Greetings! My name is Łukasz, and I’m here to tell you a little about your new duties as Viceroy for the Scorched Queen, our protector and ruler of civilization’s last bastion against the Blightstorm.
Against the Storm is a roguelite city builder where every run is a bite-sized city-building experience with a distinct variety of problems to solve. It’s set in a fantasy world inhabited by Humans, Beavers, Lizards, Harpies, and Foxes who stand united against hidden dangers and never-ending rains.
Your task is to settle the untamed wilds and gather valuable resources necessary to rebuild the Smoldering City – the only safe haven from the apocalyptic storms. You are responsible for managing resources, allocating workers, and building up supply chains across multiple production buildings.
However, the Queen wouldn’t send her elite overseers if these expeditions were so mundane – there’s a catch.
You only have a subset of all the buildings at your disposal and it is up to you to draft or otherwise acquire the best blueprints for the job. Due to the scarcity of resources and limited workforce, you will often find yourself wrangling with both recipes and villagers within this industrial pyramid.
This is done while you’re also tending to your villagers’ needs and deciding which tasks to accomplish to keep the Queen content. She is not indifferent to your struggles and will occasionally offer you powerful perks. Different combinations of effects can create synergies that may change the fate of the settlement.
Your guiding principle is to “play the hand you’re dealt”. Trying to repeat the same strategy over and over will quickly get you in trouble. Adapt and experiment. Make the most out of the tools at hand. Short on meat? No problem. Turn insects into skewers instead. The lizard gatherers may not love you for that, but they’ll appreciate it more than raw veggies!
But beware – there are forces at work that are constantly trying to halt your efforts. The recurring Storms are a true test of the town’s worth and your management skills. Meanwhile, the forests will fight your progress with seasonal curses and ominous beasts that guard rich glades. Not to mention that our Queen is not the most patient of rulers and will pull the rug out from under your settlement if you fail to prove its sustainability.
Yet, should you succeed, she will reward you handsomely with meta resources which can be spent on permanent upgrades. After that, it’s time to move on to the next settlement! Study the world map for promising locations and lucrative events. If you’re brave enough, you can even attempt to reforge the Ancient Seals and delay the Blighstorm by a few years.
Against the Storm offers the complexity and depth of multi-layered city builders condensed into accessible sessions, each completable in a single evening. The generous progression system and vast upgrade tree always give you something to work towards.
With six mechanically distinct biomes, dozens of gameplay modifiers, and hundreds of perks, each new settlement feels as novel as the first and poses a different set of challenges to deal with. And that’s what you’re here for, Viceroy. May the storm be gentle on you!