This is a fairly well-done and very pretty city-builder that is both lacking in content and overstaying its welcome. In the game's campaign, I've shelved it during the seventh of the nine missions, without trying the sandbox or challenge modes.
Aven Colony does what I like with city-builders: constructing and connecting buildings, managing a population's well-being, completing small objectives throughout a mission in a story and expanding out of necessity. It feels like a combination of Anno, Surviving Mars and Tropico. However, it's a relief to manage an economy that actually depends on what you produce, instead of trade or money, with the stand-in being nanites - a resource that makes sense in this world.
I had a great time with the first half. The learning curve is fairly low, and my poor choices in city planning throughout the first couple of missions were easily forgiven. Some mechanics weren't explained to me until I went on to forums to get my questions answered. I may have overlooked something in the tutorial, but I was missing information in the UI.
Every mission, I would start out with developing a small way of producing resources for the colony, mining to develop nanites, and farming or extracting water for the colonists. When I began expanding, I needed to find sources for generating electricity, build places to increase colonist health and morale, place defensive structures, and prepare for the last phase of the mission. The final part of any mission, outside of a specific victory condition, would be to explore outside of my immediate colony, like Frostpunk and invest in the late-game buildings, which typically end up being a combination of perks from other buildings (increases to morale, electricity, population growth and capacity, or storage).
But that's it. I've used every building I need, and typically would make similar-looking suburbs, wrapped around a resource on the map I needed. Each one being a replica of the previous one, except centered around an electrical or farming source. The mechanics of the game are very limited, in which something like Cities: Skylines would have entire industries or panels that could be ignored, every single building in Aven Colony is unfortunately necessary. It's unfortunate, because every map can be played the exact same, except with different resource placements.
It's a well-done game, but it lacks anything new to keep me going - even the story won't retain me. (there's a very weird and gross scene of this toxic space workplace early in the game that really put me off of caring about the characters or story behind this colonialist mission) While a good builder to start with, this game doesn't have enough to make it great and retain my interest in finishing it.
Aven Colony does what I like with city-builders: constructing and connecting buildings, managing a population's well-being, completing small objectives throughout a mission in a story and expanding out of necessity. It feels like a combination of Anno, Surviving Mars and Tropico. However, it's a relief to manage an economy that actually depends on what you produce, instead of trade or money, with the stand-in being nanites - a resource that makes sense in this world.
I had a great time with the first half. The learning curve is fairly low, and my poor choices in city planning throughout the first couple of missions were easily forgiven. Some mechanics weren't explained to me until I went on to forums to get my questions answered. I may have overlooked something in the tutorial, but I was missing information in the UI.
Every mission, I would start out with developing a small way of producing resources for the colony, mining to develop nanites, and farming or extracting water for the colonists. When I began expanding, I needed to find sources for generating electricity, build places to increase colonist health and morale, place defensive structures, and prepare for the last phase of the mission. The final part of any mission, outside of a specific victory condition, would be to explore outside of my immediate colony, like Frostpunk and invest in the late-game buildings, which typically end up being a combination of perks from other buildings (increases to morale, electricity, population growth and capacity, or storage).
But that's it. I've used every building I need, and typically would make similar-looking suburbs, wrapped around a resource on the map I needed. Each one being a replica of the previous one, except centered around an electrical or farming source. The mechanics of the game are very limited, in which something like Cities: Skylines would have entire industries or panels that could be ignored, every single building in Aven Colony is unfortunately necessary. It's unfortunate, because every map can be played the exact same, except with different resource placements.
It's a well-done game, but it lacks anything new to keep me going - even the story won't retain me. (there's a very weird and gross scene of this toxic space workplace early in the game that really put me off of caring about the characters or story behind this colonialist mission) While a good builder to start with, this game doesn't have enough to make it great and retain my interest in finishing it.