izigame.me

Not Banned From Memory


70/100


If you like city builders/colony management games and have the habit of checking reviews before (or even after) buying a game, I bet you already came across the comment “it’s like Banished, but…”.
Banished set the tone for this kind of games and still stands on its own two feet today.

Graphics & Sound: It’s not a masterpiece, but it manages to be unforgettable. The looks are simple, yet engaging, and the sound is memorable, especially the music, which will keep playing in your head long after you have played the game for the last time. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not talking about a majestic orchestra or anything like that, and I wouldn’t give the game any awards for it. On the contrary, the simplistic tunes are actually very repetitive and short, but they fully serve their purpose.
Gameplay: One of the most common downsides in city builders/colony management games are the overwhelming amount of information you need to acquire to properly play the game — a lot of people simple aren’t up for that. This won’t happen to you in Banished. The game is very basic at its core, but still gets the job done. If, on the one hand, this may be a plus to some, on the other hand, others may say it’s the game’s greatest weakness. You decide.
The objective the game sets you out to do is simple: build a colony, don’t let your colonists die (which happens a lot) and expand your colony. Simple, engaging, fun.
Replayability: Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the game, I’m not sure I will be getting back to it. I feel like I did everything there was to be done and I don’t think I would be able to get more out of it. I concede that Banished set the bar for other games of its genre to overcome, but I do think these games have arrived and I can think of a few that can leave Banished behind…
…not completely though! We had some fun together and I will cherish it in my memory.