menage > Game review
Fans of city builders and Tetris are sure to find something to enjoy in Drop Duchy , a game that presents a unique kind of puzzle under the guise of a gothic metropolis builder , delivering an immersive and intellectually induce game that can be pick up and dropped in unforesightful bursts , requiring very little committal or meter to enjoy . While most puzzle game mystify to well - wear territory , Drop Duchy leans confidently into its hybrid identity , endure out by marrying two vastly unlike literary genre into one smart and effective software package .
If the comparison of “ city builder and Tetris ” charm your interestingness , you are most certainly looking at the correct game . You might also be a little broken by what that intend , so I ’ll explain . It ’s a pretty unique concept , and one that I get more enjoyment out of than I thought I would . The game does n’t just mix these elements superficially . It make a mechanical foundation that makes both aspects of the essence . You ’re not just resolve a puzzler for the sake of a score . You ’re building something , optimize system , managing resources , and even planning for combat , all on a power grid .
Drop Duchy is in the main built around the block - dropping teaser mechanics that were inaugurate in Tetris . Each twist , you are start the familiar shaped blocks of Tetris fame , including the L - shape , the long lines , the Z , and even the darling 2×2 second power . You have to place them within a limited space , moving them downwards along a grid until they rest against something . Instead of just plain colors , these shapes comprise land mass like plain , rivers , mountains , and sometimes even Ithiel Town , hunt indian lodge , or various other armed services and production buildings .
Instead of a line being cleared when you fulfill it from side to side with a colour , you alternatively “ explore ” that line and gain cloth depending on how you fill that line of work . A line filled with forest tile will provide you with a parcel of Grant Wood per tile , plains will give you food , and so on . you may explore tiles completed with unlike kinds of land , so a strain made of forests and plain still look . The various edifice I cite before are placed to earn bonuses from the roofing tile around them , with sure buildings getting resource or manpower fillip from being surrounded by timberland tiles .
That ’s right , I said men . Drop Duchy ’s mystifier does not simply stop when you reach the top of the storage-battery grid . Some level involve a combat component as well . especially on these level , you will occasionally be pass on tiles that provide Garrison for your enemy . These tile must be station and have their own bonuses for interaction with the arrangement of other tile , challenging you to try and play a sort of anti - game where you endeavor to give the foe as few buffs as possible . After all the tiles are direct , you must then order your troops to assail the enemy . This is a act secret plan of merge and subtraction where you try out to build the biggest army potential while losing as small as possible to in the end empty the circuit board of enemies and have flock left over . Leftover troop are pay to you in Au , and there is a simple stone - theme - scissors heel counter organisation in whole case that make special units strong against others .
You progress this way across a campaign map , going from level to level and gathering resource as you go to elevate your deck of Tetris calling card to make encounters well-situated . Each run has a foreman at the end , which has a unique take on the Tetris - style grease monkey that modify how you dally and provide a cool little challenge .
The campaigns provide challenge to be complete on the side . Doing so unlocks Modern cards , which will at random be added to your payoff choice after each stage . It is fundamentally a tetri - like Slay the Spire , now that I intend about it . Like Slay the Spire , pack of cards - edifice and replayability are key . Different unlocks stand for each political campaign can be tailored to different scheme , and unwrap synergism between card is part of the play . Sometimes you ’ll aim for economic dominance . Other times , you might go heavy into military upgrades . The modularity keeps things palpate fresh .
frankly , I do n’t have too much more to say about the game . The graphics were cute and sympathetic . The plot has great levelheaded design . The simple yet charming and mentally stimulant puzzles keep you engaged for as long as you need them to , making for a game that is easy to foot up at any time and put down when you are n’t feeling it or you have to make a quick running play from the computer . The Tetris - like mechanics are thoughtfully design , leave you all the free time in the globe to believe about your placement as you move the piece or to slither it into another area once it connect with the floor . The strategical depth is definitely there to challenge players of all skill levels .
Though the secret plan is a puzzle secret plan above all else , with a medieval city - edifice and war game used as season , I would have liked to see more effort put into the struggle side of things . Maybe something as dewy-eyed as little troop animations would have made this aspect more playfulness , but it could also have easily become a repetitive lineament that took away from the overall experience . The minimalist presentation work in its favor , but I ca n’t help but imagine how a little extra brandish during combat might have sum worked up weight to your victories .
That said , it ’s heavily not to respect how well Drop Duchy delivers on its burden mechanics . Everything feeds back into the central loop . You drop tiles , wangle resources , fend off enemies , upgrade your options , and repeat . The pacing is tight . The visuals are quick and accessible . The blend of logic and preparation never feels overwhelming .
The Final Word
Whether you ’re tail leaderboard scores , play through the campaign , or just twitch in a unretentive session during a break , Drop Duchy is right for you . There ’s a quiet brilliance to the way of life it unites so many simple on the surface yet subtly complicated gameplay systems without letting any of them spiral out of control . It is rare for a puzzle game to offer this much substance while remain this approachable , but Drop Duchy makes it look easygoing .
render Hard Guides was supply a microcomputer code for Drop Duchy for this recap . get more detailed looks at pop and approaching titles on ourGame Reviewspage ! Drop Duchy is uncommitted onSteam .
