Banished [PC Game Review]

Well it's been a little while since I've reviewed a PC game. But this week is a real gem, a brand new game from an indy studio, Shining Rock Software. I discovered this game just a few weeks before release, and knew right away that it was a day one buy.

One of my town's many fishing docks.

That was the right choice.

4.5 out of 5 stars

There is almost nothing that mars this game. Lets begins with the awesome stuff.

Town Hall & Market. The Market is a must.

Number one, the number of map seeds is hundreds of thousands, if not millions. That means that every map will be different. This is a massive step up over, Sim City (or should I say Sim Town). In Sim City you get a few select regions with a few select city spots to build upon.

Number two, the maps can be HUGE. Again, I draw comparison to Sim City who in their most recent iteration, which provided the smallest maps of any Sim City game to date. These maps are expansive, lush, and complex. Rivers and lakes, mountain ranges... massive.

Number three, it is challenging. There is no point in your villages life that you can let your guard down. Population growth, which is required lest your people become old and die off leaving behind no successive generations, alone can kill your whole town. Population requires food, warmth, wood, supplies. As it grows, it strains your reserves, if your reserves dip... well... people die. You have to balance growth against supplies. This is not easy to do... at least at first. Heck, my first few games on 'easy' ended in ghost towns.

Orchards, fields, chicken pasture, grave yard.

All the images of my town here are from my real success story. This town, is at least so far, doing well with over 100 citizens, tons of students and children. 

View from above.

Now, despite all the praise I'm heaping on this game there is one tiny niggling issue. Other than growing a huge village, there are no goals. I suppose this echoes real life in some metaphorical symbolism, but I like bench marks. I would love to see some tech improvements - plows to improve field work, ox carts to help transport supplies... a few little 'unlocks' to open would be great. Those are ideas that hopefully Shining Rock Software will look into for expansions or DLC.

This game is a Steam game, so if you want it and have Steam, it's easy to find, and the cost is pretty reasonable. Under $20 for this is excellent. Heck that is half of what Sim City (a much lesser game) cost and this game is much more challenging, much more entertaining, and much bigger.




Below is a gameplay video by Shining Rock Software.