The Fertile Crescent
- June 13, 2024
- LincRead
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Get on itch.io Store"The Fertile Crescent" is a city-building strategy game set in the ancient Middle East. Players must balance resource management, trade, and diplomacy to build a thriving civilization in a religiously and culturally diverse world. With a focus on historical accuracy, the game offers a unique and immersive experience for fans of the genre.
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic RTS games like Age of Empires, with enjoyable graphics and music.
- The unique food management mechanic adds depth to gameplay, requiring players to strategize around resource allocation and population growth.
- The campaign serves as a well-structured tutorial, and both skirmish and horde modes provide engaging gameplay options for players.
- The AI can be overly aggressive and poorly designed, making it difficult for players to progress, even on lower difficulty settings.
- Resource management can be tedious, with players often struggling to maintain a stable food supply, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- The game lacks variety in maps and civilizations, which may limit replayability and overall engagement for veteran RTS players.
- gameplay37 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a nostalgic RTS experience reminiscent of classic titles like Age of Empires, enhanced by unique mechanics such as food management, starvation, and land fertility that add depth and strategy. While the campaign serves as a gradual tutorial, players appreciate the engaging mechanics and pixel art style, though some find the gameplay can become tedious. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation with room for expansion and innovation, making it a refreshing entry in the genre.
“Once they've layered in all the different features, there is surprising depth to the gameplay.”
“I enjoy the way that you evolve into your civilization and the starvation mechanic.”
“Very interesting RTS - the food mechanic, thoughtful building placement required, and horde mode distinguish this from something like Age of Empires.”
“The campaign is basically an extended tutorial, which slowly introduces all the game mechanics.”
“The food mechanic is tedious, and the gameplay itself is boring.”
“Gameplay very flat.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a nostalgic pixel art style that appeals to fans of retro aesthetics, though opinions vary on its effectiveness in an RTS context. While many appreciate the charming visuals and fitting soundtrack, some critics note that the pixel art can hinder gameplay clarity, particularly in distinguishing units. Overall, the graphics are seen as a pleasant and attractive aspect, though they may lack innovation and detail compared to modern standards.
“I love the art style; I'm a sucker for good pixel art.”
“The visuals and music are extremely well made and charming, the UI is clean, and there's a lot of neat quality of life mechanics in the game.”
“Overall, if you are into the pixel art style and like the Bronze Age, then this RTS game is for you.”
“Graphics are okay-ish pixel art that could be better.”
“- the pixel art style does not work for RTS games; back in the early-mid 1990s yeah it did but even then most RTS games had a fairly small screen scale like WC2 and AOE1 - or at least compensated by having detailed enough sprites.”
“- ruffling pixel graphics, it's hard to distinguish different units and colors of teams.”
- music14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its charm and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many players noting that the main theme is particularly catchy and immersive. While some reviews mention that the music is not groundbreaking, it effectively complements the pixel art and gameplay, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, adding to its nostalgic and engaging qualities.
“As long as this game is being played on the lowest difficulty, it sure is relaxing with that cute pixel graphics and cool, fitting soundtrack.”
“Great music, really immersive piece of game with great atmosphere.”
“The pixel art and music is perfectly done!”
“Music is also okay-ish, but none of it matters.”
- story10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 90 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its immersive depiction of the ancient world, particularly the fertile crescent, engaging players with a challenging campaign that tests their skills. However, some users express a desire for more diverse missions and a structured world map campaign, indicating that the current linear format may limit replayability. Overall, while the narrative is compelling, there are calls for additional content and variety to enhance the experience.
“It’s got a great story that pulls you right into the ancient world of the Fertile Crescent.”
“I can only hope for some new campaign missions, scenarios, maps, or even DLC (mysterious late Bronze Age collapse would be cool!) in the future.”
“The campaign would be incredible if they had some sort of world map structured campaign with global resources where you can play against the AI or friends.”
“☐ no story”
“The campaign would be incredible if they had some sort of world map structured campaign with global resources where you can play versus the AI or friends, but I'm expecting it'll be a more typical linear story campaign.”
“If that's the case, I'll probably play through a mission or two and then go back to multiplayer and horde mode.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, with resources being too spaced out and requiring significant effort to establish a sustainable farming economy. The need for frequent construction of resource camps adds to the monotony, making the gameplay feel boring for some. However, others appreciate the game's innovative design that attempts to mitigate these tedious elements.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“As for constructive feedback, I personally would like to mention that resources are too spaced out, and to get a good farming economy going can take a long while.”
“The food mechanic is tedious, and the gameplay itself is boring.”
“Currently, you have to construct resource camps pretty frequently, which can get tedious and unfun.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its exceptional art and sound design, creating an immersive experience enhanced by great music. Reviewers consistently highlight the strong emotional and engaging environment that draws players into the game.
“The art and sound design come together to create a captivating atmosphere while you are playing.”
“Great music and immersive gameplay contribute to a fantastic atmosphere.”
“What an incredible atmosphere!”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by a particularly funny second cinematic trailer that has resonated with players, contributing to their overall enjoyment of the game.
“I mostly bought this because of the hilarious second cinematic trailer, but the game is solid.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, featuring clean graphics and excellent performance that allows it to run smoothly even on low-end devices like inexpensive Chromebooks. While the combat mechanics may currently be lacking, improvements are anticipated with future updates.
“The graphics are clean, and performance is top-notch, allowing even a budget Chromebook to run it smoothly.”
“The optimization is impressive, ensuring a seamless experience across various devices.”
“I appreciate how well the game runs on lower-end hardware without sacrificing visual quality.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, attributed to its classic RTS mechanics, familiar user interface, diverse strategies, and adjustable difficulty levels, encouraging players to revisit and explore different approaches.
“Classic RTS with a familiar UI, this game is a real game in the sense that it has great replay value due to the various strategies and the level of difficulty.”
“The diverse gameplay options and multiple paths to victory ensure that no two playthroughs are ever the same, making it incredibly replayable.”
“With its dynamic environments and evolving challenges, this game keeps you coming back for more, as each session feels fresh and engaging.”
