A game of intense mechanical complexity, that decides to largely humanize the abstract task of of settlement management in a world plunging into the apocalypse, Six Ages manages to leverage its mechanical elements for its thematic goals. Tasked with keeping the city of Berenethtelli from falling to ruin in a dying world, players will grow their council, wage war with those whose only choice for survival is savagery, trade away anything in excess for what starves their clan the most, and sacrifice even what they cannot afford to lose to a pantheon of dying gods.

A human touch runs through every facet of the game. Council members aren't just portraits on a menu, but real people who will age and die. Their personalities create bias. Their skills can make them heroes or destitute fools. They quarrel with each other, they can grow in power and expertise, and even your most trained advisors can still fail. When faced with one of the hundreds of "choose your own adventure" segments, members of your council will be sent to resolve situations. Sometimes they will succeed, sometimes fail, get hurt, enrage fellow clans, and even sometimes be killed. They represent your heritage, and will criticize you as much as they'll try to help.

Lights Going Out is mechanically though, but that's not anything special for a strategy game. What is though, is how those mechanics build the themes of the game. The world is cracked and the sun has gone out. Life is short and cruel. Every passing year, mankind dwindles. Yet chaos simply gluts itself on our shattered bones. Hope is but another cruel irony. To dream for another day is to await nothing more than suffering. Can you keep the flame alive, or will the lights go out?

[h1]Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out[/h1] [h2]A fantasy without the escapism[/h2] A game of intense mechanical complexity, that decides to largely humanize the abstract task of of settlement management in a world plunging into the apocalypse, Six Ages manages to leverage its mechanical elements for its thematic goals. Tasked with keeping the city of Berenethtelli from falling to ruin in a dying world, players will grow their council, wage war with those whose only choice for survival is savagery, trade away anything in excess for what starves their clan the most, and sacrifice even what they cannot afford to lose to a pantheon of dying gods. A human touch runs through every facet of the game. Council members aren't just portraits on a menu, but real people who will age and die. Their personalities create bias. Their skills can make them heroes or destitute fools. They quarrel with each other, they can grow in power and expertise, and even your most trained advisors can still fail. When faced with one of the hundreds of "choose your own adventure" segments, members of your council will be sent to resolve situations. Sometimes they will succeed, sometimes fail, get hurt, enrage fellow clans, and even sometimes be killed. They represent your heritage, and will criticize you as much as they'll try to help. Lights Going Out is mechanically though, but that's not anything special for a strategy game. What is though, is how those mechanics build the themes of the game. The world is cracked and the sun has gone out. Life is short and cruel. Every passing year, mankind dwindles. Yet chaos simply gluts itself on our shattered bones. Hope is but another cruel irony. To dream for another day is to await nothing more than suffering. Can you keep the flame alive, or will the lights go out?