What happens when several programmers decide to create a mix of Stronghold and Red Alert on the Unity? People who had a look at the title of the review earlier may quote Tadeusz Sznuk – I don’t know, although I can guess .
In Diplomacy is Not an Option, we play the role of a local feudal lord, fighting to stay on the throne. This task is extremely demanding – thousands of peasants are waiting for our head, because the Great Kingdom of Inverland is covered by a bloody civil war. The details of the story are so far shrouded in mystery.
The summation result of all RTSs
The gameplay itself in Diplomacy is Not an Option is trivial in its simplicity: our task is to repel subsequent enemy attacks on randomly generated maps. For this purpose, we must build fortifications, recruit soldiers and ensure that they do not starve to death, and we fail when our headquarters are demolished. In the future, a campaign will also be added, in which we will recover the lands of the aforementioned Great Kingdom of Inverland.
RTS fans will surely find themselves at home in Diplomacy is Not an Option . The game draws heavily from titles such as Fortress or Age of Empires. Our tasks include the separation of peasants dependent on us to the basic tasks of gathering raw materials, food preparation and construction, as well as controlling the troops we have recruited. Unfortunately, the title draws a lot, and does not bring much to the genre itself – the only novelty that caught my eye is the profession of a gravedigger, which we should sooner or later settle. We have to hide our fallen units and peasants, otherwise the local inhabitants may get sick from the corpses. Bodies not sent to eternal rest can also arise and attack our subjects in the form of the undead. If someone is offended by this illogicality that we only hide our little ones and we don’t pay attention to our enemies … well, I’m afraid it was a necessity – otherwise the game would be a grave digging simulator,Diplomacy is Not an Option is characterized by an extremely simple graphic design. Most of the objects on the screen are “angular”, which makes the game more charming and reminiscent of older productions. Simple shapes certainly allow hordes of enemies to be pressed onto the screen.
Ready to serve
We fight the attacking peasants with the help of the warriors we employ and with the use of spells. We have a limited number of the latter – they are associated with the crystals that we unlock by destroying small enemy camps scattered around the map. Among the spells there is the summoning of additional soldiers, lasers and comets, which can tip the scales of victory in our favor. Overall, the fight is very enjoyable and rewarding, but I’m afraid fans of the more extensive gameplay may get bored of it very quickly.
What will fate bring?
I had a lot of fun preparing this review. Part of my enthusiasm was, unfortunately, cooled down by the roadmap, which was published by Door 407 on the day of the game’s debut in Early Access. Looking at the vast lands of the Kingdom of Inverland and the surrounding areas, I expected a long campaign, two or even three times longer than what the creators are planning to treat us. I was also concerned about the lack of any multiplayer, which may affect the final popularity of Diplomacy is Not an Option – after all, in RTS there is nothing better than online competition. The game also needs optimization for laptops, because regardless of the settings, it brings these devices to the highest possible speed. If this title was not part of SteamI would accuse the developers of mining Bitcoin at my expense – I just can’t find an explanation why a tiny RTS turkey can heat a computer more than compiling videos.
We will watch your career with great interest
Despite my spite, the Door 407 team created a really interesting title. Even my fear of burning my own computer did not prevent me from spending over 20 hours on Diplomacy is Not an Option . Although the title currently consists of a raid survival mode on randomly generated maps, creating more lines of defense and fighting for survival against increasing waves of cannon fodder is a great pleasure. I am waiting for the new buildings, units and unannounced gameplay elements promised by the developers, while keeping my fingers crossed for a little better optimization for weaker computers.
