SunAge: Battle for Elysium
- December 15, 2014
- vertex4 entertainment GmbH
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamSunAge: Battle for Elysium is a real-time strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Choose to play as one of three factions: the human-led Consortium, the mutant-led Children of the Earth, or the robotic Anomaly. Each faction has unique units, abilities, and playstyles to master as you gather resources, build your base, and conquer your enemies. The game features a single-player campaign, skirmish mode, and multiplayer for up to 8 players.
Reviews
- Beautiful 2D graphics that evoke nostalgia for classic RTS games.
- Unique faction designs and interesting gameplay mechanics that encourage strategic thinking.
- Engaging campaign with a lengthy story and voice acting, providing a solid single-player experience.
- Clunky and unintuitive unit selection and control scheme that frustrates gameplay.
- Pathfinding issues lead to units behaving erratically and not following commands properly.
- Lack of essential features like saving and pausing in skirmish mode, along with some bugs that can disrupt the experience.
- story58 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its engaging characters and comic-style cutscenes, while others find it bland, generic, and difficult to follow. Although the campaign is lengthy and offers a variety of missions, many reviewers express disappointment with the execution and resolution of the plot, citing bugs and a lack of coherence in the narrative. Overall, while the story has potential and some enjoyable elements, it often falls short of expectations, leaving players divided on its quality.
“I like that the story is told by comic cutscenes; it made the game feel even more unique. By the way, the story is good, and I liked the characters that were presented in it.”
“This game has a large campaign about 30 hours long, which is story-driven and full of interesting characters.”
“The plot is fairly boilerplate, but is well executed in the cutscenes, and despite its 'stereotypical' framing, is well written and an engaging experience.”
“I'm very disappointed with the story's ending.”
“The story has a lot of broken parts; it's non-continuous and hard to understand, and the lore is almost non-existent.”
“The storyline is as clever as a brick.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many users praising the stunning 2D visuals and unique art style that set it apart from other titles. Reviewers highlight the high fidelity and charm of the graphics, noting that they are among the best seen in 2D games, while also appreciating the diverse faction designs and atmospheric effects. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a strong point, contributing to its appeal despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
“I really love the graphics, one of the most beautiful 2D graphics I've seen.”
“The art style is just incredible, basically a true high fidelity 2D RTS, looks ten times better than C&C Remastered.”
“First off, I just want to give a big shoutout to the people involved in the making of this game, it's quite amazing for such a small team, the graphics, the sound, the units, it all feels professional and like a high quality indie game.”
“Graphics are well, they are the graphics of games ten years ago, only with high-def sprites and particle effects for once, which, in its weird 2.5D way, does look gorgeous during the firefights.”
“Graphics are well, they are the graphics of games ten years ago, only with high-def sprites and particle effects for once, which, in its weird 2.5D way, does look gorgeous during the firefights.”
“Mediocre at best non-gameplay content (story, voice acting, artworks, etc.)”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its solid mechanics, exciting combat, and engaging unit design, reminiscent of classic RTS titles. However, players express a desire for more features, such as a campaign editor and improved modding options, while also noting issues with controls, pathfinding, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the campaign is considered fulfilling and effectively teaches the game's mechanics.
“Absolutely a fantastic RTS, has an amazing campaign, interesting units, factions, and building mechanics.”
“The combat is also very exciting; the varying units make for challenging, but not overly complex gameplay, and the multiple resources and base building mechanic make for an interesting management experience similar to Age of Empires or Starcraft.”
“The gameplay itself is exciting and fun to partake in; I also imagine that actually skirmishing in PvP would be equally exciting, if not more so.”
“Races - they tout the races to be different but besides their resource collection mechanism, the mechanics are the same; just build power pylons to extend your base, which leads me to my next problem.”
“There's also a big lack of polish on the core mechanics that make a good RTS good.”
“I could never find my rhythm and felt like I was forever battling with the controls, UI, and mechanics of the game... rather than just playing the game.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's soundtrack is widely praised for its beauty and atmospheric quality, reminiscent of late-90s styles, though it features a limited number of tracks. While the music and sound effects are generally well-received, some players find the audio cues that lower the music volume during critical moments to be a drawback.
“The game has a great soundtrack.”
“Beautiful soundtrack, even though there are not many different songs.”
“I don't like how the music goes quiet when there's an audio cue (units being attacked, need more storage, etc.).”
“A slower-paced RTS with atmospheric music and grumpy, grizzled characters reminiscent of the late-90s style.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is mixed; while some users find the graphics simple yet fitting and appreciate the atmospheric music, others criticize the characters and overall setup as bland and lacking depth, resulting in a generally drab experience.
“The graphics are simple but appropriate, adequate, and atmospheric.”
“A slower-paced RTS with atmospheric music and grumpy, grizzled characters reminiscent of the late-90s style.”
“The characters are too pulpy, the setup is too bland; there's little sense of atmosphere aside from 'drab.'”
“The game fails to create an immersive environment, leaving players feeling disconnected and uninterested.”
“Despite the potential for a rich setting, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real depth.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mixed emotional experience with the game, noting that while some missions are challenging and engaging, others can feel tedious and uninspired, leading to a lack of investment in gameplay. The tightly clustered environments contribute to this inconsistency, affecting overall enjoyment.
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect to be long and tedious rather than challenging or threatening, with some noting that missions are not unfair or overly tedious.
“It's not a threat, it's not challenging, it's just long and tedious.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is perceived as a nostalgic homage to classic RTS titles; however, it suffers from significant bugs that render it unplayable for some users.
“It looked like a good throwback to the old school RTS games, but it's buggy and unplayable for me.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it impossible to enjoy any extended play sessions.”
“I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted gameplay, leading to a frustrating experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the game's appealing graphics and emphasize its high replayability, noting that it captures the fun of classic RTS games from a more innocent era.
“Nice graphics, and a very replayable game, in the fun RTS style of a more innocent age.”
