Settlers – New Allies – Review
Many gamers enjoy simulations in which they are instructed to construct and maintain a city for as long as possible. Perhaps the new Pharaoh game, Cities, or any number of the mobile games your mother enjoys playing (the other half is probably Candy Crush). Real-time strategy games are also immensely popular, as evidenced by the success of titles like Total War and the (not-so-good) remaster of Warcraft III. When it comes to real-time strategy games, we were suffering from a shortage a few years ago, but I’d say that we’re currently at a point of near-satiation. Poor real-time strategy games can no longer distract us from the loss of Ensemble Studios. The issue is that your new allies in The Settlers: New Allies think you do.
At the outset, you create a fresh savefile and perform the standard opening actions for a city simulator. You do the standard stuff, like establish a lumber mill, mine rocks, construct some homes, and instruct the fishermen to fish. It’s the standard gameplay cycle, although a lengthy one due to the necessity of transporting resources to construction sites via dirt or stone roads and then instructing particular units to construct such sites. You’ll soon see that everything is overly straightforward and basic. The Settlers: New Allies has all the standard fare for the genre, including some nagging but not overly difficult logistics. Adding more housing or doing anything else would likely be well received by the public. Nope. After you’ve established your shaky infrastructure, you’ll be instructed to… raise armies?
The Settlers: New Allies transforms into a real-time strategy game once you realise that other armies are present on the map and that your primary goal isn’t to build the largest and most prosperous civilization possible, but rather to establish a reliable enough supply line that you can begin researching and recruiting units to wipe out the other players. It’s the most stripped-down real-time strategy game I’ve played since the original Command & Conquer on the Sega Saturn. It doesn’t go along with the overall message of The Settlers: New Allies, which is about constructing a city. It aims for two distinct but incompatible demographics and fails to satisfy either.
It’s too bad, because the game isn’t actually that horrible. The campaign is lengthy (though it features generic maps and objectives), the user interface isn’t horrible, and the presentation is excellent. The use of colour and lighting is particularly impressive. Music and voice acting are also well-done additions to the excellent sound design. The structure is sound, but the actual implementation falls short of expectations. And, of course, there are microtransactions to complicate matters even further. Even if they aren’t required to play, and the game makes little to no attempt to draw your attention to them, microtransactions are nevertheless annoying. Guys, it’s 2023 now. Enhance yourself.
The Settlers: New Allies “makes up” for the short maps by introducing bothersome toll gateways, providing the false impression that there is more to discover.
Is The Settlers: New Allies an enjoyable game to play? In a word, yeah. It’s not a great city-builder or real-time strategy game, but it’s not bad, either. It’s simply plain average in all regards, making for a game that can’t win over either camp. In other words, he is a jack of all trades and master of none. Despite having a gameplay loop that is easily forgotten, the game’s presentation and instruction are both excellent, and the user interface isn’t half terrible either. There are already plenty of simulations and strategic games available. You can get one of each and appreciate their unique benefits. A game can’t be both, and you shouldn’t play one that tries.
