly during mid to late gameplay. Many players express frustration over pathfinding issues, logistical challenges, and a lack of effective bug fixes from developers, leading to a generally unstable experience. While some users note occasional fun and improvements, the overall consensus is that the game remains a "buggy mess" that detracts significantly from its potential enjoyment.
- “Played recently, no bugs, no glitches, had a fun time.”
- “Native Linux runs great!”
- “Overall, the game runs great for an alpha project, and I believe it has a bright future with upcoming changes and upgrades.”
- “This game is buggy, very unoptimized, and managing the trains in mid to late game is horrible due to the lack of granularity on how to manage items for the logistics of the game.”
- “Probably one of the most buggy sim games you could play, and the devs don't seem to have done much with fixing them since the same bugs I encountered years ago are still present.”
- “Terrible game, waste of time. Everything is so buggy and unclear. Don't buy it; it's such a waste. I feel like the devs gave up on it with no bug fixes. Production chains are so buggy, and transportation and warehouses are broken.”
replayability
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The reviews for "replayability" in Rise of Industry are mixed, with some players praising its high replay value due to diverse maps, scenarios, and customizable gameplay, while others criticize the game for its repetitive mechanics and lack of meaningful variation after initial playthroughs. Many users appreciate the ongoing developer support and community engagement, which contribute to the game's potential for replayability, but several also express frustration with the AI and UI issues that detract from the experience. Overall, while some find it endlessly replayable, others feel it lacks depth and variety, leading to a consensus that replayability is a significant but uneven aspect of the game.
- “High replayability: with various maps, scenarios, and research options, Rise of Industry offers countless hours of replayability.”
- “It has infinite replayability, a dev that sometimes updates his game by the week, listens closely to his community, adds user-suggested content into the game, and caters to the community to make a space for everyone to collectively work together and share experiences.”
- “All game modes take place on randomized maps, which dramatically increases replay value, as town placement, resource locations, and city needs are different every time.”
- “Zero replay value.”
- “Not really able to see any replay value, no multiplayer and you can't just unwind with a sandbox mode.”
- “One major drawback to the game is its lack of replayability.”
monetization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
7%
87%
The monetization aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with users expressing frustration over intrusive in-game advertisements for unrelated titles, which detracts from the overall experience. Many reviewers perceive the game as a cash grab, lacking substantial content and stability, and liken its monetization strategy to that of mobile games, despite the absence of microtransactions. Overall, the presence of ads and the perceived exploitation of players have led to a negative reception regarding the game's monetization practices.
- “This is more like a mobile game, except without the microtransactions.”
- “Original developer is a real wimp and the game is a cash grab.”
- “I can't support a game that has advertising pop-ups.”
- “Ads for their next game directly integrated into the game.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from its numerous bugs and inconsistencies, which players find amusing despite the frustration they cause. Many users appreciate the quirky graphics and the lighthearted tone, often feeling as if the developers are playfully mocking their struggles. Overall, while the game has its comedic moments, it also highlights a lack of content and polish.
- “Good game, funny and addicting :)”
- “Nothing revolutionary here, but I like the funny graphics and the relaxed mood.”
- “It's a very funny and interesting game because you have to have many things in mind.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
22%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its charming visuals, satisfying mechanics, and immersive sound design, which collectively create a bustling industrial environment. While the game leans towards a casual experience without competitive elements, the aesthetics and music contribute significantly to its enjoyable ambiance. The addition of a sci-fi dystopian flavor in expansions further enhances the overall atmosphere, making it appealing to players who appreciate its cartoonish graphics and clear design.
- “The visuals are charming, the mechanics are satisfying, and the sound design really immerses you in that bustling industrial atmosphere.”
- “It's not a deep management game; it is more casual than others (like Cities: Skylines), but it's enjoyable and I quite like the aesthetics and the overall atmosphere, to which music contributes a lot.”
- “There are minimal bugs, and again the atmosphere is stellar.”
- “The problem with Rise of Industry is that there is no goal, no competitive atmosphere, no struggles or conflicts.”
- “The expansion adds a new, high-quality sci-fi dystopian flavor to the game, but it lacks a compelling atmosphere.”
- “While the visuals are charming, the overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a heartbreaking story that evokes feelings, yet some players find the gameplay itself fun and relaxing, without a strong need for emotional investment. However, there are mixed feelings about the game's overall appeal, with some players feeling disconnected and lacking motivation to return.
- “This is a heartbreaking story, and there is more to it, but a sad story around the game doesn't change the feelings I have about how it plays.”