Thronefall
- October 11, 2024
- GrizzlyGames
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam"Thronefall" is a strategy game that simplifies traditional strategy mechanics while incorporating hack-and-slash elements. Players build up their kingdom during the day, defend it at night, and balance economy and defense. The game offers various strategies, such as building archers, walls, or mills, and choosing between ranged combat or charging into battle. The goal is to survive the night and see the sunrise over your kingdom.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- gameplay1,754 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Thronefall" is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics that blend tower defense and resource management, allowing for a variety of strategic approaches. Players appreciate the addictive nature of the gameplay, which is enhanced by a range of modifiers and perks that introduce depth and replayability, despite some criticism regarding repetitiveness and limited freedom in base-building. Overall, the game offers a satisfying experience with a charming art style and a well-balanced challenge, making it accessible for both casual and more dedicated players.
“I love the mechanic of optionally stacking difficulty which increases the score to unlock new options.”
“It perfectly simplifies mechanics to eliminate tedium while leaving enough complexity to support the strategic challenge at the core of good tower defense games.”
“The gameplay is well balanced, providing a good challenge while being fun.”
“Decent enough tower defense game, though controls are frustrating, and gameplay is very repetitive.”
“After completing the tutorial and the first level, I already felt discouraged from continuing due to the repetitive gameplay—that’s the main issue for me.”
“The gameplay lacks depth; it feels like a mobile game.”
- graphics1,168 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Thronefall" are characterized by a charming, minimalist art style that many players find appealing and immersive. While some reviews mention that the visuals are simple, they are often praised for their clarity and effectiveness in enhancing gameplay, creating a cozy atmosphere reminiscent of childhood games. Overall, the aesthetic is well-received, contributing positively to the game's enjoyment despite some critiques regarding performance and graphical demands.
“The art style and music give such a great ambiance to the game and really adds to how enjoyable it is.”
“Its really fun and immersive, graphics are amazing and just pure enjoyment!”
“The art style is beautifully simple, like someone handed your toddler a set of blocks and said, ‘make it regal.”
“The graphics are terrible; I almost passed up the game because of it, but I'm glad I did not.”
“But there is a game called Kingdom Rush, which came out 10 years ago, and it costs less than this game, looks even better with its graphics style, has more content, and the difficulty feels much more satisfying and everything makes more sense.”
“There's no reason a game with such simplistic graphics should be so demanding on the hardware.”
- replayability720 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, attributed to a variety of weapons, perks, and modifiers that allow for diverse strategies and playstyles. Players appreciate the inclusion of challenges and an endless mode, which further enhance replay value, despite some concerns about the limited number of levels currently available. Overall, the combination of customization options and frequent updates keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging, making it a worthwhile experience for those seeking depth and variety.
“The endless mode and the potential different combinations of soldiers/towers/and builds make this game very replayable, as my in-game time demonstrates.”
“The levels are all meticulously crafted, and the challenges offered on each level make the game greatly replayable.”
“This game is super replayable, and I find myself playing the same levels again and again, but each time I go for different upgrades, perks, mutations, and weapons, which truly allows me to customize my experiences and make each one unique.”
“The modifiers are supposed to give replayability to the game but... it doesn't.”
“As long as it takes to grind to new unlockables, the game seriously lacks replayability.”
“Overall, I do recommend it based on the game being relatively normally priced for tower defense games, but be warned, the game only has four maps to play from, and there is little replayability (unless you want to min/max your time and perks for the best high score).”
- story550 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics and strategic challenges. Players engage in various quests and missions that emphasize replayability through different combinations of perks and modifiers, but many express a desire for a more developed story or lore to enhance the experience. Overall, while the gameplay is engaging, the absence of a compelling story is noted as a significant drawback.
“The quests and perks system do a good job of encouraging you to take a new approach to the same level, or to perfect an established strategy.”
“Each kingdom has a series of quests and mutations that change the way you play, and honestly turn it into a little bit of a puzzle, trying something different every time to see how far you could get with a specific strategy, until you finally found the right one for the right quest/mutation.”
“I discovered that I spent almost 9 hours to do the story once; it didn't feel so long since the game is so cool!”
“There's little to no story.”
“The content is still short and there are no story.”
“Its main drawback is how short the game is, as the core game can be completed in just a couple of hours, with all quests taking around four hours in total.”
- music394 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy and immersive quality, enhancing the overall ambiance and enjoyment of gameplay. Many players appreciate the blend of relaxing and engaging tracks, although some express a desire for more variety to prevent repetitiveness. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
“The art style and music give such a great ambiance to the game and really adds to how enjoyable it is.”
“The music complements the game and its simple yet beautiful graphics really well.”
“The soundtrack is just amazing, and the gameplay is smooth and enjoyable.”
“The music gets annoying after hearing it for like an hour and it's pretty much just one song on loop the whole game.”
“As a side note, please, add some more variety of soundtracks when night comes; hearing the same one over and over again is really annoying, and even thinking about it now makes me not want to hop back in.”
“Frustratingly mediocre music.”
- grinding140 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 74 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a mixed experience with grinding in the game. While some players appreciate the low emphasis on grinding and find the gameplay enjoyable without excessive repetition, others criticize the tedious troop management and repetitive tasks that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game strikes a balance between fun and grind, but many players feel that certain aspects, particularly troop selection and positioning, can become frustratingly tedious.
“Just the right balance of tough but not tedious.”
“Victories feel earned, but there's no grinding or slogfest due to the bite-sized roguelike design.”
“Fun simple game, isn't grindy and time consuming.”
“There is really very little strategy and it's just a repetitive grind to check the box on the roguelike aspects of XP farming with mutators and perks.”
“It became tedious and time-consuming after doing it repeatedly.”
“The game is charming and full of soul, but it's also frankly pretty tedious and unrewarding, with far too much focus placed on extensive micromanagement of your king for my tastes.”
- stability70 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates impressive stability across various platforms, particularly on the Steam Deck and Apple Silicon devices, with users reporting smooth performance and minimal to no bugs or glitches. While some players experienced a freezing issue when switching virtual desktops, the majority found the game to be well-polished and enjoyable, even in its early access state. The consistent feedback highlights a refreshing lack of technical issues, making it accessible for quick play sessions or longer gaming marathons.
“As minimalist as it is, the game still looks and runs great, and I haven't run into any issues as far as performance goes.”
“Nice to see an early access game that's not buggy and void.”
“It runs great (275 fps), beautiful art style, boss waves, a wide variety of enemies, and upgrades throughout.”
“Game completely freezes and freaks out after switching virtual desktops with the three-finger scroll gesture.”
“Tried troubleshooting but nothing seems to work.”
“I haven't encountered any major glitches; however, I have found some things I have wondered if they are intentional to make the game more diverse and difficult.”
- optimization62 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, running smoothly with minimal bugs and low resource demands, making it accessible for extended play on devices like the Steam Deck. Players appreciate the intuitive controls and polished visuals, noting that it outperforms many AAA titles in terms of performance and replayability. Despite being in early access, the game feels well-executed and offers a satisfying blend of tactical depth and optimization challenges.
“Amazing art style paired with seamless performance and maybe perfect controls.”
“This game is so fun and well optimized... and cheap.”
“Thronefall is a remarkable blend of building defenses, tactical combat, and kingdom management, offering an addictive and gratifying experience where there is always room for more improvement and optimization.”
“There really is almost no way to fix a non-optimized town build, but you won't know until it is too late.”
“Just when you think you've got the optimization figured out, you have to completely rethink the strategy.”
“The one thing I would love to see is some sort of goal besides beating the areas (levels) because currently they can be somewhat of an optimization challenge rather than a progression challenge.”
- humor42 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both hilarious and engaging, often comparing the chaotic gameplay to amusing childhood antics. Many reviews highlight the game's funny design elements and unique mechanics, such as self-detonating upgrades, which contribute to its comedic charm. Overall, the humor effectively enhances the strategic gameplay, making it a delightful experience for players.
“Thronefall is so funny to keep you hooked for real!”
“This game is like watching a toddler lose it over a juice box - hilarious chaos with a side of frustration.”
“I would describe this game as humorously over-designed.”
- emotional26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally engaging, with its wholesome graphics and satisfying economy management contributing to a heartfelt experience. The music enhances the emotional atmosphere, while the challenge of gameplay evokes strong feelings of frustration and triumph. Overall, it is described as a fun and memorable game that resonates deeply with players.
“Played several heartfelt and pensive narrative games and am glad I did.”
“The music forms an emotional realm.”
“I've already gotten mad and emotional for completing and failing levels.”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its cozy and immersive qualities, enhanced by charming pixel graphics, vibrant colors, and a medieval aesthetic. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of artwork, music, and gameplay simplicity that creates a nostalgic and engaging environment, making the experience both fun and challenging. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a key strength, drawing players into the intricacies of resource management and realm-building.
“I also love the artwork and overall atmosphere, that make it very cozy while still being very challenging.”
“The game's simplicity is its strength, the artful design and charming pixel graphics add a touch of nostalgia, creating a cozy atmosphere that draws you into the intricacies of managing resources for what to upgrade next, constructing defenses, and nurturing your burgeoning realm.”
“In Kingdom, though, it's the atmosphere that really shines rather than the tactical component.”
“The great thing is also the graphics, controls, and music - it all creates such a medieval atmosphere.”
“The game's simplicity is its strength; the artful design and charming pixel graphics add a touch of nostalgia, creating a cozy atmosphere that draws you into the intricacies of managing resources for what to upgrade next, constructing defenses, and nurturing your burgeoning realm.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game has been praised for its fair monetization approach, emerging from early access with a complete and polished experience, avoiding the typical cash grab tactics often associated with mobile games. Players appreciate the absence of microtransactions, highlighting it as a refreshing and enjoyable tower defense title reminiscent of the Kingdom series. Overall, it is seen as a genuine effort rather than a money-making scheme.
“You may know this game from fake ads on TikTok, yeah this is this game not some mobile bullshit.”
“Very fun tower defense that is reminiscent of the Kingdom series but none of the BS or microtransactions.”
“This could have been a cash grab mobile game but no it is a damn good PC game.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for more meaningful character development, suggesting that leveling up the main character, such as the king, would enhance the gameplay experience beyond simply equipping different weapons.
“However, if adding some kind of main character development, like leveling the king instead of just equipping him with different kinds of weapons, would be great in my opinion.”
