Rogue State
- October 16, 2015
- LRDGames, Inc.
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"Rogue State" is a political simulation game where you govern a Middle Eastern nation. Maintain political stability, balance the budget, and ensure national security while navigating relationships with foreign powers. Your decisions directly impact the success and failure of your country, making each playthrough unique.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Rogue State offers a unique and humorous take on political simulation, allowing players to manage a fictional Middle Eastern country with various factions and challenges.
- The game has a decent level of replayability due to its random events and different starting conditions, making each playthrough feel distinct.
- Players appreciate the charm and potential of the game, with many expressing a desire for future expansions or sequels that could enhance the gameplay experience.
- The game suffers from a lack of depth and complexity, with many mechanics feeling simplistic and repetitive, leading to a quick loss of interest.
- Random number generation (RNG) can lead to frustrating experiences, as players may face severe penalties from events that feel arbitrary and out of their control.
- The user interface and animations can be clunky and slow, detracting from the overall gameplay experience and making it tedious to navigate.
- gameplay90 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and charm, offering a blend of political mechanics reminiscent of titles like Democracy 3 and Tropico, but often feels shallow and repetitive. While players appreciate the engaging random events and the potential for strategic depth, many criticize the limited options for achieving goals and the lack of meaningful gameplay variety, leading to a sense of boredom after extended play. Overall, the game provides a fun, albeit simplistic, experience that may not hold long-term interest for all players.
“It's got the interlocking politics and policies of Democracy 3 and the sharper focus and tongue-in-cheek of Tropico, all of which are presented with relatively simplified gameplay compared to its inspirations.”
“The gameplay is engaging, the randomization is just enough to give you a great new play each time, while maintaining the integrity of a very well-designed branching plot and poli-strategy.”
“Gameplay - 9/10, I can't praise the gameplay enough.”
“While the core gameplay is decent, there are relatively few levers available for accomplishing any particular goal, and yet despite this, it's really not that hard to achieve a utopian equilibrium where everybody loves you, society is a paradise, your neighbors all respect and admire you, and your treasury is full... and yet still have problems keeping separatists from trying to break free or prevent coups because you have almost no options that allow you to directly influence those problems.”
“The mechanics are extremely simple to the point of being ridiculous.”
“You are unable to save, and the game is repetitive after 1 hour of gameplay, making it useless.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a polarizing aspect, with many players appreciating the retro and indie art style reminiscent of the 90s, while others criticize it as unpolished and outdated. Some find the pixelated design endearing and fitting for the game's theme, while others describe it as bland and choppy, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics receive mixed reviews, with ratings often hovering around 7.5/10, appealing primarily to fans of retro aesthetics.
“I adore this game even down to its aged art style.”
“The use of retro graphics (unlike many games) is not an excuse for poor graphics; the graphics are very well done, with a modern use of perspective-animation and good atmospheric voice acting.”
“Graphics - 7.5/10; I'm a sucker for retro and indie style graphics, and it was one of the things that sold me on this game.”
“Then there's the graphics (meh - looks like something from the early 90s), the tedium of watching your guy walk around the office, the lack of any real replayability and just the feeling that you're really not in control of most anything that makes it pretty bland.”
“The graphics and gameplay are choppy and the animation is worse than the Lord of the Rings animated cartoon from the 70s.”
“This game may turn off some with its unpolished retro graphics and emphasis on strategy over a story, but I believe it targets a specific demographic well.”
- story36 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and features multiple outcomes, allowing for varied playthroughs that reveal new narrative threads based on the player's decisions and the longevity of their regime. While the storyline is compelling, it is relatively short and somewhat linear, which may limit replayability despite the presence of unlockable content. Overall, it excels in providing a unique political simulation experience, though it could benefit from additional events and deeper narrative complexity.
“Depending on how long your regime survives, you'll see more of the story unfold.”
“And because playthroughs aren't the same, you might see new story threads each time you play.”
“You won't play it more than 50 hours, but it's a great little game that takes you along a compelling story.”
“The problem with this game is that it doesn't make you desperate to replay it once you've finished the story.”
“The storyline events and crises add some flavor, but end up limiting the replayability after a few runs.”
“There are things you can unlock, which motivate you to replay - but what this game really needs is more events, crises, and different story branches.”
- replayability32 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players noting low replay value due to a lack of depth and engaging gameplay after the initial playthrough. However, others appreciate the random start settings and various playstyles that offer some replay potential, especially when increasing difficulty or unlocking perks. Overall, while there are elements that can enhance replayability, many feel it ultimately falls short of sustaining long-term interest.
“Makes for lots of replay value.”
“Replayability is very good as well.”
“Well replayable, thanks to random start settings.”
“So for that reason alone it has no replay value and is not really a lot of fun after the first playthrough.”
“It was worth the 13 dollars, but I don't think it is worth anything above that as I believe this game has a small replayability rate unless you up the difficulty.”
“The storyline events and crises add some flavor, but end up limiting the replayability after a few runs.”
- humor20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, featuring a zany atmosphere and entertaining modes that can be genuinely funny, with amusing events and easter eggs to discover. However, some players feel that the humor often comes off as forced or incoherent, with random elements that detract from the overall experience. While there are moments of cleverness, such as the ironic portrayal of serious themes, some aspects, like the depiction of a chicken leader, are seen as silly rather than sophisticated.
“But also contains really funny and entertaining modes that just make the game so fun to play.”
“There are many funny events and some easter eggs you get as you explore the dialogues and all the panels.”
“The good: I love its zany atmosphere, and the game's ability to describe real-world 'serious' into 'funny.' The game got me wanting to see what happens next.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its thematic relevance and artistic quality, with users noting that it enhances the overall experience and fits well with various events. Many reviewers rated it positively, with an average score of 8/10, highlighting its blend of humor and cultural flavor.
“Music - 8/10 solid.”
“It is probably too bad because the turn-based tour of the office, the voice-acted little dolls, the Middle Eastern music playing had decent flavor.”
“Fits the theme of the game in every way, and any given piece of music fit an event in the game.”
“Artistically and musically, this game really excels.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its zany and engaging quality, effectively blending serious themes with humor. Retro graphics are complemented by modern animation techniques and strong voice acting, enhancing the overall experience. Additionally, the incorporation of oriental tunes contributes to a cohesive and immersive ambiance.
“I love its zany atmosphere, and the game's ability to turn real-world 'serious' into 'funny.' The game got me wanting to see what happens next.”
“The use of retro graphics (unlike many games) is not an excuse for poor graphics; the graphics are very well done, with a modern use of perspective animation and good atmospheric voice acting.”
“Nice oriental tunes that stick to the atmosphere of the title.”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game exhibits several stability issues, including glitches that can lead to unlimited wealth and screen blackouts during gameplay, particularly on the war board. Users have also reported persistent mouse pointer problems, which can detract from the experience. While the game functions adequately overall, it is not free from bugs and may frustrate players seeking a smoother experience.
“The game appears to work fine overall, providing a stable experience despite some minor issues.”
“For its size, the game is more in-depth than you might expect, offering a stable gameplay experience.”
“While there are some bugs, the game maintains a generally stable performance, making it enjoyable.”
“The war board where you attack other nations glitches and turns your screen black for a couple of minutes or crashes you.”
“There are also several glitches where your wealth would be unlimited by abusing a certain buy item.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is undermined by the lack of meaningful impact from trade with neighboring states, which detracts from the overall immersive experience and fails to create a compelling economic simulation.
