US and THEM
- March 18, 2014
- Icehole Games
Get on Steam"Us and Them" is a turn-based strategy game set during the Cold War, where players can choose to be CIA or KGB. The goal is to expand territorially and destabilize the enemy's countries through espionage, sabotage, and manipulation of resources like money, oil, and technology. Players must strategically place units and gather intelligence to carry out attacks and achieve their objective.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers an interesting concept centered around Cold War strategy, allowing players to deploy agents and influence countries.
- Despite its flaws, the game provides hours of entertainment for fans of the Cold War era and board game mechanics.
- The AI is competent, and random events add some variability to gameplay, making each session slightly different.
- The user interface is poorly designed, making navigation and interaction cumbersome, especially with smaller countries.
- The game suffers from significant technical issues, including resolution problems, bugs, and a lack of proper tutorials or instructions.
- Many players find the gameplay tedious and frustrating due to micromanagement requirements and unclear mechanics.
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Gameplay is characterized by a mix of random events that add slight variability, but many players find the mechanics difficult to grasp and the interface frustrating. While the game offers strategic depth and originality, it suffers from poor execution, with some users reporting tedious gameplay and a lack of clarity in tutorials. Overall, the experience is marred by awkward controls and a steep learning curve, making it less engaging for new players.
“Random events (historical and ahistorical) make every gameplay slightly different.”
“I really like this game because it has a simple design and depth in the gameplay, as you need strategy in order to win.”
“Gameplay is pretty original in many parts of the game.”
“The tutorial covers some basic UI items and some concepts, though it lacks information on some occasional gameplay mechanics.”
“This game definitely had potential, and I was looking forward to some cloak and dagger strategy while using my knowledge of history during this period to my advantage, but the shoddy game mechanics really ruined it for me and others.”
“The gameplay is deeply unpleasant; the graphics are ugly to the point of hurting my eyes, the forced resolution is absurdly low and makes everything fiddly and awkward, and the interface is possibly the worst ever conceived.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated, ugly, and poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. The user interface is criticized for being unintuitive and lacking customization options, making the game feel unplayable for some. While a few players appreciate the minimalist design that allows for focus on gameplay, the general consensus is that significant improvements are needed in both graphics and interface to enhance the overall experience.
“This game is amazing, very understated graphics that allow you to focus more on the fading voice of the tutorial speaker.”
“Games like Civilization V have comparatively advanced graphics including waving flags, hammering workers, and wavy oceans, so it’s okay if it doesn’t scroll as quickly as you’d hope.”
“Complaining about graphics in this is like yelling at the sun for setting.”
“Horrible UI and graphics; the game is not stable.”
“Though it looks extremely fun, the fact that it doesn't adjust to fit screens and you have no graphics adjustment controls makes this game altogether unplayable.”
“The gameplay is deeply unpleasant, the graphics are ugly to the point of hurting my eyes, the forced resolution is absurdly low and makes everything fiddly and awkward, and the interface is possibly the worst ever conceived.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is generally viewed as moderate, with some players noting its simple gameplay and alternate history elements as appealing factors. However, others find it somewhat short and lacking in depth, leading to mixed opinions on its overall replay value.
“Overall, simple gameplay, with a replayability factor of B+/B. It's short for casual play and offers an alternate history at a budget price.”
“The price-to-fun ratio of the game is reasonable, making it worth considering for its replayability.”
“A bit short and not that much replayability.”
“Overall, simple gameplay, replayability factor of a B+/B, short for casual play, and alternate history at a budget price.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, particularly highlighting the comedic elements found in the spy gadgets research, which adds an enjoyable and entertaining layer to the overall experience.
“For me, another huge plus of the game is that it has a lot of humor.”
“All the spy gadgets research part is hilarious!”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized due to a buggy interface and limitations to non-widescreen resolutions, which detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“The interface is buggy and locked to non-widescreen tiny resolutions, and the way the game plays does not feel very well thought out.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a well-crafted tech tree and the inclusion of grainy Cold War-era propaganda videos, which serve as both an introduction and a reward for players. This nostalgic aesthetic effectively immerses players in the themes of the space race and nuclear arms development, despite the absence of direct nuclear gameplay.
“The game features grainy Cold War-era propaganda videos that enhance the atmosphere, serving as both an introduction to the game and a reward for playing well.”
“The atmosphere is immersive, with a well-crafted tech tree that makes your agents more effective while capturing the essence of the space race and nuclear arms development.”
“The combination of the tech tree and the nostalgic propaganda videos creates a unique atmosphere that draws players into the game's historical context.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected.”
“Despite the interesting premise, the game fails to create a compelling atmosphere, leaving me feeling disconnected from the world.”
“The environments are bland and repetitive, which detracts significantly from the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often exacerbated by a poor interface that detracts from the overall experience.
“Horrible interface, tedious gameplay.”
“The grinding feels endless and monotonous.”
“It's just a repetitive cycle of doing the same tasks over and over.”
