I really am trying not to like this game so much, but here we are. With a tendency to be very skeptical of games that earn overwhelmingly positive ratings right out of the gate, I'll cautiously approach them asking "OK, what's the catch or gimmick?" I have yet to find anything gimmicky about it. To the contrary, there's a lot of unique things going on here that create a pretty special experience.

While Against the Storm is not flawless, there's a ton of depth and nuance to it. If played solely as a classic city builder, you might end up frustrated that each settlement isn't permanent. Even more frustrated when feel like you don't have the time to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. But if you can learn to let go, and embrace the challenges you'll face, it's going to one of those games that keeps pulling you back in for one more turn hour at a time.

Early access, so don't jump onboard if that's something that's going to piss you off. If it isn't, then I'd say go ahead and jump right in. The game is extremely polished in it's current state, and there's just a ton of things to achieve already. Once you get through the tutorials, this thing really opens up very quickly. Nowadays it's hard to find a truly innovative experience, but Against the Storm legitimately serves one up.

Um...just awesome. Believe everything you've read. This is just a good time, any time. Buy it!