It's like Minesweeper with a strategic edge. You explore a map square by square gathering followers and collecting bonuses. At the end of the round a raging barbarian horde tries to tear down your cities. Their success is based on the bonuses you've collected the cities you've found.

You get to spend your followers on things like new tech or bulking up a city's defense. It's very mechanically driven, each level playing out like a dynamic puzzle. I'm reminded of Sid Mier's statement that "Games are a series of interesting decisions". Indeed, each decision I make on the map feels consequential and distinct.

It's a very early aughts indie game in that it's very rules driven with the real fun in the emergent pockets between those rules. The graphics are lovely in their themeing and pragmatics, but they're not going to win awards.

For the price I totally recommend it. It was a really compelling concept that's easy to learn and difficult to master. What a treat!

It's like Minesweeper with a strategic edge. You explore a map square by square gathering followers and collecting bonuses. At the end of the round a raging barbarian horde tries to tear down your cities. Their success is based on the bonuses you've collected the cities you've found. You get to spend your followers on things like new tech or bulking up a city's defense. It's very mechanically driven, each level playing out like a dynamic puzzle. I'm reminded of Sid Mier's statement that "Games are a series of interesting decisions". Indeed, each decision I make on the map feels consequential and distinct. It's a very early aughts indie game in that it's very rules driven with the real fun in the emergent pockets between those rules. The graphics are lovely in their themeing and pragmatics, but they're not going to win awards. For the price I totally recommend it. It was a really compelling concept that's easy to learn and difficult to master. What a treat!