The Settlers: New Allies

A slow-paced and overly simplistic take on city building and war waging, but blessed with wholesome looks and a relaxing atmosphere.

52%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

story, stability

48% User Score Based on 238 reviews

Critic Score 58%Based on 9 reviews

Platforms

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About

The Settlers: New Allies is a single player and multiplayer real-time strategy game with a historical theme. It was developed by Ubisoft Düsseldorf and was released on July 4, 2023. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

"The Settlers: New Allies" is a historical real-time strategy game with a fully reimagined build-up experience and stunning graphics. Choose from three factions, each with unique playstyles, and experience a story-driven campaign or play online with up to eight players. The Deluxe Edition includes the game, Deluxe Pack, and Explorer Pack for extra content. Play in single-player, co-op, or multi-player modes, including local multi-player for two players and split-screen.

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48%

Audience ScoreBased on 238 reviews

gameplay13 positive mentions

story12 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a charming art style that appeals to fans of the series.
Gameplay offers a nostalgic feel reminiscent of earlier Settlers titles, providing a casual and relaxing experience.
The campaign, while simple, is enjoyable and provides a decent amount of content for players looking for a laid-back strategy game.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes and save problems, leading to frustration for players.
The gameplay is overly simplified compared to previous Settlers games, lacking depth in both city-building and combat mechanics.
The requirement for a Ubisoft account and the presence of microtransactions detract from the overall experience, making it feel less like a complete game.

story
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
59%
21%
The story in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players describing it as boring, poorly written, and lacking depth. Critics noted that the narrative feels repetitive and fails to engage, often leading them to skip cutscenes and dialogue. While some players found enjoyment in the gameplay itself, they largely agreed that the story detracts from the overall experience, making it feel like an afterthought rather than a central element of the game.
- “Really enjoyable game with a rich story and quality gameplay.”
- “Plus the storyline, so far, is simple enough to easily follow with just the right amount of intrigue.”
- “I have played only the campaign for now, but the story, missions, and every map are quite interesting and don't let me get bored at all.”
- “The story itself is underwhelming, to say the least.”
- “The campaign story itself was garbage.”
- “A story that was lazy, boring and made almost no sense.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
59%
13%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beautiful graphics and classic Settlers feel, while others criticize its slow pace, limited mechanics, and lack of variety in maps and AI options. Some players find the gameplay enjoyable and immersive, but express disappointment over bugs, shallow mechanics, and the absence of features like speed control and settlement management. Overall, while the game has potential and offers a nostalgic experience, it struggles with execution and depth, leaving some players feeling bored after a short time.
- “Great cinematics and fun gameplay.”
- “I'm a veteran gamer and I love RTS games with some settlement building, but this one really got me hooked on both aspects of the gameplay with beautifully designed and detailed graphics, characters, buildings, actions, and environments.”
- “Beautiful graphics, great mechanics, and just a lot of fun from gameplay.”
- “Sadly, I cannot speed up the gameplay, which was a pain. The game can also have a bug where it will not shut down properly, resulting in the loss of your save file.”
- “One thing that worries me is that after only 28 hours of gameplay, I think I'm going to get bored really quickly and just stop playing. Once you play the 6-8 maps with no options to mix up the number of AI you can face or no additional or randomly generated maps, I don't feel there's any point.”
- “The gameplay is shallow but enough to keep you progressing.”
graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
27%
7%
Overall, the graphics of the game have received a positive reception, with many users praising the beautiful artwork, charming character designs, and smooth animations. While some players noted limitations in zoom functionality and occasional graphical glitches, the visuals are generally considered a strong point, contributing to an enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing gaming experience. However, a few critiques highlight that the graphics may not meet the expectations for a 2023 title, suggesting a disparity between visual appeal and gameplay complexity.
- “I enjoyed this game for its adorable graphics and laid-back gameplay.”
- “Excellent graphics and art design, good job!”
- “I'm a veteran gamer and I love RTS games with some settlement building, but this one really got me hooked on both aspects of the gameplay with beautifully designed and detailed graphics, characters, buildings, actions, and environments.”
- “The graphics are bad for a 2023 game.”
- “The cut scenes are graphically okay, but no more than that.”
- “I just started a new map and the darn graphic bug is there from the start of the map :(”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users frequently encountering bugs that affect gameplay and save functionality. While some players find the overall experience decent, the persistent bugs and frustrating mechanics detract from enjoyment, leading to mixed reviews on stability.
- “Definitely get it on sale; still buggy but overall a decent experience.”
- “Game is good, not hard, still enjoyable; save game is sometimes buggy.”
- “Ubisoft Connect is sometimes buggy and cannot sync data.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players find it charming and reminiscent of classic titles, others prefer to turn it off in favor of their own orchestral selections. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for its beauty and appeal, with some users praising it as standout.
- “I think this game has some beautiful artwork and good music.”
- “Soundtrack slaps”
- “Turn the music off, put some of your favourite orchestral music on instead and play happily for hours.”
- “This one also has charming music just like all the older classics.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Reviews indicate a mixed sentiment towards the monetization aspect, with some players expressing dissatisfaction with the presence of microtransactions, while others feel they are not intrusive unless actively sought out. Additionally, there is a desire for more substantial content, such as larger maps and a map maker, rather than cosmetic items available for purchase.
- “The in-app purchases are really only visible if you go looking for them.”
- “If the microtransactions are for shop decoration items, to me that isn't really a microtransaction.”
- “But even if it wasn't, I would not give a recommendation for the microtransactions only.”
- “What I don't like are the microtransactions in the game, and I miss the large maps and a map maker.”
- “Microtransactions in the game... why?”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Reviews indicate that the game's replayability is lacking, with players noting a deficiency in variety within its RTS elements and base building mechanics. While some find it replayable, many feel it falls short compared to other early access titles with greater depth and engagement.
- “I've played early access games with more depth and replayability than this.”
- “The RTS elements just don't have the variety that makes it interesting, and base building doesn't have the variety and replayability that I'd hoped for.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Users report mixed experiences with optimization; while some on Linux experience significant performance issues and stuttering, others find the game well-optimized, comparable to a DLC for Cities: Skylines 2. Overall, optimization seems to vary widely depending on the platform and setup.
- “Either way, it's good, same as buying a DLC for Cities: Skylines 2, but this game is actually optimized well.”
- “For me on Linux, I had horrible performance and stutters the entire time.”
- “That's with an optimized resource chain.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that grinding can effectively allow them to progress in the game without spending real money, suggesting that dedication and effort can yield significant rewards.
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, but it felt like I was getting nowhere.”
- “The game requires so much grinding that it becomes more of a chore than a fun experience.”