Hexarchy

[h1] A board game lover's paradise [/h1] No lie, my favorite game I've ever played. It really feels complete and smooth like any good video game, but with the depth of strategy and decision-making of a complex board game.

As a civ enjoyer and deckbuilder enjoyer this game scratches a lot of itches for me. The games are quite short for a 4X which I like, clocking in around 10-30 minutes depending on the objective. The gameplay loop is very similar to playing a modern deckbuilding board game. Most of the satisfaction for me comes from trying to determine the optimal turn. One of the biggest negatives is the terrible AI making the hardest difficulty still too easy. Similar to Civ, they get a huge boost at the start of the game, but they play terribly so it isn't hard to catch up or just cheese them in combat. Additionally, because the card pool is not that large and each civ only gets 2 unique cards two special abilities, the game can get a bit repetative after 20 hours or so. One final negative note is that the controls with a gamepad are quite bad as you often have to use the joystick as a mouse. For that reason, I would only recommend this if you plan to play with mouse and keyboard. All that said, for mouse and keyboard players I would recommend this heavily for that first 20 hours and it is a great game to come back to after having put it down for a while. TLDR: 4/5 - Great value for the price but don't expect 100 hours of fun Pros - Great for board game lovers, particularly deckbuilders - Games are much quicker than other 4X at 10-30 min Cons - AI is bad - Lack of variety game to game can get boring after 10-20 hours due to small card pool - Playing with a controller is possible, but the controls kinda suck (you have to use the joystick as a mouse often)

TLDR - This is a great game . . . IF you like board games. I love board games. In fact, I've played several civ 4x board games. This game is just like playing a board game with all its limitations and advantages. You can't do everything you can do in a computer civ game. Yes there are playing cards. Yes there is random chance. Yes there is strategy . . . . based on the randomness. You have to be effective in how you use your cards, when you use your cards, when to trash your cards, and when to save your cards. It's great! If you're a fan of board games you'll feel right at home with Hexarchy. It's tremendous. It's fun, engaging, and fast! Want that bear & pretzels 1 hour strategy fun? This is your ticket! Well done all around - has all the right elements to keep me coming back for more and/or when I have that board game itch to scratch. Furthermore, the developers included community goals and individual leader-board goals that you can participate in. If you want to play a civ-like game that plays like a board game but don't want to commit 15 hours to the effort, Hexarchy is your ticket. Pick it up on sale; you won't regret it.

Wait for a sale. I paid full price and that is about double of what this is worth. Now here is the thing, this is a cool concept. The implementation works. It is a functional game. I feel the need to stress that, because I appreciate that they seem to have focused on this most important aspect, the game is playable, with all its features. Here is why I think it is overpriced. It lacks polish. It lacks quality, from the UI, to the controls to graphics, they are all serviceable. It all feels like someone took their hobby to the next step. It is completely unprofessional, that even is some of its charm. Basically, it has an option to activate edge panning (you are not supposed to play mouse only here), in a 4x inspired game, so yeah, something went terribly wrong

It is obvious the devs were fans of the Sid Meier's Civ series. I'd call Hexarchy a "love letter" to the 4x genre and those who've shaped it, like Civ. There are plenty of things that resemble a classic Civ game, but the mechanics of having a deck builder and action points really creates a unique gameplay experience. Mix this with a "long" game of hexarchy still being well under 2 hours and being at MOST 30 turns (!!!), and they've really got something unique here. If you're a fan of Civ games, Hexarchy will feel familiar, including the (much more limited) tech tree, the types of units and buildings you create, the wonders, and even the unique nation powers. But Hexarchy is undoubtedly simpler than Civ games as well: No diplomacy, no city states, no "workers," simpler AI opponent actions, etc. Those are not necessarily bad things, just things that make them different. A game of Hexarchy is MUCH shorter than a classic Civ player might expect, but has many of the early/mid game elements you might expect. But having a hand of cards and action points direct your decisions creates a much more limited and strategic gameplay, and also helps prevent analysis paralysis. A match of Hexarchy would be equivalent to a early-to-mid-game playthrough of Civ, but only on rapid steroids as it lasts 20-30 turns at MOST! (You can never say that for a game of civ!) Because of this limited game length, they can do things like have daily and weekly challenges, which I really enjoy as well. Expect more warfare than you're use; the lack of diplomacy means you're always at war. The biggest con for me with Hexarchy is the relatively simplistic AI opponents on "Hard" setting would never do in any other big-budget 4x game. An example would be the AI create a catapult in their city, and then move the one defending melee unit out of the city leaving it defenseless, so I can come and swoop in, take the city, and get a free catapult in the process. Main Tank Software is not a AAA studio, I get it. And the game does offer difficulties beyond just "Hard," sure. Just pointing out the "Hard" opponents often don't live up to their name. Next biggest con would be how close civs spawn to each other. It's manageable, typically, but much closer than I'd prefer. All in all, Hexarchy is a fabulous love letter to those who came before it with unique gameplay mechanics that make it stand out as something original, rather than a rip-off of others. It nods to the genre while not trying to replace those others. The game has most of what you'd desire in a Civ-like game, but much shorter, and more emphasis on the warfare aspect. Definitely no regrets with this purchase!

Great