Against the Storm is one of the best strategy games to come from this year, and its early access alone marked it as such. Eremite Games and Hooded Horse have just released the city builder’s biggest update yet, the long-awaited Against the Storm 1.0 launch. Alongside the full release comes an exciting ironman-esque permadeath game mode, the indie gem’s PC Game Pass debut, and a celebratory Steam sale.
If you haven’t experienced Against the Storm‘s fantastical take on the usual strategy game formula, the 1.0 release is the perfect opportunity for you to do so. You can read through our Against the Storm review for a more in-depth look at what makes the launch out of early access so special, as well as why we gave it a near-perfect 9/10 and why it’s so deserving of its overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews.
With the current Against the Storm sale on Steam, you can snag the full game for a whopping 35% off at just $19.49 / £16.24. You now also have the option to obtain Eremite’s banger city builder for free thanks to its recent PC Game Pass debut, if you have an active subscription. For those of you who already own the early access game and are looking forward to downloading the new 1.0 update, there’s more.
If you’re a longtime player, the giant update ushers in endgame content including the challenging, fresh ‘Queen’s Hand’ game mode that sees your normal playthrough become much more difficult. For hardy fans of ironman gameplay in PC classics like Old School RuneScape, this mode’s for you. You’ll only have one cycle to reforge the Adamantine Seal in this hardcore permadeath mode, all without losing any settlements.
I’m here for the Civ-like settlement management and adorable in-game fantasy species (thank you for adding foxes, Eremite) rather than a more serious challenge than the roguelite already offers, but the developer acknowledging an iconic playstyle in an official update is brilliant. Fans have been challenging themselves with ironman mode-aligned rules for a long while throughout Against the Storm’s early access journey, after all.
While you wait for the massive patch to finish downloading, you should check out a few of our other favorite city-building games. If you’d prefer another eye-watering difficult experience to play through, browse around some of these thrilling roguelike games that are sure to keep your blood pumping and your brain cells rattling around.
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