It genuinely seems like it was written by an AI, and there’s a certain dissonance between what I’m seeing while playing and what happens in the cutscenes. The lines in cutscenes can be rather janky, and the plot can feel nonsensical. You have to fight your way onto the docks with the city’s guild master and the cartographer, the two characters who represent the Elari in cutscenes. It’s genuinely brutal to hear the slow, stark music at the beginning of the game and watch as your lands are pillaged.
Your only choice is to flee your land and begin again as refugees. The campaign can be described as “wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle.” In the campaign, you play as the Envoys for the Elari, a peaceful agricultural people who are getting absolutely bodied by their own military in a coup. New Allies sucked me in with its masterfully charming aesthetics, but soon enough, I realized that its beauty is only skin deep. It’s quite sad, the game is brimming with life, but none of that vibrancy translates to the gameplay.
This game is just so quaint, I could feel my blood pressure going down just playing this game. The audio is also excellent in this game the creaking of the boats in the harbor, the gentle ebb and flow of the waves, it’s all really relaxing. The splendor of your village is accompanied by pleasant and calming background music, perfect for observing your settlers toiling away or reveling.
For example, I heard a girl in a wheat field exclaim “be careful with that scythe” as another settler chopped away wheat around her. A lot of their voice lines are relevant to the area they’re in. Your settlement is bright and vibrant, with constant chatter amongst your settlers. You can even zoom in on the houses and get a glimpse inside the doorways. Maybe a flower-covered pergola will form, or a long, artisanal archway. When you put houses next to each other, they connect in interesting ways. From glistening waterfalls and oceans, to well-crafted structures brimming with character, this game will treat your eyes to a feast of fine detail. The imagery in this game is absolutely breathtaking. However, there is one aspect that stands out before anything else when you play, the visuals. The Settlers: New Allies is a combination of RTS and city builder that delivers neither in any particularly special way. Building up your base in a meaningful way while expanding and enhancing your army seems inherently rewarding. The idea of combining the two genres has always been exciting to me. Structures in RTS games on the other hand typically provide a more strategic advantage, whether that be production or defense. Typically, city builders offer you a plethora of structures to perfect and manage your city. RTS games and city builders have always had similarities, the micromanagement, and the building being a few.
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