I spent 50 hours in 4 days playing a game on Steam – no city building game has affected me like that in 30 years

MeinMMO author Schuhmann actually thought that the city-building gaming genre had nothing new to offer since the early 1990s. But that has changed in the last few days. The Steam hit Against the Storm finds a new, innovative spin on the genre: a refreshing innovation that you could hardly expect.

This is my past city building games: As a child and teenager, I played a lot of city-building games; it was popular back then, especially here in Germany. We are a nation of strategy players who like to work and build something in their free time. There were 2 types of city building games.

In “mission city building” like Pharaoh or Caesar, you built small settlements and cities that had to be perfectly designed to achieve certain goals. They were static games: you actually had to learn the missions by heart. The aim was for citizens in a neighborhood to have as many needs as possible met or for certain production quotas to be met.

In “open” city building games like Sim City, you could keep growing and then watch in amazement at what you built, like an ant farm. It was a bit aimless in the long run.

I played both types of games extensively in the early 90s. But Sim City 2000, which came out in 1993, excited me around 1995 or 1996 as the last game in the genre. That completely captivated me at the time. I still have vivid memories of that. That was my last great city building love.

For 30 years, genre has become increasingly prettier, but stagnated

What was the problem? I’ve played city building games over and over again for the last 30 years, but I’m no longer really drawn to the genre. It was actually always the same thing, just with a different coat of paint. But since Caesar in 1992 and Sim City 2000 in 1993, the genre has stagnated.

The mission city building was still there in games like Tropico 1 to 6, which I also liked, especially the El Presidente humor and the atmosphere of the games, but Tropico never really impressed me. In Tropico there was actually always too little variety: once you knew them, the missions were static and you could build every city the same way.

I found the open city building of games like City Skylines aimless. What should you do big there? Build a huge city only to have it destroyed by Godzilla or tornadoes that you summon at the push of a button?

Yes, I know it was a great game for many Manor Lords – it left me cold.

In recent years I have preferred to play city building games with role-playing elements, i.e. “colony simulations” like Rim World or 4x strategy games like Civilization or Crusader Kings 3.

I lacked innovation in city building, and a pretty skin like Tropico couldn’t make up for that.

Against the Storm awakens a genre from its slumber

This has changed: After colleague Grothaus has been raving about it for a year, which I was able to successfully ignore, I finally got “Against the Storm” on Saturday. The game came to Steam in December 2023 and has crazy good reviews there. The “Complete Edition” only costs €30.

I didn’t hear anything about the game, or at least didn’t notice anything, except that it was very good: So I went into “Against the Storm” without any great expectations and the game has now revolutionized city building for me.

Since Saturday, I’ve spent about 50 hours with the game in 4 days and I’m completely captivated by it.

The gag is that “Against the Storm” is a PvE game, i.e. “player versus environment”, but there are no real enemies in the game, just the relentless ticking clock and individual challenges that have negative effects as long as they last they are active.

In principle, each map is relatively the same: You start in a tiny spot and have to cut down trees in order to unlock further areas of the map and thus resources and new challenges. The challenges often start a timer. But there are “variable” elements on each map, certain modifications, restrictions or variants that make a different game possible. It starts with which 3 peoples you have available for a card:

Against the Storm has the dynamic element that the genre lacks

These variations don’t sound like much variety at first glance, but they are the dynamic element that the genre has been missing: it ensures that each of the 90-minute games feels just different and individual enough to take you away from your usual plan have to deviate and improvise.

The whole game consists of adapting your actual plan to the current circumstances: this is ensured by numerous random factors. Because I can’t just always build according to the optimal scheme F: cornfield – mill – bakery. Instead, I have to be lucky when rolling the dice and hope that the game gives me the right blueprints and that I don’t end up with Cornfield – Copper Distillery – Tea Hut and then be able to build practically nothing.

The game systems of Against the Storm are cleverly designed: There is no opposing faction here, but the game is designed in such a way that, despite the random factor, players have to build increasingly efficient cities in order to overcome the challenges that the game throws at them.

Essentially the game tells you: “Build your city so that you can repurpose it to produce product that she can produce product X in a short time.

That sounds abstract, but it has an incredible pull.

Extremely satisfying learning curve

This creates the pull effect of Against the Storm: Against the Storm has so many cleverly interwoven production chains and systems that it’s an incredibly satisfying learning curve to learn the game and keep optimizing the processes.

When, after far too many hours of play, I finally figured out what I could use all the rain and geyser water for, it was a breakthrough. Tasks that previously seemed unsolvable to me were suddenly solvable.

There is also a slight role-playing touch and the all-important permanent progress that I miss in sandbox games: after each game you complete, you can buy a small advantage for your account, perhaps unlock a basic building or ensure that that residents walk 2% faster.

I’ve now spent 50 hours with Against the Storm and reached level 13 out of 20 – so far it’s a lasting gaming experience for me that I’ve never even come close to having in another game.

Due to the “roguelite” elements, that there are always new variations of the map and missions, there is no “memorization” feeling of other mission games and because you always have a goal, this irrelevant element is missing , what sandbox city simulations always had for me.

A clear purchase recommendation from me. Against the Storm currently has 95% positive reviews on Steam. Fans of strategy games should really take a look at this, even if – like me – they actually finished city building a long time ago. The last strategy game I recommended to you on Steam was almost 10 times more expensive than Against the Storm: a game on Steam even costs €272 in the sale if you want it completely, but the best campaign is free