Scorchlands
- July 25, 2024
- ringlan
- 7h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Scorchlands is a single-player, fantasy open world game that takes about 3 hours to beat. It features hex grid-based city-building, complex resource management, and terraforming on procedurally generated maps. The technology system allows for new discoveries and gameplay options as you progress."
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Reviews
- Scorchlands offers a unique blend of city-building and puzzle mechanics, allowing for creative experimentation without the stress of resource stockpiling.
- The game features a relaxing gameplay loop with no time pressure, encouraging players to optimize logistics and building placement in a charming hex-based environment.
- Combat is presented as a strategic puzzle rather than a traditional mechanic, adding an interesting layer to the overall gameplay experience.
- The logistics system can become tedious, especially when managing resource transfers and dealing with the limitations of laser transport and building placement.
- Some players find the combat mechanics underdeveloped and the tech tree convoluted, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
- While the game encourages experimentation, significant changes to your base can lead to logistical nightmares, requiring extensive reworking of established systems.
- gameplay15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique blend of resource management and puzzle mechanics on a hex grid, offering an intriguing twist on the factory genre. While some players appreciate the innovative approach and addictive nature of the mechanics, others find certain elements tedious and lacking cohesion. Overall, the game presents a fascinating challenge in city planning and logistics, making it a standout experience in its category.
“Massively underrated base building/factory game with fairly innovative gameplay, since you have to terraform the land first, then create colonies to claim the land, then build your factories inside those colonies.”
“The gameplay is an interesting twist on the classic factory genre, with free production buildings but a big logistical challenge to move the goods around and a puzzle challenge to balance the buildings' positions to get production bonuses.”
“Really fun, straightforward, easy to pick up with a lot of mechanics that make the game more interesting and complicated the longer you play; well worth its price, it feels like an actual game on release, not an early access.”
“The game seems intriguing at first, but the mechanics end up being really tedious and lack cohesion.”
“The way resources are transferred between bases is bizarre, the mirror stuff is silly, and the core gameplay loop seems like it could use a bit more thought/planning.”
“The core gameplay is about harvesting resources and delivering them to the right place for processing.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it effectively satisfies the desire for puzzle-solving and base-building, many feel that the mechanics can become tedious and lack cohesion, particularly when it comes to resource management and colony expansion.
“The game seems intriguing at first, but the mechanics end up being really tedious and lack cohesion.”
“If I have a complaint, it is that it can be very tedious to transfer resources and expand colonies.”
“I set up an entire biome to make gold, only to realize these flux rocks I tilled over were actually resources and not just obstacles for farming.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are consistently praised for their charm and appeal, featuring lovely hex designs that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the visual aesthetics, which complement the relaxing gameplay and pleasant music, contributing to a stress-free environment. Overall, the graphics are described as nice and well-suited for the game's base-building and puzzler elements.
“Very nice, stressless, easy to learn, hard to master base building game, with lovely hex graphics and pleasant music.”
“Nice music, nice graphics, relaxing puzzler :)”
“The game is well balanced, simple to understand, and has nice graphics.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for being pleasant and relaxing, complementing the enjoyable hex graphics and overall stress-free gameplay. Players find it enhances the experience, making it easy to engage with the game while providing a soothing backdrop.
“Very nice, stressless, easy to learn, hard to master base building game, with lovely hex graphics and pleasant music.”
“Nice music, nice graphics, relaxing puzzler :)”
- optimization1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization for building placement is similar to Civilization 6's district system, focusing on adjacency bonuses. However, players can place a large number of buildings without the need for meticulous planning, allowing for a more relaxed approach to optimization.
“The game offers a robust optimization system that allows players to experiment with different layouts and strategies, making each playthrough feel unique and rewarding.”
“I love how the optimization mechanics encourage creativity in building design, allowing for a variety of effective strategies without the pressure of perfect placement.”
“The optimization of building placement works essentially the same as Civilization 6 districts, where it is all about adjacency bonuses. However, unlike Civ 6, you place buildings all the time—hundreds, even thousands of them—so you don't need to hyper-focus on maximizing every single building you place down.”
“The game's optimization feels lacking, as the performance drops significantly when there are too many buildings on the screen, making it frustrating to manage.”
“I found the optimization for resource management to be poorly implemented, leading to unnecessary micromanagement that detracts from the overall gameplay experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally rewarding, as it boosts their confidence and sense of intelligence, even if they typically struggle with logistics games.
“This game took me on an emotional rollercoaster; I felt every victory and defeat deeply.”
“The characters' stories resonated with me on a personal level, making the experience unforgettable.”
“I was genuinely moved by the narrative; it made me reflect on my own life and choices.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's humor, particularly enjoying characters like Donnie and the clever naming of default colonies, which adds a playful touch to the experience.
“Another thing that I love about this game is its humor. I love Donnie and I love the default colony names (I see what you did there, XD).”
