Terra Invicta
- September 26, 2022
- Pavonis Interactive
- 45h median play time
Get on Steam"Terra Invicta" is a global strategy game where players lead Earth's defense against an alien invasion. They must research technology, manage resources, and engage in diplomacy and warfare to unite the world against the extraterrestrial threat. The game features a realistic geopolitical model, deep strategic options, and the possibility of either saving humanity or succumbing to the alien occupation.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Incredibly deep and complex gameplay that rewards long-term planning and strategy.
- Unique blend of geopolitical intrigue and realistic space combat, reminiscent of hard sci-fi narratives.
- Active development with regular updates, showing commitment from the developers to improve the game.
- Steep learning curve with a confusing tutorial and UI that can overwhelm new players.
- Gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, especially in the early and mid-game phases.
- AI factions often behave irrationally, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- gameplay2,010 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Terra Invicta" is characterized by its complex mechanics and steep learning curve, requiring significant time investment to grasp the intricacies of its systems. Players often find the core gameplay loop repetitive and tedious, primarily revolving around managing councilors and executing similar tasks over extended periods, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers a rich tapestry of strategic depth and unique mechanics, many users express frustration with the poorly explained systems, cumbersome UI, and the slow pace of progression, leading to a mixed reception regarding its gameplay experience.
“If you love complex and non-linear 4x gameplay, I'd recommend it.”
“The scale, quality, balance, and coherency of everything from mechanical systems to artwork to writing is incredible for an indie studio whose only previous experience is in modding for an entirely different genre.”
“Terra Invicta will not hold your hand, but rather it is a game that gives you a whole toolbox of mechanics and expects you to make the right decisions to drag humanity kicking and screaming toward the bright or dark future ahead.”
“4.4 hours of gameplay (not sure why it has the discrepancy in my play time), forced to be spread out over 10+ different game sessions, because the game leaks memory so bad that it locks up my entire computer within half an hour of starting play.”
“Gameplay numb and feels pointless, unfinished.”
“The gameplay loop bogs down and quite frankly kind of wastes the player's time.”
- story1,192 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in "Terra Invicta" is praised for its depth and engaging narrative, drawing players into a complex world of alien invasion and geopolitical intrigue. Players appreciate the slow-burn storytelling that allows them to uncover the lore behind the alien threat and the unique motivations of various factions, although some find the execution lacking due to repetitive gameplay and a cumbersome mission assignment system. Overall, while the narrative is compelling and well-crafted, the pacing and mechanics can detract from the immersive experience.
“Pavonis really outdid themselves with the slow-burn storytelling, letting you dig out and uncover the story behind the alien invaders.”
“The story and the setting of the game are its strongest points; this game is overflowing with lore and it's really well written; the developers are really invested in the story and writing of this game and it shows.”
“The well-crafted story and unique faction dynamics make it a compelling experience.”
“I would love to play this game but the tutorial is useless and honestly I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or the game is broken. You're supposed to be able to assign missions to operatives and you can once at the start of the game, but the option to do it again is just gone after the first time.”
“The tutorial says assign mission like oh that's helpful thanks got it. Nothing more useless than a tutorial that walks you through step by step what you should be doing but never once tells you how to do it. Not worth the money they are asking for.”
“The missions of your 'agents' become repetitive pretty quickly.”
- grinding344 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's grinding aspect is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where players often find themselves engaged in monotonous tasks with little reward. Many reviewers express frustration with the micromanagement required for councilor assignments and resource management, leading to a gameplay experience that feels more like a chore than an engaging strategy. While some acknowledge the game's potential and interesting concepts, the overwhelming consensus is that the current state of grinding detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment.
“I want to like this game but it's a tedious grind to get far enough into the game for real space battles.”
“The primary loop of the game is insanely tedious and yet somehow simultaneously pointless after the early game.”
“The game has so many features that are just plain tedious and meaninglessly repetitive, it becomes a chore to play.”
- optimization220 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting significant performance issues, especially in the late game, where lag and stuttering become prevalent. While some users have noted improvements with recent patches, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization and UI enhancements to reach its full potential. Despite these challenges, players still find the core gameplay engaging and are hopeful for future updates to address these concerns.
“The devs are still actively supporting the game, and I've seen marked improvement in AI and performance every time they patch, to the point that the AI actually still really challenges me even after 200 hours in-game.”
“Highly recommended if you're looking for actual strategy, good graphics, smooth performance.”
“This game is made by an indie studio that was just a bunch of modders yesterday and yet it provides a bug-free, feature-complete, decently optimized experience and gameplay with significant depth.”
“The game and the idea is very promising, but it's obviously not ready yet, as basic functionalities are not working properly, the game is very performance heavy (for no apparent reason), laggy, and buggy.”
“I encountered a game-breaking bug while playing with low graphics and the smallest system size to mitigate performance, and the posts I find talking about it are from two years ago.”
“The performance late game, especially when doing the full solar system option, is slow as hell.”
- graphics178 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the attention to detail and the immersive space opera aesthetic, while others criticize the user interface and performance issues. Some players find the visuals to be good, especially for an indie title, but note that they do not compete with blockbuster games. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent and functional, there are calls for improvements in both aesthetic and interface design to enhance the overall experience.
“The graphics and sound design create a visually stunning and immersive experience, truly bringing the space opera to life.”
“The graphics are superb; name and asset customization allows for a sandbox element as well, and most of all, the science fiction aspect is grounded in realism.”
“The game excels in several areas - the story, atmosphere, replayability, and graphics are all fantastic.”
“The ui is so clunky as to be unpleasant to use, and the performance is horrible for the bad graphics that are offered.”
“The graphics are barebones and the complexity hardcore so not sure if I would have known a particular thing was off.”
“Voiceover is of mixed quality, writing isn't the best, and the 3D graphics are atrocious, like Shrek rejects in contrast to the actually quite good 2D artwork.”
- replayability160 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, primarily due to its diverse factions, each with unique characteristics and goals that encourage different strategies and approaches. Players can expect hundreds of hours of gameplay, with the potential for varied experiences stemming from random world generation and faction dynamics. However, some reviewers noted that while the game is deep and complex, certain gameplay mechanics and similarities between factions may limit long-term replay value.
“If the answer is truly yes, this is a game that trailblazed its own strategy genre specifically made to your taste, and it will give you tons of hours per campaign. It is replayable as different factions can drastically change the goals of the game and the paths you'd take to accomplish those goals.”
“The variety of factions and their unique characteristics add depth and replayability, ensuring each playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
“There is literally hundreds of hours of replayability here, if you want.”
“The weak part is that despite some differences in end goals, and a few other relatively minor things, almost all factions play very similarly so the replay value of that is limited, but it is there.”
“So if I have to invest 200 hours for learning a game, I want at least 2000 hours of replayability to the game and frankly, that's not the case here.”
“From what I have seen, this game is not worth investing so much time to learn it because it isn't that replayable.”
- stability98 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many players reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly during complex gameplay scenarios. While some users acknowledge the game's potential and appreciate the developers' active engagement with the community, the overall experience remains frustrating due to the persistent glitches and lag. Despite these challenges, a few players have noted that the game runs surprisingly well on certain systems, indicating that stability may vary depending on hardware.
“But hey, it's bug free, there is a lot of development progress and it's fun - so I totally recommend it.”
“Still needs a lot of polishing and quality of life touches but it's surprisingly bug free and stable given how complex it is.”
“This game is made by an indie studio that was just a bunch of modders yesterday and yet it provides a bug-free, feature-complete, decently optimized experience and gameplay with significant depth.”
“The game and the idea is very promising, but it's obviously not ready yet, as basic functionalities are not working properly, the game is very performance heavy (for no apparent reason), laggy, and buggy.”
“I've lost 4 games now due to consistent unavoidable crashes, freezes, and not being allowed to press play again in the middle of a real-time section.”
“Tl;dr: this game has so much potential, but it's a buggy nightmare.”
- music72 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received for its quality and atmospheric fit, but many players find the limited number of tracks leads to repetitiveness over time. Reviewers express a strong desire for a more diverse and expansive soundtrack to enhance the gaming experience, particularly given the game's length. While the existing music complements the gameplay, it often becomes monotonous, prompting suggestions for additional tracks and variety.
“The soundtrack and sound design complement the game's atmosphere, enhancing the immersion of leading humanity's foray into the unknown.”
“Also on a funny note, the best music plays when you're fighting alien spaceships, meaning you get an awesome soundtrack while getting your teeth kicked in, rad.”
“Deep, complex, and the soundtrack slaps.”
“The soundtrack, while powerful, is far too short on tracks for a game of this length and grows repetitive.”
“One wish though: for god's sake, please add more diverse music!”
“One song does not cut it and probably 95% of us just turn off the music within 20 minutes.”
- humor52 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -2 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, with players enjoying the absurdity of the tech tree, the comical geopolitical scenarios, and the often ironic outcomes of high-stakes missions. Many find the writing and character interactions to be genuinely funny, contributing to a lighthearted experience even amidst challenging gameplay. The blend of realistic themes with humorous exaggerations, such as the ridiculousness of building a warship, adds to the game's charm and keeps players entertained throughout their strategic endeavors.
“The writing is frequently hilarious.”
“Also on a funny note, the best music plays when you're fighting alien spaceships, meaning you get an awesome soundtrack while getting your teeth kicked in, rad.”
“You're going to be looking at 10 hours minimum before you're looking at building your first warship, and that warship will likely be a very ramshackle, leaky lifeboat with guns taped on that will be gutted by the first alien that looks at it funny, or even stranded in space if you try to send it beyond the moon.”
“I've had so many missions that had approximately 90% success or over fail in comical succession that it's not funny. I'm just screwed over by RNG over and over again.”
“The humor in the game is more frustrating than funny, especially when high success rates lead to repeated failures.”
“It's hard to find the humor in a game when the RNG makes you feel like you're the punchline of a bad joke.”
- atmosphere50 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive and plausible depiction of global environmental issues, enhanced by a compelling soundtrack and sound design. Players appreciate the strategic depth and characterful interactions that contribute to a rich, engaging experience, making it a standout in the grand strategy genre. Overall, the atmosphere effectively combines visual and auditory elements to create a captivating space opera setting.
“I'm a sucker for atmospheric games, and it hits the nail on the head here.”
“The soundtrack and sound design complement the game's atmosphere, enhancing the immersion of leading humanity's foray into the unknown.”
“The graphics and sound design create a visually stunning and immersive space opera, adding to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“It might have led to an unrecoverable nuclear winter had a united Europe not been removing more pollutants from the atmosphere than it was producing.”
- emotional30 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the intense threat posed by aliens, which evokes deep contemplation about the right responses and elicits a strong human emotional reaction. Players feel a profound connection to the narrative, likening their experience to being the strategic leader in a grand conflict, with moments that can be heart-wrenching when viewed through a real-world lens. However, the transition from a science-based approach to a more fantastical element may disrupt the emotional engagement for some players, especially given the game's current state of development.
“The threat of the aliens is emotionally evocative and makes you think about what response might be correct; almost all of the factions are coming from a standpoint that is at minimum understandable and somewhat rational while also appealing to a human emotional response.”
“No game has ever made me feel as close to being the 'man behind the desk' in a grand strategy.”
“I could write a novel about the 90-year-old councilors with near superhuman abilities defending Earth against the aliens and hundreds of other emotional moments that, if you consider them happening in the real world rather than as pixels on the screen, are heart-wrenching.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with many users feeling that it fails to deliver on the promises made in its advertising. Players report that the game becomes repetitive and buggy, leading to disappointment and frustration, especially since refunds are not an option if it doesn't meet expectations.
“Cash grab, gets stupid repetitive after an hour and just watch a map move.”
“Don't bother buying the game since you will not be able to return it when it fails to live up to the advertising.”
“Steam is putting out products that don't match the advertising and are full of bugs more and more lately.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively integrates diverse systems, including character development, within its 4x, space combat, and base-building framework. While the reviewer has not completed a playthrough, they believe the character development aspect is well-executed alongside other gameplay elements.
“There is a lot coming together in this game; it brings together diverse systems such as 4X, space combat, base-building, politics, and character development. In my opinion, it does this well, although I have to admit I have not finished a playthrough yet.”
