Within a Dead City
- August 7, 2023
- Joshua Galecki
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreWithin a Dead City is a 4X game where you manage autonomous heroes exploring a cursed city for gold and glory. Heroes will act on their own, slaying monsters and raiding lairs, but it's up to you to keep them out of trouble and grow your outpost. With new heroes, game modes, buildings, spells, and a campaign in the expanded version, there's plenty to discover in this tiny 4X game.
Reviews
- Charming art style and music that enhances the overall experience.
- Fun and fast-paced gameplay that provides a nostalgic feel reminiscent of Majesty.
- Great potential for future content and updates, making it a worthwhile investment at its low price.
- Lacks depth and variety in content, leading to a short playtime and limited replayability.
- Gameplay can feel overly simplistic and on autopilot, with minimal player control over heroes.
- Needs more strategic elements and progression to keep players engaged in the long term.
- graphics7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their charming pixel art and haunting color scheme, contributing to an engaging visual experience. Reviewers appreciate the minimalist approach and find the art style both nostalgic and satisfying, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. While the graphics are simple, they effectively support the game's fun premise and concept.
“Combine this premise with the haunting color scheme, charming pixel art visuals, and minimalist soundtrack and you have yourself a bonafide victory in my book.”
“A fun RTS-light that has a charming art style and fun premise.”
“The game is very oddly satisfying; it has a charming art style.”
“An old school Majesty clone, the game uses simple graphics, building, and heroes.”
“If this was 3D I wouldn't trust it, but with your graphical direction and lack of bugs, I wish you all the best!”
- music5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its awesome vibe and minimalist approach, complementing the charming pixel art and haunting color scheme. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack enhances the overall atmosphere, contributing to a positive gaming experience, especially considering the game's low price point.
“The music for this game is awesome.”
“The music has a great vibe and the color palette sets a good tone.”
“Combine this premise with the haunting color scheme, charming pixel art visuals, and minimalist soundtrack and you have yourself a bonafide victory in my book.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Gameplay features a learning curve due to insufficient explanations of mechanics, but players can grasp the basics to succeed. The bounty mechanic is deemed unnecessary, as players can overcome challenges by mastering the game's flow. Overall, the experience is engaging once players adapt to the gameplay dynamics.
“If you're still on the fence, I have some gameplay footage above.”
“Never needed the bounty mechanic and beat the highest difficulty by simply keeping ahead of the tide once I learned the flow.”
“A bit of a learning curve since many of the mechanics aren't explained, but enough is explained so you at least understand the basics.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the game may not offer limitless replayability, players find value in self-imposed challenges, such as completing the game on higher difficulties or with specific restrictions, which enhances the overall experience. For its price point of $2.99, this level of replayability is considered reasonable.
“I'm currently trying to beat the game on the highest difficulty and map size using only one hero type (except that I allow myself a single merchant). Seeing which strategies work and which do not adds a layer of self-imposed challenge that extends replayability.”
“The game offers a variety of paths and choices that make each playthrough feel unique, encouraging players to explore different strategies and outcomes.”
“With multiple character classes and skill trees, every run can feel fresh and exciting, making you want to dive back in for another adventure.”
“It isn't going to provide you with limitless replayability, but that isn't a reasonable expectation for $2.99.”
“I'm currently trying to beat the game on the highest difficulty and map size using only one hero type (except that I allow myself a single merchant). Seeing which strategies work and which do not extends replayability for me.”
