Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance
- February 21, 2024
- Slitherine Ltd.
- 35h median play time
Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance isn’t without its issues, but its unique setting and gameplay mechanics set it apart from other strategy titles.
Get on Steam"Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance" is a real-time strategy game set in the Terminator universe, where you command the human resistance, the Founders, in their fight against Legion's machine network. With a single-player campaign and skirmish/multiplayer modes, players can control three distinct factions and make strategic decisions about unit placement and abilities on large battle maps. The game features dynamic battlefields with realistic tactics and consequences.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features one of the best RTS customization aspects, allowing players to rename units and level them up.
- The campaign is engaging with a choices matter function, providing a unique take on the RTS genre.
- The game runs well on lower-end computers, making it accessible to a wider audience.
- The game suffers from significant balancing issues, making it frustratingly difficult, especially for new players.
- Pathfinding and AI behavior can be inconsistent, leading to units getting stuck or not responding to commands.
- The supply system is overly punishing, often forcing players to disband units to manage resources effectively.
- story1,873 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance" is generally engaging, featuring a mix of character development and branching narratives that impact gameplay. Players appreciate the immersive narrative set in the Terminator universe, with meaningful choices and consequences, although some missions can feel tedious and overly long, leading to frustration. While the campaign offers a solid storyline, it suffers from pacing issues and bugs that can hinder progress, leaving some players desiring more content and polish.
“This is a masterclass in story, character development (even if they are a tad cheesy) and fun gameplay mechanics.”
“The story and campaign was dynamic and extremely well done.”
“The story is legitimately good and the choices you make do have an effect in game.”
“The story/dialogue is extremely tedious, with a lot of poorly timed dialogue interruptions (suddenly pauses the gameplay).”
“The story dialogue and plot are so dumb and naïve, it might have been written by one of the developers’ kids.”
“The final mission doesn't feel like anything was concluded; it's like the dev just ran out of time or money and says, 'oh well, this is the last mission.'”
- gameplay545 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance" is a mixed bag, featuring engaging mechanics that emphasize tactical decision-making and resource management, reminiscent of classic RTS titles like "Company of Heroes" and "Men of War." However, players have noted significant issues with the supply system, clunky controls, and a steep learning curve that can lead to frustration, particularly due to RNG elements and mission design that often feels punishing. While the game offers unique features and a solid foundation, many reviewers suggest it requires further refinement and balancing to fully realize its potential.
“This is a masterclass in story, character development (even if they are a tad cheesy) and fun gameplay mechanics.”
“The gameplay is a perfect mix of strategy and action.”
“The campaign is fun and challenging and encourages you to make use of various mechanics.”
“The gameplay and story just kill the soul.”
“Simply, the (supply) mechanic makes the game not fun.”
“It's a horrible gameplay experience.”
- graphics172 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the impressive visuals, detailed environments, and solid character models, while others criticize the outdated aesthetic and optimization issues. Some players note that the graphics can feel flat or lack polish, especially in cutscenes, and there are concerns about performance on lower settings. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good, there is a consensus that they could benefit from further refinement and optimization.
“The rest of the game is good too - absolutely top-notch graphics, fun music, simple but capable storyline, solid voice acting (lots of highly situational voice lines for different units!).”
“Visuals: the game boasts visually captivating environments, featuring detailed landscapes, realistic character models, and impressive special effects.”
“What can I say, the graphics are gorgeous.”
“Visuals leave a lot to be desired for a 2024 game made in UE5.”
“I thought this game had terrible graphics; it's poor and the game is kind of rough. Units are clumsy and unresponsive, sometimes not polished in any way.”
“Bad graphics, bad translations, and so poorly optimized it went from totally fine to a slideshow and then locking up my entire system requiring a hard reboot in less than 20 minutes.”
- optimization104 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly related to low frame rates and poor CPU resource management, often only utilizing a single core. While some users with high-end systems experience decent performance, others find it unplayable, especially during intense action. Overall, there is a consensus that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the gaming experience.
“No performance issues for me (3070), no problems with crashing or anything.”
“The game is pretty decently optimized and runs perfectly fine in 4k with a RTX 4070 Ti on ultra settings.”
“I have some recommendations for a few gameplay optimizations that would make it even more amazing than it already is.”
“The game's engine struggles to deliver smooth performance even on top-tier systems, with sub-15 fps making it unplayable.”
“Unfortunately, this game is amazing but has really terrible performance right now. It has really bad resource management and single-core usage, so performance is really bad. Other than that, I love this game, but I cannot recommend it to anyone in its current state unless you have a solid CPU. I will change my review if they fix it.”
“Bad graphics, bad translations, and so poorly optimized it went from totally fine to a slideshow and then locking up my entire system requiring a hard reboot in less than 20 minutes.”
- music52 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising it as amazing and fitting the gritty atmosphere, while others find it generic and repetitive. Many players appreciate the sound effects and how the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, particularly in capturing the essence of the game's themes. However, there are notable criticisms regarding the lack of variety in the soundtrack, with some tracks quickly becoming tiresome.
“The atmosphere and soundtrack effectively capture the essence of the Terminator franchise, enhancing the overall experience.”
“Audio and music are fantastic, fitting the apocalyptic doomsday character of the game world.”
“Music is awesome and the details are mind-blowing.”
“The audio effects are adequate but the soundtrack gets really old really fast.”
“Music is generic and boring.”
“Now on the surface, this game is a very hard sell: the graphics are a bit 2010's, the music is ok, but just ok, the multiplayer features are basic, and the lobbies themselves are quite empty.”
- stability44 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs affecting gameplay, including AI issues and pathfinding problems. While some players appreciate the game's passion and potential, many describe it as a "buggy mess" that can lead to frustrating experiences, particularly during intense action sequences. Overall, the game requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to improve its stability and user experience.
“The game is made with extreme passion and care, it is mostly bug free, and overall feels like a game of an older time where people made games for others to simply enjoy and also to create what they wanted.”
“Pretty much no glitches; units run smoothly with pathing, but not 100% smooth like the previously mentioned Blizzard games.”
“Pretty much no glitches; units run smoothly with pathing, but not 100% smooth like the previously mentioned Blizzard games.”
“This game freezes and crashes all the time.”
“Not a very good game, it's a buggy mess, crashes quite often, missions are annoying at times as in the objectives are dumb, you make a whole good army deck and you go into missions realizing you can only use like 4 units... pointless and dumb.”
“The game seriously needs CPU usage optimization; it freezes whenever action is happening.”
- replayability34 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the engaging storyline and variety of options that encourage multiple playthroughs, others criticize its limited replay value due to a linear campaign and lack of additional content. Many users express hope for future updates, such as new modes, factions, and mod support, to enhance replayability and longevity. Despite its current shortcomings, some players find enough enjoyment to replay the game a few times, particularly if future improvements are made.
“Interesting characters, a multitude of units and equipment to use, and the sheer variety of options presented to you make this game something that should be highly replayable and enjoyable for hundreds of hours.”
“An amazing experience with an outstanding campaign that changes massively based on your choices and performance in battle, as well as offering massive replayability with an efficient economy on the world map.”
“It has legs, so it'll have longevity - and it's sufficiently hard that it also has replayability.”
“To me, the current state of the game just has no replayability.”
“Feels rushed, unpolished, and missing replayability.”
“Open strategic layer design also pairs very poorly with a linear, heavily scripted campaign, providing plenty of opportunities to soft-lock but little depth or replay value.”
- atmosphere31 mentions
- 81 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and gritty portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world, effectively capturing the essence of the Terminator franchise. Reviewers highlight the game's detailed graphics, atmospheric soundtrack, and the successful integration of gameplay elements that enhance the overall experience. The combination of a well-crafted, bleak environment and engaging tactical gameplay contributes to a satisfying and challenging atmosphere that resonates with fans.
“This game is very well executed, polished, and has a highly immersive atmosphere.”
“You'll feel immersed in the gritty atmosphere that fans adore.”
“The atmosphere and soundtrack effectively capture the essence of the Terminator franchise, enhancing the overall experience.”
“+ great graphics with an awesome level of detail and a well-crafted, depressing Terminator atmosphere.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often requiring repetitive mission replays and micromanagement of numerous units. While some appreciate the potential for a persistent army and resource management, the overall experience is marred by poorly timed dialogue interruptions, buggy mechanics, and a lack of engaging mission variety, leading to a sense of monotony and exhaustion.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The concept of a persistent army that persists through the campaign was fun, but the missions are so boring I refuse to waste my time on tedious 'go here, now go here, now go here' rubbish in the hope that the next one will be fun.”
“While it could be a good game as it has everything it needs, it is messy and unbalanced after the first few missions, as it becomes tedious micromanaging 20+ units every 5 seconds, and it is very buggy, causing you to lose a mission to nothing, or have half your units killed due to bad pathfinding.”
“The only way to get through the grinding campaign is to replay the missions again and again, and know when the sucker punches are coming.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky characters, such as "big bob" and humorous hillbillies, which contribute to a lighthearted experience despite the game's challenging nature. Players often find themselves laughing at their own frustrations, creating a unique blend of comedy and strategy that keeps the experience engaging and entertaining. Overall, the game's humor is described as both weird and interesting, enhancing its appeal.
“This happened so many times that it just became something I kept laughing at.”
“I saw more than one YouTube reviewer call this game 'weird.' A funny way of saying it's an interesting new experience.”
“Play this game for big Bob and funny hillbillies with plasma guns!”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, particularly through the experience of loss and the attachment to their units, despite a lack of investment in the main character. The immersive gameplay allows for personal storytelling and strategic decision-making, though some players feel the main story is shorter than expected and desire more content. Overall, the game is praised for its emotional depth and engaging mechanics, leaving players eager for additional material.
“A RTS that made me feel each and every loss.”
“It's very nice that this game implements old school RTS rules of zoom and pan, but introduces this emotional attachment between the player and his units on the front line.”
“Impressively for a RTS game, it actually had me immersed and I loved how it made me feel so immersed like I write my own story and save the world my way or let the world burn my own way.”
- character development6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, with some reviewers praising it as a masterclass in storytelling, despite acknowledging moments of cheesiness. However, there are contrasting opinions, with some players noting a lack of character development altogether. Overall, the reception is mixed, with strong appreciation from some and disappointment from others.
“This is a masterclass in story and character development, even if they are a tad cheesy.”
“The character development was actually present in a way I don't think I've seen since COH 1.”
“No character development”
“No character development”
Critic Reviews
Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance Review
Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance may look the part, but the obnoxious mission design and confused campaign structure of this RTS just aren't worth your time.
50%Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance Review (PC)
Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance has a good real-time strategy core that is augmented by the mission design and the army management elements. The campaign features interesting situations and complex battles. The tactical pause makes it all accessible even for players who aren’t long-term fans of the RTS genre. The story and presentation do not match the game’s mechanics. Some secondary objectives and narrative choices are unclear until players actually interact with them. But Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance uses the franchise well and delivers engaging battles. Review key provided by the publisher.
85%Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance Review
Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance isn’t without its issues, but its unique setting and gameplay mechanics set it apart from other strategy titles.
80%
