Spice Road

About Spice Road

Spice Road is a single player economy management game with fantasy, economy and historical themes. It was developed by Aartform Games and was released on April 24, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Strategy, trade and empire building on the old Silk Road. Spice Road is a town building, social and economic simulation game full of original challenges.You are a colonial governor in the 18th Century, building a town on the Spice Road in a time of war and discovery. More than spice travels your roads – musket armies, philosophies, and power plays that span the globe are at your control. From pala…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+10

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Reviews

68%Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

replayability2 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of economic strategy and city-building mechanics, providing depth and replayability.
It is enjoyable for players who appreciate logistics and supply chain management, with a focus on building efficient trade routes.
Despite its simple graphics, the game runs smoothly and is stable, making it accessible for a wide range of systems.

The city-building aspect can become cumbersome due to the need for individual building placement, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Graphics and audio quality are dated, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.
The game can feel formulaic and lacks depth in certain areas, particularly in sandbox mode and AI opponent challenges.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15% positive mentions, 70% neutral mentions, 15% negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and unfolds through a series of missions that introduce new concepts and challenges, akin to a captivating book that prompts reflection. However, players note that the tutorial-like campaign can feel tedious and overly simplistic at first, with difficulty diminishing as players progress and gain resources. Unlocking sandbox mode requires completing the storyline, which some find frustrating, but the narrative is ultimately seen as worthwhile for those willing to invest the time.
- “This game is akin to a good book - you binge into the plot then put it down and think about it post-read...”
- “Every mission adds further jolly gameplay concepts, while finishing objectives gives you upgrade points to improve your buildings and unlock new ones.”
- “It's a deal breaker for me, since this kind of game usually requires an extremely well-thought-out campaign to make them worth playing.”
- “Worst of all, the tutorial 'storyline' is mandatory to access all the buildings in sandbox.”
- “Hence the tree is merely a means of blocking sandbox access to the full building menu until the whole storyline is completed.”
- “It's a deal breaker for me, since this kind of game usually requires an extremely well thought-out campaign to make them worth playing.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized as primitive and dated, with comparisons to N64 quality and descriptions of them as cheap and cheesy. While some players find the simplistic visuals acceptable due to enjoyable gameplay and low system requirements, many agree that the graphics detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant downside, though they do not overshadow the game's replayability and strategic elements for some players.
- “The graphics are adequate, although it's not that important here.”
- “Very nice graphics, easy to learn interface, mellow sounds.”
- “All told, this is well worth the price (I paid the full price and got more than my money's worth) if you are the kind of person that 1) loves classical economics and trade/logistics theory 2) are not afraid to step up to a challenge and 3) aren't too hung up on the dated graphics.”
- “The major downside is the primitive graphics, but the amount of things you can do and the replayability makes up for this flaw.”
- “The graphics on this are very dated.”
- “That being said, the game does suffer from poor graphics and poor audio quality.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 34% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions
The gameplay is well-designed and offers around 30 hours of engaging challenges, though it could benefit from additional depth and variety to maintain long-term interest. While the mechanics are unique and effectively scratch a managerial itch, some players find the experience becomes repetitive over time, leading to mixed feelings about its replay value. Overall, it is considered worth trying, especially for fans of the genre, but may not hold attention indefinitely without further polish.
- “It has a well thought-out gameplay.”
- “This unique mechanic works really well, thus distancing itself from other strategy games like Banished and Civ 5.”
- “It tries to do something different, and while it could use a ton more polish and mechanics that add a bit more depth and variety to keep it fresh for a longer period of time, the game is different enough that it scratches a managerial itch of mine I have trouble finding good ways to scratch.”
- “Gameplay gets boring after a while, therefore returning it.”
- “Every mission adds further jolly gameplay concepts, while finishing objectives gives you upgrade points to improve your buildings and unlock new ones.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to the variety of activities available and the challenge of achieving 100% completion, despite some criticism of its primitive graphics and a desire for a longer campaign. Overall, the replayability aspect significantly enhances the game's appeal.
- “I wish the campaign was longer, but you can enjoy some replayability by trying for 100% completion on all levels.”
- “It is very replayable.”
- “The major downside is the primitive graphics, but the amount of things you can do and the replayability makes up for this flaw.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Players generally find the game to be enjoyable for casual play, noting that it lacks deep emotional investment, making it suitable for short breaks rather than intense engagement.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game offers novelty, its grinding mechanics lack depth, making it primarily appealing for achievement hunters rather than providing sustained engagement. Players suggest that improvements in gameplay mechanics are necessary for a more compelling experience.
- “It's ultimately worth buying at least on sale for its novelty, but it desperately needs deeper mechanics to make it interesting for more than just grinding out the achievements.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game is enjoyable with engaging gameplay elements like trading and city building; however, a notable downside is the absence of music, which some players feel detracts from the overall experience.
- “Really fun game, trading seems all cool, building a city is fun; the only downside I can see is that there is no music.”