Rogue State Revolution
- March 18, 2021
- LRDGames, Inc.
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Get on Epic Games Store"Rogue State Revolution" is a challenging political strategy game by Little Red Dog Games, where you serve as the president of the Glorious People's Republic of Basenji. Your mission: rebuild, reform, and prepare for various trials as your nation evolves into a regional powerhouse. With procedural map generation, each run offers a new experience. Appoint ministers, manage various aspects of your nation, and heed the advice of devoted advisors to ensure your presidential tenure thrives.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of political simulation and city-building mechanics, providing a fresh take on the genre.
- The live-action cutscenes and humorous writing add charm and entertainment value to the gameplay experience.
- The game has a surprising amount of depth and replayability, with randomized maps and events that keep each playthrough engaging.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, particularly in the later stages, which can disrupt gameplay and progress.
- The user interface is clunky and can be frustrating to navigate, making it difficult to manage resources and units effectively.
- Balancing the needs of ministers, citizens, and foreign relations can feel overwhelming, leading to a sense of frustration when trying to maintain stability.
- gameplay66 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of depth and fundamental issues in mechanics, particularly in warfare and resource management. While some appreciate the humor and innovative concepts, others criticize the shallow mechanics and limited replayability, suggesting that the game feels unfinished or poorly balanced. Overall, the core gameplay loop shows potential but is hindered by bugs, inconsistencies, and a lack of engaging content.
“It's a great game with hilarious live action cutscenes and dark humor along with nice game mechanics.”
“Love the gameplay, the setting up of a ministry and the means to set policy.”
“The core gameplay loop of building up your cities and managing the different demographics, diplomatic, minister demands, and military is really compelling.”
“However, I unfortunately cannot recommend this game due to fundamental problems with gameplay and a near lack of actual politics.”
“The warfare mechanics are pretty bad as well, so the only thing that's decent gameplay-wise is the initial economy and resource management before you have infinite money.”
“It is an unstable, buggy mess, with mechanics that seem contradictory at times.”
- humor35 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- -6 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by its dark comedy, quirky live-action cutscenes, and absurd scenarios, such as managing a nation led by a chicken. While some players find the humor fresh and engaging, others feel it can be hit-or-miss, with certain jokes feeling outdated or awkward. Overall, the game successfully blends political satire with comedic elements, making it a fun experience despite some criticisms regarding depth and consistency in humor.
“It's a great game with hilarious live action cutscenes and dark humor along with nice game mechanics.”
“The irony of the game is that it has some very flippant, humorous elements (Chickenistan and their infallible, unintelligible chicken leader, put yourself in a giant mech to fight terrorists), but it also has a surprisingly realistic system of economic and political management.”
“Fortunately, the game has a hilarious sense of humor (and I don't just mean the neighboring nation ruled by a tyrannical chicken); keep an eye out for lots of little humorous easter eggs in the dialogue and text.”
“The humor feels forced and often falls flat, making it more annoying than entertaining.”
“The jokes are repetitive and lack originality, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“The attempts at humor often break immersion, leaving me more confused than amused.”
- story30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is a blend of humor and serious themes, featuring unexpected twists and a time loop mechanic that encourages replayability. While the narrative is engaging and offers a unique political sandbox experience, some players feel it lacks depth and coherence, particularly in how player decisions impact the storyline. Overall, the story is compelling but could benefit from more meaningful interactions and feedback related to player choices.
“I keep coming back to it every once in a while and I keep discovering new things, endings, and story twists!”
“There is more than a possible strategy to success, and the story tone was perfect - silly enough for you to laugh at a chicken president (and it actually makes sense for him to be there), serious enough for you to regret engaging in some light genocide.”
“An excellent mix of strategy, humor, and the ability to create your own story.”
“Lots to like in this game, however, after 1.5 terms there is nothing left to do than keep skipping turns as the story plays out.”
“The story is either very unfinished, or is just set up as a reaction to what you are able to accomplish in the game.”
“The plot seems rather nonsensical when you have 90% approval and yet these rebels appear to fight you, but I suppose you won't achieve 90% on higher difficulty than normal but the game didn't take that into account for the story.”
- replayability17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players noting that while it offers procedural generation and random events that can enhance replay value, others criticize it for lacking depth and variety in gameplay mechanics. Many feel that the need to explore different choices to unlock content is hampered by gameplay issues, leading to a perception of low replayability, especially in rogue-lite contexts. Overall, while some enjoy the potential for varied experiences, others find the game falls short in providing compelling reasons to replay.
“There's real replay value here: some objectives are simply impossible if you pick the wrong minister for the job (yes, I'm looking at you, department of culture).”
“Fun ruler simulator with fantastic live-action cutscenes not seen since the good old Red Alert days, and random events and branching ways to play putting its replayability up there with Plague Inc.”
“The game does provide replay value with the entire map changing each time, which I found really cool.”
“While I'm a big fan of cheesy FMV cinematics, and the game did a decent job with that, the replayability is really low due to severe gameplay issues. You probably won't be able to unlock a large portion of the cinematics since you need to explore different choices to unlock all of them.”
“I also do not really feel like the replayability is there, which is especially bad for a rogue-lite; ministers don't feel overly different from one another to make playthroughs unique, and maps and map seeds only have a minor influence, especially with the limited number of resources.”
“I had fun playing the game for 6 hours, but unfortunately there is very little replay value in its current state.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game feature a charming hand-drawn art style, particularly in character portraits and policy icons, which many players appreciate for its aesthetic appeal. However, some reviews note that the overall graphics and animations feel basic and reminiscent of older games, lacking the polish expected from more modern titles. While the user interface is considered better than some critiques suggest, there is a consensus that the graphics could benefit from enhancements to match the engaging gameplay.
“Along with the soundtrack, the game boasts a lovely hand-drawn art style for character portraits and policy icons - it is clear a lot of heart went into the making of this game.”
“Not the usual type of game I play, but I was drawn in by the cute animals and the art style.”
“The animations and graphics are tasteful, but quite basic, like a 15-year-old game.”
“A complete departure from the original rogue state regarding replayability, story depth, and graphics.”
“The art style is so beautiful, though I suggest the difficulty is increased a little bit.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that hinder gameplay, such as problematic mechanics and unresponsive features. While some players find the concept enjoyable, the overall experience is marred by these persistent glitches, making it difficult to progress without frequent restarts.
“However, you should know it does have issues regarding game crashes, freezes, and volume settings resetting when it happens.”
“It is an unstable, buggy mess, with mechanics that seem contradictory at times.”
“Still in a very buggy state... keeps crashing requiring a reload... gameplay balance is totally out, making it impossible to do anything but crash and burn each game even on the easiest difficulty.”
- music5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's music features an impressive orchestral soundtrack that adds depth to the experience, highlighted by a morbidly amusing national anthem in the start menu. While the music is generally well-received and enhances the game's charm, some players note that it can become repetitive, suggesting that additional tracks would improve the overall experience. The hand-drawn art style complements the music, showcasing the developers' dedication to creating an engaging atmosphere.
“The game features an impressive soundtrack, orchestral and bombastic, with the morbidly amusing national anthem playing in the start menu, proudly singing for the king's body to be thrown into the sea.”
“Along with the soundtrack, the game boasts a lovely hand-drawn art style for character portraits and policy icons - it is clear a lot of heart went into the making of this game.”
“There is also brilliant music, which you'll understand within 30 seconds of opening the title screen.”
“Lastly, the music gets a bit repetitive; adding more pieces would improve the experience a lot. Using the Basenji theme from the main menu would be great, especially if it plays during certain events like the anniversary of the revolution.”
“The soundtrack lacks variety and quickly becomes monotonous, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“While the music is pleasant at first, it fails to evolve throughout the gameplay, leading to a dull auditory experience.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, especially as they accumulate wealth and resources, compounded by clunky controls and slow unit movement. While some enjoy the strategic elements and achievements throughout the game, the grind can detract from the overall experience, making it feel less rewarding over time.
“After that, it gets more and more tedious as you get richer and have more stuff on the map due to the clunky controls and slow movement of units.”
“Maybe the other crisis possibilities are more interesting, but with how grindy things can become, it's not really worth it.”
“I loved playing Rogue State Revolution and was victorious till the very last turn and end, having expanded my industries, farming, defeated one of my neighbors who started a war, defeated the revolution’s beast, made my army stronger, increased my popularity, etc. However, the grinding aspect made it less enjoyable.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users noting significant performance issues that are unjustifiable given its size and asset load. While the core concept is enjoyable, the overall execution feels rough and in need of improvement.
“There is absolutely no justification for such bad performance for a turn-based strategy game of this size and that amount of assets.”
“Also, the optimization of this game is poor.”
“The concept behind this nation builder is solid and fun, but it's a little rough around the edges and has some performance issues.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express that "Rogue State" evokes strong emotions, instilling a sense of hope and happiness in the gaming experience. The game effectively immerses players in the role of a burdened leader, enhancing the emotional connection to the narrative and gameplay.
“I have seen that there is still hope for game development; Rogue State made me feel happier than ever before about video games.”
“It really made me feel like a somewhat overburdened 'dear leader'.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the monetization strategy is perceived as exploitative, with a lack of transparency leading to frustration among users. Many feel that the game appears unfinished, suggesting that the developers may have prioritized profit over delivering a complete product.
“The manufacturing is maddeningly opaque until you realize it was either meant to be that way for a cash grab or it's not a finished product, but oops, it's done, the dev is gone, thanks for the cash, lol.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems designed to squeeze every last penny from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
“I can't believe how many features are locked behind paywalls; it feels like the game was designed to be incomplete unless you spend extra money.”
