Against the storm is primarily a time and resource management game. City building is in second plan, and mission specific. You don't build permanent settlements. You build what you need to pass the mission and proceed to build new settlement over and over again.

That being said, the game does have some roguelite elements, but I wouldn't classify it as a simulation or city builder, much less as roguelike. There is no perma-death.

The gameplay itself is fun, but very grindy. Since nothing is permanent, you start building from 0 over and over again in order to get resources to spend on tiny permanent upgrades. More permanent upgrades you have, easier the gameplay gets (in theory). However, the game forces you to play on higher difficulties in order to progress. If you are too far from the base (Smoldering City), some options (easy, normal) are locked away. This might be a problem for some people.

The replay value is so-so. It's true that maps are randomly generated, and the choice of buildings and perks (cornerstones) are also random, but the formula for winning is always the same. Establish early necessities, satisfy worker needs, please the queen. The main problem is the beginning of each missions since you lack manpower to produce goods, progress is slowed down to a crawl, even if you play on 3x speed (mainly forest clearing is slow).

All in all I am glad I bought it, it is a nice indie game that you can sink hundreds of hours in. Right now I have about 50 and feel a little burned, but I am sure I will get back to it.

Against the storm is primarily a time and resource management game. City building is in second plan, and mission specific. You don't build permanent settlements. You build what you need to pass the mission and proceed to build new settlement over and over again. That being said, the game does have some roguelite elements, but I wouldn't classify it as a simulation or city builder, much less as roguelike. There is no perma-death. The gameplay itself is fun, but very grindy. Since nothing is permanent, you start building from 0 over and over again in order to get resources to spend on tiny permanent upgrades. More permanent upgrades you have, easier the gameplay gets (in theory). However, the game forces you to play on higher difficulties in order to progress. If you are too far from the base (Smoldering City), some options (easy, normal) are locked away. This might be a problem for some people. The replay value is so-so. It's true that maps are randomly generated, and the choice of buildings and perks (cornerstones) are also random, but the formula for winning is always the same. Establish early necessities, satisfy worker needs, please the queen. The main problem is the beginning of each missions since you lack manpower to produce goods, progress is slowed down to a crawl, even if you play on 3x speed (mainly forest clearing is slow). All in all I am glad I bought it, it is a nice indie game that you can sink hundreds of hours in. Right now I have about 50 and feel a little burned, but I am sure I will get back to it.