Ruinarch

About

"Ruinarch is a single-player role-playing sandbox simulation game, where you play as an overlord, causing chaos and conflict in procedurally generated fantasy worlds. Choose from three archetypes, each with unique playstyles, and experiment with destructive spells to create mayhem. Despite good game mechanics, be prepared for bugs and some grinding, but also expect plenty of humor in this anguish-filled tale."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 932 reviews

gameplay32 positive mentions

grinding17 negative mentions

Unique concept of playing as an evil overlord, allowing for creative gameplay and storytelling.
Variety of ways to manipulate villagers, including spreading rumors, creating cults, and using spells.
Active development with regular updates, showing promise for future content and improvements.

Currently lacks depth and replayability, with many players feeling they can complete the game quickly.
Gameplay can become repetitive, as the mechanics do not offer enough challenge or variety.
Some UI and control issues, making it cumbersome to navigate and manage actions effectively.

gameplay
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
68%
10%
The gameplay of the game has been described as having a fun and unique concept, but ultimately suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of depth, leading to a quick sense of boredom. Many players feel that the mechanics are underdeveloped and the game feels unfinished, with limited variety and challenge, despite some interesting ideas and potential for future updates. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment, the gameplay is often criticized for being shallow and lacking meaningful engagement.
- “A fun game with interesting mechanics and a variety of options.”
- “Good gameplay and mod support, it scratches the itch pretty nicely.”
- “Currently there is fun and engaging gameplay that's sure to get even better.”
- “Just boring, repetitive gameplay.”
- “This game had great potential to become a wonderful simulator of a dark overlord, but unfortunately, it was abandoned in a half-finished state: the difference between overlord archetypes is laughable, each playthrough is the same, and each mechanic is left without depth.”
- “However, in practice, it's a borderline clicker game due to tedious waiting and repetitive, unsatisfying gameplay under default settings; the game remains unfinished with most mechanics not properly developed or lackluster in effect.”
story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
76%
11%
The game's story aspect is seen as underdeveloped, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of emergent storytelling and structured narrative, especially compared to inspirations like RimWorld. While the premise of playing as a storyteller offers potential for creative gameplay, the current content feels limited and lacks depth, leaving players to create their own narratives without much guidance or engagement from the game itself. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements, the game requires significant improvements in storytelling to fully realize its potential.
- “You take on the role of a storyteller, weaving an insidious tale of destroying suffering settlements.”
- “The emergent storytelling hits like a cross between RimWorld and Shadow of Mordor's nemesis system.”
- “This game is RimWorld but as a storyteller.”
- “While enjoyable and largely 'finished', it's a shame the game has been left in this state - it has so much potential for storytelling (RimWorld style) but most of that capacity is unrealized even after all this time.”
- “There is no campaign of any sort here, no story mode.”
- “It's selling itself as a 'story generator' style game, but the content, interactions, and AI are too limited at the moment to say anything really interesting happened.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
72%
8%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charm and aesthetic appeal, while others criticize the dullness and lack of polish. Many feel that the transition to AI-generated artwork has detracted from the original art style, which had more character and cohesion. Overall, while the graphics are not top-notch, they are deemed acceptable for the gameplay experience, with hopes for future improvements as the game develops.
- “For a top-down strategy game, the portraits and art style of the assets have a huge effect on the style of the game.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics and environments; although there are some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same and has a really great aesthetic.”
- “The graphics are really nice.”
- “The artwork or graphics are dull, controls feel off and everything is just unresponsive.”
- “The old portraits had so much soul and a cohesive art style to them and now you're forcing me to look at an AI art gallery.”
- “It's still a little bare bones, and the graphics are pathetic, and the interface is abysmal, but the foundation here, the social simulation, has tons of promise.”
replayability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
56%
15%
The reviews on replayability are mixed, with some players praising the potential for varied playstyles and unique experiences in each run, while others express disappointment over a lack of content and repetitive gameplay that diminishes long-term engagement. Many note that the game's replayability may improve with future updates, but currently, it ranges from low to moderate, depending on individual preferences and playstyles. Overall, while some find it enjoyable and replayable, others feel it lacks depth and variety.
- “While Ruinarch has some shortcomings, it has excellent replayability due to the nature of the villagers and special abilities chosen, making each playthrough feel different.”
- “It's definitely worth the price and has so much replayability.”
- “The number of ways in which it is possible to do that is amusing and leads to a good deal of replayability.”
- “I do fear once the novelty of being evil and doing evil things runs out, I believe replayability will become a problem.”
- “Ultimately, it feels like there is a lack of replayability, which is very important in a game like this.”
- “The game has no replayability; three different demons, but after you finish with one of them, the next game is the same.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
The music in the game is described as simple and atmospheric, with a limited variety that can become repetitive over time, as players often hear the same tracks throughout their experience. While some find the music enjoyable and fitting for the game's theme, others express a desire for more diverse soundscapes to enhance gameplay, especially during significant events like raids or battles. Overall, the music serves its purpose but leaves room for improvement in variety and depth.
- “They have a bunch of traits including ones like love music and hate music. The more you invest points into the hate music trait, the more upset the settler gets when they hear music. It's kind of funny giving it to a farmer while a knight has the love music trait, and you can see how that conflict plays out.”
- “Amazing game where you play as an evil demon deity, your goal is to upgrade your abilities or create chaos by making everyone suffer. The music plays a role in how villagers react, with traits that can turn them into music haters, adding depth to the gameplay.”
- “The music is good and atmospheric, enhancing the overall experience of the game.”
- “I think there's only one music track that plays during the entire game, which can get boring and repetitive, and the UI can be a tad bit complex at first glance.”
- “Music isn't anything to write home about; it's serviceable, but hearing the same tracks over and over will likely get old fast, though I assume more tracks will be added.”
- “The music alone isn't cutting it.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
94%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, leading to a decline in enjoyment over time. While some mechanics, like revamped base building, offer brief relief, the overall experience is marred by slow progression and a lack of engaging content, making it feel more like a chore than a fun gameplay experience. Many reviewers express a desire for improvements to reduce the grind and enhance the game's challenge without increasing tedium.
- “The grinding in this game feels rewarding, as every effort contributes to my overall progress.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels tedious and always offers a sense of achievement.”
- “The resource management aspect of grinding adds depth to the gameplay, making each session feel meaningful.”
- “However, the game's replayability suffers over time as actions and keeping up with the villagers become tedious.”
- “The game is more of a tedious time waster than anything 'fun' as most of the time, regardless of the three major 'ruinarchs' you choose, you spend your time doing stuff from afar and nothing else happening.”
- “This game was a lot of fun but too many changes happened to make it completely different and, in my eyes, it wasn't fun anymore. It made the game extremely tedious and annoying, and it was just never the same after the big update.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its dark and twisted scenarios, allowing players to manipulate villagers in absurd and comical ways, such as turning them into kleptomaniacs or serial killers. Players find amusement in the unpredictable outcomes of their actions, reminiscent of games like RimWorld, where the absurdity of the situations—like a village of narcoleptics or a single psycho becoming a leader—adds to the overall comedic experience. Despite some critiques on gameplay depth, the humor remains a standout feature, providing a unique and entertaining god-game experience.
- “Cool strategy game with a lot of available options to manipulate and create funny scenarios.”
- “The possibilities of how you can torment these people is hilarious to me.”
- “I find myself laughing at the simple twisted things you can pull, and the different reactions.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and unfinished mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment in the core gameplay and appreciate the aesthetic, many express frustration over the game's clunky AI and frequent crashes, leading to a perception that it feels abandoned or incomplete. Overall, the game shows promise but requires substantial improvements to its stability before it can be fully recommended.
- “The specter of reviews claiming the game is 'abandoned by devs' and 'unfinished and buggy' hangs over it.”
- “However, in its current state, it is too buggy to play as the game often bricks itself or glitches out.”
- “Too many weird glitches and bugs, and there's very little to explain the game mechanics.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with users reporting massive performance issues, long loading times, and a general absence of balance and polish. These shortcomings overshadow any positive aspects, leading to a frustrating experience that feels unrefined and poorly executed.
- “What good it does have is overshadowed by massive performance issues, poor choices in gameplay, AI that can casually undo anything you do, and the inability to even play this like anything other than a barebones basic 'god game'.”
- “This game is a trash waste of time. It lacks balance, never fixes bugs, has loading times that are incredibly long, and has no optimization.”
- “Optimization is severely lacking.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its unique over-world dungeon keeper-esque design, allowing players to experience the role of the antagonist in an engaging way. Additionally, the music contributes significantly to the immersive and atmospheric experience.
- “I'm happy to have bought this game and I'm excited to go on this journey with the devs. There aren't enough games where you play the antagonist, and they've created an interesting, overworld dungeon keeper-esque atmosphere that I just love.”
- “The music is good and atmospheric.”