Towns

 PC
User Score
3.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 124 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 124
  3. Negative: 72 out of 124

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  1. Blackadar
    Nov 13, 2012
    3
    The best thing you can say about Towns is that it has the potential to be a very good game. Basically, you manage the town on top of a dungeon. It's similar to Dwarf Fortress in that you gather resources, tell your townies what to do, make stuff and expand your little settlement...all while defending it from the baddies. The concept is sound.

    The problem is that the game was released    The best thing you can say about Towns is that it has the potential to be a very good game. Basically, you manage the town on top of a dungeon. It's similar to Dwarf Fortress in that you gather resources, tell your townies what to do, make stuff and expand your little settlement...all while defending it from the baddies. The concept is sound.

    The problem is that the game was released on Steam in an Alpha state. Essentially, the exact same build that was considered an Alpha prior to Towns being Greenlit, was then released as a finished product on Steam without disclosure that the product isn't finished. It has some pretty severe technical issues with crashes, the tutorials are hideous and the whole thing feels shoddy. That the developer seems to have resisted disclosing their product is unfinished in an effort to generate more sales is just extremely poor business. Presently, with the problems any alpha faces, the game isn't any better than a 3...with the potential for the game to be a 9 within 6 months to a year. The only question is do you reward someone for doing business that way? Well, I don't review for potential and I don't like being ripped off, so it gets what it deserves right now. And that's a 3.    … Expand
  2. Strider051
    Nov 9, 2012
    0
    I looked at this game on the steam store and bought it after reading the stats. I did not read the forums (won't make this mistake again). There is NOTHING in the steam store listing this as an alpha version of the game. I have read the Developer post about this being a "playable version"; unfortunately I did not pay for an alpha I paid for a full game.

    I understand that the developer    I looked at this game on the steam store and bought it after reading the stats. I did not read the forums (won't make this mistake again). There is NOTHING in the steam store listing this as an alpha version of the game. I have read the Developer post about this being a "playable version"; unfortunately I did not pay for an alpha I paid for a full game.

    I understand that the developer is going to release new content over time but what is to stop them from ending all updates as of today because they made a little money?

    For this reason I have voiced a complaint to steam asking for a refund (probably won't get it). I have also urged them to remove this title from the steam store. Greenlight has failed by passing this title as is. It has a lot of potential, but it is MY choice to invest in this games development not the developers. Shame on them for the misrepresentation and shame on steam for failing to check the quality of games they have greenlighted.    … Expand
  3. Sorcery
    Nov 10, 2012
    2
    I am a big fan of dwarfen fortress. This game has some elements of it, but not enough. It looks like pre-alpha. Very unbalanced gameplay. I feel cheated of my money. It needs MAJOR updates in order to be worth ANY money. I wanted a finished game. If i want to support devs i go to kickstarter, not to steam. I did not want to wait for updates.

    I ll give 2 points because i like the concept    I am a big fan of dwarfen fortress. This game has some elements of it, but not enough. It looks like pre-alpha. Very unbalanced gameplay. I feel cheated of my money. It needs MAJOR updates in order to be worth ANY money. I wanted a finished game. If i want to support devs i go to kickstarter, not to steam. I did not want to wait for updates.

    I ll give 2 points because i like the concept and the idea.    … Expand
  4. Megagamer
    Nov 9, 2012
    0
    This game is pre-Beta quality, but has still seen a release on Steam via the Greenlight program. The fact that this is pre-release isn't mentioned anywhere on the store page, which looks to be on purpose. The whole thing reeks of a cash-grab by the developer. The Steam screenshots are disingenuous, and the in-game tutorials consist of single info screens written in broken English thatThis game is pre-Beta quality, but has still seen a release on Steam via the Greenlight program. The fact that this is pre-release isn't mentioned anywhere on the store page, which looks to be on purpose. The whole thing reeks of a cash-grab by the developer. The Steam screenshots are disingenuous, and the in-game tutorials consist of single info screens written in broken English that don't explain anything about the game.

    My worst gaming experience in the past 5 years was being fooled into buying this "game."    … Expand
  5. Skyte100
    Nov 11, 2012
    0
    I am highly disappointed in the games devs and mods. In my opinion the behavior of the devs and mod is unacceptable. It was put on steam as a finished product despite being in alpha and the devs and mod are dismissive of complaints that it is in alpha and being sold falsely. The AI is garbage, the tutorial is a joke of spelling mistakes and vague guiding, and you can only place water andI am highly disappointed in the games devs and mods. In my opinion the behavior of the devs and mod is unacceptable. It was put on steam as a finished product despite being in alpha and the devs and mod are dismissive of complaints that it is in alpha and being sold falsely. The AI is garbage, the tutorial is a joke of spelling mistakes and vague guiding, and you can only place water and lava by spawning it there.

    On their greenlight page they say it is in alpha, on their games site they say it is alpha, on their steam store page they dont say it is in alpha and on the steam discussion for the game they say it is NOT in alpha. This is a blatant cash grab and I would not purchase this game had I seen the steams discussion on it prior to purchasing. I can no longer trust the steam store pages and will from now on be checking out the discussion section and outside sources.    … Expand
  6. SoftlyAdverse
    Nov 9, 2012
    0
    This game is a bit of a tragedy. The concept is interesting, the art style is fitting and yet their decision to release the game on Steam in its current state is outrageous. The gameplay is severely lacking in both direction and polish. Towns is plagued by bugs and awful design choices, most significantly in the UI. Playing the game is a chore, and the lack of overarching context orThis game is a bit of a tragedy. The concept is interesting, the art style is fitting and yet their decision to release the game on Steam in its current state is outrageous. The gameplay is severely lacking in both direction and polish. Towns is plagued by bugs and awful design choices, most significantly in the UI. Playing the game is a chore, and the lack of overarching context or flavour makes it a chore with little reward.

    One of the most significant issues is the lack of direct control over your population, coupled with an AI that's about as good as you'd expect out of an indie game in mid-alpha state. Your little dudes will run all over the map, attacking far away enemies even if you have not equipped them for combat.

    Another issue is the tutorial. The tutorial starts out by dumping you in the middle of the wilderness with a couple of villagers to do your bidding. You're told to press F1 for more instructions, at which point a large brown box fills the screen with text informing you of what to do. It's non-interactive and obtrusive, disallowing you to carry out the instructions with them still on screen. What's worse, they are written in barely coherent English and are misleading through severe omissions. For instance, you are instructed to build a wall and designate the area inside a Carpenter's zone. You're informed that this will increase efficiency. What it doesn't tell you, is that you need to build the wall in more than one level, and then add a roof onto the top. The game silently allows you to build your little square of shoulder-height walls (which do nothing) then inform you that you've completed that part of the tutorial. Which brings us to the next issue: Each part of the tutorial starts you over from scratch. When you've met the objectives, red text appears over the center of your screen saying "mission completed". You're not offered an option to "continue" or "go back to tutorial screen" or anything like that - you have to exit out to the menu as you would at any other time. And then you get to play the next tutorial, starting from scratch with the work you did on last tutorial level erased. This is especially annoying, since it forces you to play through the exact same sequence as last time, before getting to try the new stuff, with the sequence of unnecessary repeating getting longer for each tutorial.

    It's worth noting that most of this critique is the kind you'd expect to be dealt with before a retail release. The game undoubtedly has potential. However, at the moment it plays like the kind of demo at E3 you won't let players play themselves for fear they'll stumble on one of the many shortcomings. This is compounded immensely by the fact that the game is currently selling on steam with the only portrayal of the game being a bunch of extremely misleading screenshots and a blurb of text which says next to nothing. At a quite severe (for an indie game)     … Expand
  7. Ruiner
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    I bought this game from Steam after it was Greenlit, only to find that the description of the product was misleading and was not the final version of the game. The version currently being sold on Steam is version 0.8a. The game is extremely counter-intuitive, frustrating, buggy and incomplete. On the official website for the game, you can only Pre-Order the game. Yet the people who buy itI bought this game from Steam after it was Greenlit, only to find that the description of the product was misleading and was not the final version of the game. The version currently being sold on Steam is version 0.8a. The game is extremely counter-intuitive, frustrating, buggy and incomplete. On the official website for the game, you can only Pre-Order the game. Yet the people who buy it through Steam have been misled into thinking that they are purchasing the final copy of the game. I'll be avoiding all products made by this company in the future.… Expand
  8. Nalzee
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    I have played this game since mid Alpha. This game was under an Alpha test right before the launch to Steam. There were bugs and Alpha quality features galore before the launch to steam. Just a few of these include: The AI taking the shortest route rather than the fastest route, the AI not prioritizing tasks from what is closest (so the AI will go from one end of the map to the otherI have played this game since mid Alpha. This game was under an Alpha test right before the launch to Steam. There were bugs and Alpha quality features galore before the launch to steam. Just a few of these include: The AI taking the shortest route rather than the fastest route, the AI not prioritizing tasks from what is closest (so the AI will go from one end of the map to the other just for one task, then return to the other end for another task), and the non soldier citizens will fight to the death rather than try to run. There are many, many more alpha quality items in this game.

    However, no patch was issued to fix any of these things before the game was launched to Steam. And, despite the game being still in an Alpha state, their very own developer posted on the forums that he considered this a playable game and feature ready. Their very own community moderator also stated that he considers this game release worthy and not in an Alpha state. And, the steam page reflects this.

    But, that is not the truth. They are falsely advertising this game as a non Alpha quality game when the facts and history show that it is, in truth, an Alpha quality game. The list I provided is just a few of the many unpolished issues this game has.    … Expand
  9. danu22
    Nov 11, 2012
    1
    This game has great potential, but it still feels very much in Alpha state, and many parts of it feel broken and un-finished. I feel robbed and I'm not sure if it is right for games like this to be greenlit unless they are listed under Alpha/Beta's category to warn buyers.
  10. LiquidxAngel
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    Bought game on Steam after it being Greenlit. Initially, I was really excited about the game. Didn't realize the game was released while STILL IN ALPHA. Paid $12.00 for a game in alpha.

    Devs are extremely rude to the customers who have been misled about buying the game. Things to Consider: 1. No where on the Steam store is the game listed as being unfinished or in alpha. 2.    Bought game on Steam after it being Greenlit. Initially, I was really excited about the game. Didn't realize the game was released while STILL IN ALPHA. Paid $12.00 for a game in alpha.

    Devs are extremely rude to the customers who have been misled about buying the game.

    Things to Consider:

    1. No where on the Steam store is the game listed as being unfinished or in alpha.
    2. Devs say "try the demo first idiots" and there IS NO DEMO on Steam. 3. Initial screenshots of the game on the store page are not from the game directly. They are cut-n-pastes done by the devs for an earlier contest regarding the game. Only one of them is ACTUALLY possible to create in-game.
    3. Tutorial is a joke. Fonts aliased. UI clunky at best. Towns people AI is awful. 4. Crashes on many customers systems ... There are plenty of games on Steam that clearly state they are in an unfinished state and link clearly to a demo for users to try (example: http://store.steampowered.com/app/219740/). These Devs, however, insult customers who bought the game on Steam thinking it was a finished product (if you only use Steam, you'd have no way of knowing otherwise). Blatantly insulting them for "not searching the internet for a demo or to look-up game status". Customers shouldn't have to "search the internet" for a demo for a game released on Steam. Anything customers need should already be available on the platform you've chosen to release the game on, PERIOD.

    I have no problems supporting indie developers - it's one of the things that makes Steam great but ... this kind of blatant misrepresentation and rudeness... No thanks. I'll never buy a game from these developers again.    … Expand
  11. Zudeare
    Nov 10, 2012
    2
    This game could be so much fun! but everything is downright BROKEN! Seriously, It crashes every 5 minutes, the tutorials barely help you out, the mining is (to me) very confusing and clunky, and the same music playing throughout the game is so repetitive it gives you an instant headache. Don't buy this now, buy it later when (hopefully) all of this is fixed.
  12. HalseySpartan2
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    This game is absolutely unplayable and should not have been put up for sale on Steam. There are numerous problems, but perhaps the most offensive of them is the terrible tutorial. It is a tutorial in name only. Here is what you can expect:

    You click on the tutorial, and you get immediately dumped into the wilderness with your townsfolk. This isn't so bad. The game tells you to    This game is absolutely unplayable and should not have been put up for sale on Steam. There are numerous problems, but perhaps the most offensive of them is the terrible tutorial. It is a tutorial in name only. Here is what you can expect:

    You click on the tutorial, and you get immediately dumped into the wilderness with your townsfolk. This isn't so bad. The game tells you to press F1 for instructions, and you do so. You get a massive box that covers the entire screen (and prevents you from taking any other actions while it's up) and it tells you to harvest three apples and ten pieces of wood. It tells you that you can order your NPCs to chop the wood, but at no time does the tutorial show you where these commands are. In a TUTORIAL stage I spent over fifteen minutes looking through the bad UI to find the "Chop" command before I noticed the tiny half-button at the very bottom of the screen (the button is unclickable unless you're playing the game in full-screen mode). Once I harvested my wood and apples, the game just said "Mission completed!" and I had to actually exit the game to go choose the next stage of the tutorial. That is absolutely ridiculous.

    This game has a lot of promise, but I feel completely misled by the developers because at no time did they ever indicate on Steam that this game was in Alpha and still needed a lot of development. I've got no prejudice about knowingly buying games still in Alpha or Beta (I bought Minecraft years before its retail release, back when it was in InDev) but Mojang at least made sure that everyone knew that they were buying an alpha product and that their purchases were funding the completion of the game. SMP Squared has shot themselves in the foot with this release and ought to refund the money of people who bought the game on Steam.

    It's also rather easy to notice that the developers have made their own reviews, as they are the only ones that are above an 8 on MetaCritic. Listen to the reviews that players make, not the ones put up by the dev team because they're delusional if they think this game is in anything resembling a playable state at this point in time.    … Expand
  13. vodnik
    Nov 11, 2012
    0
    Scam. Stay away from this title. The game is in a pre-alpha, yet the developers are trying to push it as "done" in order to grab as much cash as possible from you.
  14. Kasewind
    Nov 10, 2012
    1
    I love the idea of this game, but an idea is not the same as a full game. The developers brought this to Steam as a finished product when there is NO game objective, NO storyline, NO "RPG" element. It's billed as an "economics/city planning sim" and "RPG-themed", and it's not. It's a sandbox. I probably would have supported it if they had been honest, but what they're selling and whatI love the idea of this game, but an idea is not the same as a full game. The developers brought this to Steam as a finished product when there is NO game objective, NO storyline, NO "RPG" element. It's billed as an "economics/city planning sim" and "RPG-themed", and it's not. It's a sandbox. I probably would have supported it if they had been honest, but what they're selling and what they're delivering are different.… Expand
  15. Prizil
    Nov 11, 2012
    0
    Being sold as completed game yet still in alpha state. Has fake screenshots and numerous bugs. The developer has responded to the complaints by calling it "playable"
  16. AngryIcecube
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    I am forced to agree with the negative scores this game has received so far. I saw this on Steam, saw that there was no demo for it, so I decided to go to the website and look for any further information I could find. What I found was a demo, version 0.8a which I then downloaded and tried out. This is apparently the same version as what is available on Steam. Great. it's a little rough,I am forced to agree with the negative scores this game has received so far. I saw this on Steam, saw that there was no demo for it, so I decided to go to the website and look for any further information I could find. What I found was a demo, version 0.8a which I then downloaded and tried out. This is apparently the same version as what is available on Steam. Great. it's a little rough, but sort of fun, except for one small problem. I can run the demo I downloaded from their website and play it just fine (until the demo time limit is up). The version which I bought from Steam today doesn't run. It doesn't even bring up a window; it simply changes my status from 'online' to 'playing towns' and then back to 'online' in about 3 seconds.
    I understand that it is currently in Alpha phase, but there are two things which I cannot overlook.
    1: Steam is listing it NOT as an alpha, UNDER DEVELOPMENT title, but rather as a finished product.
    2. I have a demo from their website which runs, and a "finished product" from Steam which doesn't.
    So in short, as this game currently stands (Nov 10 2012), I have to rate it as a 0. When the demo works but the actual game doesn't, there is a huge problem. I am happy with neither parties at the moment; Steam needs to make sure information is CLEARLY stated on a product page, but the Devs need to make sure their products actually WORK before releasing them.
    I'd recommend avoiding this title for the simple fact that right now, it is broken beyond belief, and the reaction of the community moderator for the game is downright hostile towards those who have problems with it.    … Expand
  17. Stoltz84
    Nov 10, 2012
    3
    I really like the concept of this game. I like the fact that you start with only a bunch of villagers in the wild, and you do not control their every action.
    This is a game about building a living village/town on top of a dungeon. You do not control the heroes, or anyone for that matter, Your job is to get the town working for the people.
    Nice idea, I like it. Really :) However.. This    I really like the concept of this game. I like the fact that you start with only a bunch of villagers in the wild, and you do not control their every action.
    This is a game about building a living village/town on top of a dungeon. You do not control the heroes, or anyone for that matter, Your job is to get the town working for the people.
    Nice idea, I like it. Really :)

    However.. This should never have been released on Steam as a complete game.
    Current version is 0.8a.

    On their website you cannot buy it. Only Pre-Order.
    It should be labeled in Steam that game is still in Alpha phase.

    There are some MAJOR flaws in the game...
    First off. You don't really need to build a town. Things go slower without enclosed houses, but that's about it.
    The villagers are straight up suicidal. Right of the bat they go of running through half the map, with no armor or weapons, and goes into fighingt with monsters carrying spears. GLHF. There you just lost half your tribe within the first 5 minutes.
    That is, if you even noice... the notification system on what's going on is terrible.
    You cannot rotate the map/build area, which results in items being blocked from vision. You cannot rotate items either. You cannot refill holes with dirt gain. Or stone. You will have to fill holes with the wall blocks.
    There are no animations. Sleeping, fighting, building, working... the villagers all look the same. Like board game figurines that you move around.
    The soundtrack is about 3 minutes long I think. One song. Then it repeats.

    The tutorial is a joke.
    You click on the section "spiders", because you want to learn about spiders.
    What you see is: "Objective - Kill 10 spiders. They are on level -3".
    ...say what?

    It also fails completely to tech you some of the fundamentals of the game, like enclosing your buildings, or that you need 2 blocks (height) of wall for them to be effective.

    Laying roofs is a *******. Especially since you cannot change your view.
    The list goes on. For a long time.

    Sure, the game can be fun. When you learn how to avoid the broken parts. I really enjoy building things from the scratch. Seeing how the village grows into a town. Attracting heroes and caravans. It's nice.
    But there's too much missing for it to be a good game.

    I do hope this game will get more polish though. I can see myself sinking days into this... IF they go past alpha phase.
    The devs said: "We consider the current game build fully playable and enjoyable. We plan to add A LOT of new features. Those features can take years to be finished."

    Playable? Barely.
    Enjoyable? Yeah... might be. When you try and error through the broken mechanics and finally understand how to play it anyway.

    Years? That... ticks me off.
    You sell a game, and then say it might take YEARS for it to be complete? Not OK.

    TL:DR
    Great potential but should NOT have been released yet.
    I give it 3 because I like these kind of games, and it has a good thing going.
    But it's nowhere near complete yet.    … Expand
  18. Jma0322
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    This game is full of bugs and crashes frequently. The UI is terrible and there is no tutorial (there's still a placeholder for a tutorial, but no actual tutorial implemented, wtf!) It's obvious that this was released mid alpha testing and that they just skipped beta entirely.
  19. greywar
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    Asking for money via Kickstarter or other venues to finish a game = ok.

    Posting your game for sale on Steam while being clear that it is still in development = ok Posting your alpha on Steam for sale at full price while not breathing a word of it's wildly unfinished state and posting total **** screenshots = fraud. The game is being thrashed because of the utterly misleading Steam    Asking for money via Kickstarter or other venues to finish a game = ok.

    Posting your game for sale on Steam while being clear that it is still in development = ok

    Posting your alpha on Steam for sale at full price while not breathing a word of it's wildly unfinished state and posting total **** screenshots = fraud.

    The game is being thrashed because of the utterly misleading Steam store listing. No links to it's demo, no mention of it being an *alpha*, no mention that the screen shots shown are in no way indicative of the glitch fest you are about to actually buy, nothing. The devs have read these threads and still have not corrected their store page.

    This is a naked cash grab from folks too timid to use a real crowd funding source. Game is well nigh unplayable right now. Avoid until finished. That is if the devs don't simply move on with their pile of ill-gotten cash.    … Expand
  20. Type4101
    Sep 1, 2013
    0
    An alpha-stage game released as a full-retail product, then abandoned, to call Towns a "game" is a huge stretch. It is surprising that retailers (like Steam) would risk their reputations by allowing a fake game to be sold, but it is an increasingly common practice, and customers must remain vigilant. Towns would be difficult to recommend, even if free. Don't make the mistake that othersAn alpha-stage game released as a full-retail product, then abandoned, to call Towns a "game" is a huge stretch. It is surprising that retailers (like Steam) would risk their reputations by allowing a fake game to be sold, but it is an increasingly common practice, and customers must remain vigilant. Towns would be difficult to recommend, even if free. Don't make the mistake that others have made, and skip this one.… Expand
  21. spazm
    Jul 16, 2013
    0
    Towns is obviously based on Dwarf Fortress, and while Dwarf Fortress isn't perfect it is still a lot of fun. The thing is, Towns takes everything that Dwarf Fortress has wrong (interface), and leaves out everything the Dwarf Fortress does RIGHT, (basically 90% of the game).

    If you are going to make a graphical version of Dwarf Fortress you need to 1) have a good interface, 2) make the    Towns is obviously based on Dwarf Fortress, and while Dwarf Fortress isn't perfect it is still a lot of fun. The thing is, Towns takes everything that Dwarf Fortress has wrong (interface), and leaves out everything the Dwarf Fortress does RIGHT, (basically 90% of the game).

    If you are going to make a graphical version of Dwarf Fortress you need to 1) have a good interface, 2) make the graphics not terrible, 3) Most importantly, keep most of the game play that makes Dwarf Fortress GOOD.    … Expand
  22. iseeall
    Jan 18, 2014
    0
    Total junk. Nothing is explained. Very crude graphics (I could draw better) with no animations. This could be a student project in college maybe but to ask money for this is simply madness. Maybe this game just shows how broken the whole "Greenlight" system on Steam is.
  23. Reticulatas
    May 7, 2014
    0
    Unfinished, bad rip-off of Dwarf Fortress. They have pulled development stating that "Sales did not turn out as hoped" despite making 2 mil for a two-person team.
  24. Steamcausedthis
    Jul 20, 2013
    4
    Not going to bother with the Day 1 was deceptive alpha release day argument.

    I have never played a more frustrating game. I think ive put more time into managing my idiot townies feeding themselves and building mudhuts in the hopes of one day making a mythical BS screenshot worthy city that the game originally boasted its players could do. To this day every attempt at this game has    Not going to bother with the Day 1 was deceptive alpha release day argument.

    I have never played a more frustrating game. I think ive put more time into managing my idiot townies feeding themselves and building mudhuts in the hopes of one day making a mythical BS screenshot worthy city that the game originally boasted its players could do.

    To this day every attempt at this game has left me with a headache and a heartache at what could have been...    … Expand
  25. ClayWilson
    Sep 23, 2013
    1
    Be aware that negative opinion threads on Steam are being deleted about this game. The developers promised frequent updates and have neglected the game a great deal. The interface is horrible, the game is very buggy, and I would not recommend this game even if it could be purchased for one dollar as part of an Indie bundle.
  26. ViciousCrow
    Sep 29, 2013
    2
    The game was supposed to be great, one of the first greenlit games and it showed a lot of promise. There were A LOT of features supposed to be added along with the overall completion of the game.

    After the initial release the devs abandoned the project because they have felt 'burnt out'. For me as a customer this is unacceptable and I'm done waiting. It's a 2 because the game did    The game was supposed to be great, one of the first greenlit games and it showed a lot of promise. There were A LOT of features supposed to be added along with the overall completion of the game.

    After the initial release the devs abandoned the project because they have felt 'burnt out'. For me as a customer this is unacceptable and I'm done waiting. It's a 2 because the game did provide me with a few entertaining gameplays but that won't make me forget what was promised and remains undelivered.    … Expand
  27. motocrtc
    Apr 2, 2014
    2
    This game is unfinished, full of bugs, has terrible AI, non-existent balance in the endgame, and none of that is going to get fixed as the developers have pretty much abandoned the project. There is support for mods, but they are extremely limited in what they can do and can't fix any of the problems. That said, the game is still fun to play. Frustrating, certainly, but still fun.

    Not    This game is unfinished, full of bugs, has terrible AI, non-existent balance in the endgame, and none of that is going to get fixed as the developers have pretty much abandoned the project. There is support for mods, but they are extremely limited in what they can do and can't fix any of the problems. That said, the game is still fun to play. Frustrating, certainly, but still fun.

    Not worth your money, however.    … Expand
  28. vomov
    Jul 6, 2014
    0
    Shameless money-grab; this game did have quite a bit of potential, but a large amount of bugs. The developer stated, in 2012, that the bugs would be squashed, but eventually abandoned the game, stating he did not earn enough. What actually happened; he released a preview-game, rife with bugs, and let tens of thousands buy it. When sales started dropping, he abandoned it, and startedShameless money-grab; this game did have quite a bit of potential, but a large amount of bugs. The developer stated, in 2012, that the bugs would be squashed, but eventually abandoned the game, stating he did not earn enough. What actually happened; he released a preview-game, rife with bugs, and let tens of thousands buy it. When sales started dropping, he abandoned it, and started talking about new projects.… Expand
  29. Ecresis
    Jun 25, 2014
    4
    I would have loved to give more points to this game, as the idea was good. The 4 points are for the addictive sensation you get from the demo, which disappear really fast when you see the time it takes to build anything in this game.

    The AI is stupid, people die all the time and do stupid things, the RPG aspect is non-existent, and you can even ruin your whole map if you make the    I would have loved to give more points to this game, as the idea was good. The 4 points are for the addictive sensation you get from the demo, which disappear really fast when you see the time it takes to build anything in this game.

    The AI is stupid, people die all the time and do stupid things, the RPG aspect is non-existent, and you can even ruin your whole map if you make the mistake to let water flow in your caves

    The music is so annoying that I had to cut it, and the graphics are not sensational

    Conclusion : I might reconsider my opinion if the game grows a bit faster, but it seems the creators took the money and ran away with it.    … Expand
  30. TheReject
    Jan 8, 2013
    2
    This game has a very interesting premise and if it were competently executed it would be a "must buy" title. Unfortunately, it is not. The game struggles with abysmal path finding and major performance issues. Add to that a total lack of progress on promised updates, deceptive advertising, and a developer that lacks the desire or ability to communicate effectively with the community andThis game has a very interesting premise and if it were competently executed it would be a "must buy" title. Unfortunately, it is not. The game struggles with abysmal path finding and major performance issues. Add to that a total lack of progress on promised updates, deceptive advertising, and a developer that lacks the desire or ability to communicate effectively with the community and you have a bargain bin game. It's amusing for a few hours but the game-breaking bugs and lack of anything resembling mid or late-game content will leave you unsatisfied.… Expand
  31. Koo
    May 12, 2013
    3
    Towns isn't terrible. It's just not enjoyable as a game. The problems: 1) The "soundtrack" consists of a single song that lasts about 20 seconds and loops continuously. The solution: Music volume 0%. 2) Towns has an insane amount of micromanagement! The solution: None. While there are some shortcuts and some automation, it is minimal. 3) The overall experience. Overall TownsTowns isn't terrible. It's just not enjoyable as a game. The problems: 1) The "soundtrack" consists of a single song that lasts about 20 seconds and loops continuously. The solution: Music volume 0%. 2) Towns has an insane amount of micromanagement! The solution: None. While there are some shortcuts and some automation, it is minimal. 3) The overall experience. Overall Towns sucks. It's just not fun to play. There are too many menus, too many submenus, and the in-game experience basically consists of "point-and-click". Overall, I cannot recommend Towns. I have a limited amount of time in my day, and it is frankly better spent doing other activities than playing this terrible game. 3/10.… Expand
  32. Agoingconcern
    Dec 25, 2012
    0
    Towns, as it is now, is a broken experience. This game has a lot of potential to be an amazing game. It has a nice, if different, concept driving it. But as it stands now; to rate this game as if its in "ready to be released" state. It deserves a Zero. Games in this state should not ever be sold and called released, I, personally, want to know if i am buying a game or a beta of one.TheTowns, as it is now, is a broken experience. This game has a lot of potential to be an amazing game. It has a nice, if different, concept driving it. But as it stands now; to rate this game as if its in "ready to be released" state. It deserves a Zero. Games in this state should not ever be sold and called released, I, personally, want to know if i am buying a game or a beta of one.The sheer amount of bugs and terrible A.I. & U.I can just lead you into depression, in my opinion. If this was a beta it would be completely acceptable. But as a game where you are paying for a 'complete' game. Sadly, it is not yet in an enjoyable state, to me. Some people may enjoy it now for its ingenuity and concept, but i say just hold off and wait for this diamond to sparkle.… Expand
  33. TogaParty
    Nov 15, 2012
    0
    I voted for this game on Steam Greenlight and I really wanted to like this game but when it was ultimately released on Steam in an Alpha state without telling the customers I knew it was doomed, and I was right. Nothing about this game is entertaining, exciting or fun. It is an extremely poor attempt by amateur programmers to copy Dwarf Fortress. Now they have released an unfinished gameI voted for this game on Steam Greenlight and I really wanted to like this game but when it was ultimately released on Steam in an Alpha state without telling the customers I knew it was doomed, and I was right. Nothing about this game is entertaining, exciting or fun. It is an extremely poor attempt by amateur programmers to copy Dwarf Fortress. Now they have released an unfinished game as a cash grab and I doubt at this point the game will ever be finished.… Expand
  34. CatinHat
    Nov 19, 2012
    0
    Too many bugs, CTD after 10 minutes of gameplay, poor UI, etc. This game is overpriced for what you get. Towns is just a copy of Haven and Hearth. Which in H&H is an mp game where Towns is only SP.
  35. cowscows
    Nov 21, 2012
    0
    Unfinished game which masquerades as finished. Reported to be a playable game, but demonstrably false. Looks like a game people in an AP class would make as a semester final.
  36. MagicSnake
    Jan 29, 2013
    0
    Absolute fiasco; and I fell for it!

    Alpha, pre-alpha, pre-beta, whatever; doesn't change the fact the game is a complete, terrible mess.

    I'm appalled anyone would ask money for that; I'm even more appalled that I paid.
  37. Axelsson
    Jan 7, 2013
    0
    I am actually being generous and giving it a 1 considering the huge amount of gameplay flaws it currently has.

    First of all, once you dig down deep enough, you suddenly have to MOD the game in order to keep it going. I am dead serious, you have to modify a game that was released ON STEAM for full price. Then we have the complete and utter negligence from the developers themselves. Once    I am actually being generous and giving it a 1 considering the huge amount of gameplay flaws it currently has.

    First of all, once you dig down deep enough, you suddenly have to MOD the game in order to keep it going. I am dead serious, you have to modify a game that was released ON STEAM for full price. Then we have the complete and utter negligence from the developers themselves. Once they released it, nothing new has been updated. Sure, there was a small patch that fixed absolutely nothing but then, nothing, zero, nada. Nothing has been updated, nothing has been changed and they almost left the development process because of some weird "reason". It's quiet on the developers side and the forums have been all but abandoned.

    This game should be pulled off Steam immediately for lying about features, disregarding costumers and bad gameplay.    … Expand
  38. Monkeyspode
    Nov 13, 2012
    0
    Do not buy this game, avoid this game like the plague it is. The game lacks any form of working tutorial, the UI is worthless and the developers are complete jerks to the community. I regret buying this game and will never support any game worked on by anyone affiliated with this game.

    If you are looking for a similar style game get Minecraft, Gnomoria or Terraria. If you already have    Do not buy this game, avoid this game like the plague it is. The game lacks any form of working tutorial, the UI is worthless and the developers are complete jerks to the community. I regret buying this game and will never support any game worked on by anyone affiliated with this game.

    If you are looking for a similar style game get Minecraft, Gnomoria or Terraria. If you already have those games then pick up A Game of Dwarves of SimCity 4. Buy any other game over this amateur basement programming experiment.    … Expand
  39. Evecque
    Dec 14, 2012
    2
    It pains me to have to give Towns such a low score. I purchased this game some time ago when they still admitted it was in alpha and was happy to support development of a concept I enjoyed. I played through several versions of the game before the release to Steam and have 50 hours into that version as well, so clearly if you want to badly enough, you can play the game and get someIt pains me to have to give Towns such a low score. I purchased this game some time ago when they still admitted it was in alpha and was happy to support development of a concept I enjoyed. I played through several versions of the game before the release to Steam and have 50 hours into that version as well, so clearly if you want to badly enough, you can play the game and get some enjoyment out of it. Sadly, playing the game at this time means fighting with a clunky interface, dealing with a very unpolished product, and working around all the idiotic aspects built into the game currently as well as all the missing features the makers of the game decided not to include at release. There are basic thing that you cannot do at all, like filling in a hole with dirt, and even more things that can only be done by a cheating "hand of God" that has the power to delete items immediately or summon water/lava out of this air.

    I like the concept, and I want to like the game very badly, but this product is quite simply sub par. It feels very incomplete and you would swear you were playing an alpha rather than a released product. When you look at all the other options out there for the same price or less, I can't see how you could justify recommending Towns to anybody.    … Expand
  40. BlueRaja
    Sep 21, 2013
    1
    This game might have been good, with a tutorial. As it stands, I have no idea what the heck is going on. The "tutorial" maps are just easier maps, they don't actually teach you how to play.
  41. Mochnant
    Nov 13, 2012
    2
    For the die-hard fans, there IS a game in there somewhere. Unfortunately, it is buggy, missing features, and suffers from a poor UI. This is an alpha/beta level game that is in need of a lot of work. One day it may be a great game, but what you can buy on Steam for $14.99 is not that.
  42. kuehnau
    Nov 24, 2012
    1
    If you've played Dwarf Fortress, then you know exactly what you can expect from Towns, except you really can't. Great concept,terrible implementation and design. Interface is a horrible mess, lacks any sort of direction. Almost every aspect of this game is unpolished and unplayable. Riddled with bugs and problems this game isn't worth the money they are asking for it. Avoid at all costs.
  43. Sarcinelli
    Nov 11, 2012
    0
    Stay away from this, at least for now. This game is far from complete, it lacks in the most basic features like animations, tutorials, AI, townies walk through mountains, get stuck in the terrain, etc

    But the major problem is that the devs are trying to hide the status of the game, they're trying to sell this as a complete piece of software when it's obvious that it's in a beta stage...    Stay away from this, at least for now. This game is far from complete, it lacks in the most basic features like animations, tutorials, AI, townies walk through mountains, get stuck in the terrain, etc

    But the major problem is that the devs are trying to hide the status of the game, they're trying to sell this as a complete piece of software when it's obvious that it's in a beta stage...

    There's a demo on the official site try ot first and decide for yourself!    … Expand
  44. Zer0_Wolf
    Nov 11, 2012
    0
    This is just a alpha quality game, if you are looking to buy an alpha and hope it might turn into something great. Go ahead and waste your money, but after trying to play the "demo". It was just a waste of time.
  45. arleas
    Nov 12, 2012
    2
    I didn't vote for "Towns" to be greenlit, I had seen a bunch of people raving about it and I figured, what the heck, I'll go for it. Here's what I found: it's a city builder type game, it takes a long while to get anywhere, the graphics are bland, the music is horrible, the documentation is next to non-existent, the animation is sparse, the sound effects are laughably bad. I know itI didn't vote for "Towns" to be greenlit, I had seen a bunch of people raving about it and I figured, what the heck, I'll go for it. Here's what I found: it's a city builder type game, it takes a long while to get anywhere, the graphics are bland, the music is horrible, the documentation is next to non-existent, the animation is sparse, the sound effects are laughably bad. I know it was cheap but I expected more. Part of the problem is that the game is still in alpha... except it didn't appear to be in alpha based on the store page on steam. The game is still rather buggy, the "controls" can be counter-intuitive, the tutorials are just barely there. At the end of it all I was still unsure of how the game was played. I knew enough to get barely started and that was it. So what IS the game about? You build a city by taking a group of inhabitants and telling them to chop some wood, gather some wild grain and apples, mine some stone, etc. You help provide the framework and the citizens will take care of everything else (If you know how to tell them to keep making certain items). Unfortunately the AI is so poor that all it takes is for someone to walk near an enemy for them to attack. At times they'll be almost dead and I'll see the citizen run TO the fight instead of away from it. You can set priorities for things but it seems like it'd be more helpful if you could dedicate one person to a certain job. There are no citizens dedicated to any one job other than military, and other than the fact that you can have military patrol an area, it's almost better to just have every citizen armed and ready.

    If you don't mind paying now for what could become an awesome game later, go ahead and buy this, but don't be mad when the game crashes because you alt-tabbed away from full screen or if the game doesn't behave exactly as you think it should. Hopefully they'll improve as time goes on (and I can raise this score or delete this review) but as of right now, it's really REALLY not a good game.    … Expand
  46. Splortched
    Jan 5, 2013
    0
    The screen shots are completely misleading: This game is far from what it is advertised as. So far the tutorials are god awful and the gameplay needs work to become more streamlined. The villager's AI is so broken it isn't funny. You sit there waiting for tasks to be completed, often with villagers completely disregarding assigned commands even after changing the task priorities.

    The    The screen shots are completely misleading: This game is far from what it is advertised as. So far the tutorials are god awful and the gameplay needs work to become more streamlined. The villager's AI is so broken it isn't funny. You sit there waiting for tasks to be completed, often with villagers completely disregarding assigned commands even after changing the task priorities.

    The menus are terrible: You have to go through about 10 menu screens to fully complete most rooms/tasks. There are 3 main screens with everything needed buried in each one. The tutorial doesn't cover everything, either. You have to figure out what is needed to complete items/rooms/recipes all on your own. I can't tell you how frustrating this is, having to go back and forth between menus just to make bread. The simplest tasks are made so complex it stops being a game and starts becoming work.

    Combat is a joke. 1 mob will kill an entire village with zero player control. You can't tell them to retreat, they blindly attack any nearby enemy and you literally have zero control over combat.

    Building, the one aspect of the game that should be fun... isn't. Villagers will put walls on locations you didn't tell them to, walls can't be moved (they have to be destroyed if built in incorrect spots), and walls have a tendency to get a nice red X through them if not absolutely perfect. Check the wiki on building: It's entirely too complex for what it should be. Creating more than one story is near impossible.

    I can recommend for you to avoid this game if possible until it's fixed. This game is a prime example of what not to do, where polish really can hamper gameplay entirely.    … Expand
  47. Tooterfish
    Nov 12, 2012
    0
    The game isn't even finished. Why would anybody promote a "developer" for taking advantage of gullible Greenlight voters like this? I won't even disrespect the indie community by giving this game a 1+.
  48. thunderw
    Nov 12, 2012
    0
    5k characters is tough. Here is the short version. There are 4/12 points listed.
    I have played Towns for 60+ hours and climbing. I enjoy playing the game in the state it is in. However, I will point out that it is a far from finished game that has been inappropriately released as a final version. This single most important fact has lead me to review the game as is and provide honest    5k characters is tough. Here is the short version. There are 4/12 points listed.
    I have played Towns for 60+ hours and climbing. I enjoy playing the game in the state it is in. However, I will point out that it is a far from finished game that has been inappropriately released as a final version. This single most important fact has lead me to review the game as is and provide honest and critical feedback on the functionality and features of the game.
    First off, if you don    … Expand
  49. willcritic
    Nov 12, 2012
    0
    game is unplayable , when i got it to play for 10 mins the controls were unbearable and before i could figure them out the game crashed and has not worked sense, hoping to get a refund off of steam
  50. Dragonfang
    Nov 12, 2012
    4
    Anyone who gave this game a 0 deserve what they bought for doing no research before handing steam their $10. This game was green lighted by steam and put on their store. Steam or the dev's didn't put that the game was in alpha testing on the steam page and people are butt hurt about it. If they would have spent 5 min searching they would have found the home page for the game and seenAnyone who gave this game a 0 deserve what they bought for doing no research before handing steam their $10. This game was green lighted by steam and put on their store. Steam or the dev's didn't put that the game was in alpha testing on the steam page and people are butt hurt about it. If they would have spent 5 min searching they would have found the home page for the game and seen the description correctly there.
    Long story short ignore any 0 ratings for the game as haters going to hate.

    Real review:
    The game is clearly in development. Many features are missing or incomplete, there are bugs in the AI and pathing. BUT it is playable, it is fun, and I've already put 20 hours into the game. Even if I stopped right now that's only $0.50 an hour, better then any other source of entertainment. I call it worth my money and since the game is in development it will be getting constant updates.

    Concept 7/10
    Graphics: 1/10
    Fun: 8/10
    Sound: 3/10
    Polish:: 4/10
    Developer Support: 9/10

    Overall 5/10 (but getting better every month with the version release)

    P.S. Please do your research before buying any game. indie developers can't take the reputation hit when lazy people bash their hard work. This is not a money grab scheme, its not P.O.S. Its an indie developers blood, sweat, and tears and a mistake by steam in the marketing.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. PC Gamer UK
    Mar 3, 2013
    55
    This is not a town you'd want to visit for too long. [March 2013, p.99]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 6, 2013
    30
    It's not really worth going to town on this one. Try one of those crazy finished games. [Feb 2013, p.80]
  3. Everyeye.it
    Jan 7, 2013
    60
    Towns is a game with great potential who suffers from many technical problems which undermine the gaming experience.
    Read full review