Under Domain
- October 22, 2020
- Playlearn
Get on SteamIn "Under Domain" , play as a Reptilian leader crafting an alien invasion plan for Earth. Slyly meddle with human evolution by infiltrating their tech, deploying hybrid agents, and implementing covert operations, all while building a formidable war fleet. Stealthily navigate human history from the 1900s to 2020, with each turn spanning a decade, and be cautious to avoid prematurely revealing your existence.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has an interesting premise and unique concept of playing as alien invaders, which is engaging.
- The art and sound design are well-executed, contributing to an immersive atmosphere.
- There are some fun mechanics and strategic elements that can be enjoyable if the game is polished further.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues that have been unresolved for years.
- The user interface is confusing and poorly designed, making navigation and gameplay frustrating.
- Animations are excessively long and unskippable, leading to a tedious experience where players spend more time watching than playing.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for being shallow, repetitive, and poorly designed, with many mechanics feeling unbalanced or underdeveloped. While there are some fun elements and randomization that can enhance replayability, the overall experience is marred by a lack of engaging decisions and frustrating mechanics, particularly during invasion sequences. Many reviewers suggest waiting for patches and content updates before diving in, as the current state of gameplay leaves much to be desired.
“Pros: great art, certain mechanics are fun, destroying humanity never gets old.”
“Randomization increases the replayability of this game; otherwise, you can tune into a strategy that will work on future playthroughs because the only random element I believe I can find aside from the final invasion damage is the stealth mechanic.”
“A different gameplay and it will take you hours of gameplay.”
“The scant few game mechanics (and I use the term very loosely) that exist are poorly conceived and/or not actually functional, and I'm afraid that once you see this, you cannot un-see it.”
“It's sadly just too shallow gameplay-wise with repetitive and unengaging decisions.”
“The game falls flat on its face when it funnels you into conducting a successful invasion, only to have that invasion gameplay mechanic appear shallow and without seemingly much thought put into it.”
- stability20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs and freezes that hinder gameplay, including a significant issue that has remained unresolved for two years. While some players still find the game enjoyable and hope for future improvements, the overall sentiment is that the lack of developer support and persistent bugs make it difficult to recommend at this time.
“Game is pretty buggy; on the forums, you can see a bug that stops an entire section of the game from being finished that has been broken for 2 years.”
“Europe refuses to actually do anything, and that's where my invasion fleet is, so I guess that ends this game for me... very buggy, unfinishable game with no developers around for two years.”
“If you can't update a buggy game, why would you want to buy it?”
- graphics14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their high quality, cinematic style, and impressive art design, contributing to an engaging visual experience. However, some players feel that despite the appealing graphics, the game lacks sufficient gameplay elements, suggesting it may be unfinished or missing critical components. Overall, while the visuals are a strong point, they are not enough to compensate for the gameplay shortcomings.
“The art, graphics, sound - top notch!”
“Very cinematic with an amazing art style and sound design!”
“The concept of the game is very interesting and the graphics are great.”
“At first, I figured I was playing the game wrong or just not getting something, but after going to find some kind of guide online (there are none at the time of writing this), or looking at the game's web page for more information (the game's page is only a landing page with screenshots, logos, and PR/sales hype), and then finally the game reviews/comments that all have the same problem with the gameplay and then some... I am now pretty sure this game isn't finished and there are commands and graphics missing to advance the gameplay.”
- story12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story, centered around aliens seeking revenge on humans, has received praise for its creativity and engaging narrative. Players express a desire for more story content and new threats to enhance the experience, although some find the lengthy animations during gameplay to be a drawback. Overall, the storytelling aspect is highlighted as a strong point, with calls for further development.
“Whoever came up with the story for this game needs to be rewarded.”
“A great turn-based game that tells the story of aliens who want revenge on humans.”
“The animations of the actions are too long and you cannot skip them (building ships, launching missions, battles, etc.).”
“Managing resources is not my skill, but I'm curious to see how the story unfolds!”
- replayability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is currently limited, with some players noting that while randomization adds a degree of variety, the overall experience can become predictable due to established strategies. There is potential for improvement, and players express a willingness to invest more if replay value is enhanced.
“Strategy elements of your choices definitely matter, so I can see myself having fun and the game having replay value.”
“Unfortunately, right now the replay value is... well, it's there.”
“But with the potential fully unearthed, I wouldn't mind paying 10-15€ for it, depending on whether or not you guys find a way to improve the replay value.”
“Randomization increases the replayability of this game; otherwise, you can tune into a strategy that will work on future playthroughs because the only random element I believe I can find aside from the final invasion damage is the stealth mechanic.”
- music8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music and sound design effectively enhance the game's atmosphere, immersing players in the experience of an alien invasion. However, users have reported issues with the sound settings, noting that adjustments do not take effect until the next turn and that not all sounds can be silenced, leading to frustration with overpowering audio levels.
“I tried to change the sound and music settings, but it didn't seem to make a difference; the heavy bass continued to blast my eardrums.”
“The music and sound effects create an immersive experience, enhancing the overall gameplay.”
“This is a little flawed as well, though if you adjust the music and sound effects from the in-game menu during gameplay, your changes will not apply until the next turn, and even then not all sounds and songs are silenced.”
“I tried to change the sound and music settings but it didn't seem to make a difference; the heavy bass continued to blast my eardrums.”
“The atmosphere, presentation, music, and animation really make you feel like you're an alien power trying to slowly conquer Earth.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by effective presentation, music, and animation that evoke a sense of alien conquest. However, some users suggest that certain narrative elements, such as the planet's habitability, could be adjusted to maintain believability and immersion. Overall, the game's atmosphere successfully draws players into its world, though there are calls for minor improvements to enhance realism.
“For a more believable option, changing it to a bomb/attack that ignites the planet's atmosphere has pretty much the same result but isn't anywhere near as immersion-breaking.”
“It might also be a good idea to either change it to an option that doesn't make the planet uninhabitable or to point out that the attackers couldn't live on the surface of that world anyways (it didn't seem to have any surface water... so... temperature and atmosphere might simply be entirely incompatible).”
“The atmosphere, presentation, music, and animation really make you feel like you're an alien power trying to slowly conquer Earth.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant bugs, lack of proper language support, and an overall feeling that it was not ready for full release. Despite some players finding ways to optimize their strategies, the general consensus is that the game's technical issues severely hinder the experience.
“I've already optimized a strategy that should allow me to win during the final invasion every time.”
“Do not recommend, poor optimization, no proper language pack and some game-breaking bugs; it shouldn't be out in full release yet.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the repetitive nature of resource management. This has led to a generally negative perception of the grinding experience.
“The grinding feels like tedious resource management.”
“The grinding aspect of the game is just tedious resource management.”
“I find the grinding to be nothing more than tedious resource management.”
