Banished vs Frostpunk
Banished
Banished is a medieval-themed city-building simulation that can be pretty difficult to get into at first mainly due to its many nuances and lack of a comprehensive tutorial. But once you get the general idea of how things work (we'd recommend starting with easy mode), you'll start to truly appreciate the game as the challenge that it is. In some way, this game is quite similar to SimCity in many ways with the obvious difference being the themes and the lack of piping, waste management or electricity. Different maps will pose a different challenge and of course, the bigger your village is, the more stuff you'll need to manage. Although it does have some strategy elements to it - mainly in the form of village management, the game is not a war game. There is no fighting involved but your villagers will die from natural causes or disasters like illnesses or famine.However, once you've gotten the hang of the game, Banished becomes less of a punishing game and a bit more boring due to the same-y looking buildings and the soundtrack. When it comes to replayability, we'd say that the game has maybe tens of hours in it before you'll get bored and move on to the next game... and this play duration may be drastically reduced if you happen to be a pro SimCity player.
So, in short, Banished will appear to be a somewhat frustrating game at first, but once you've gotten the hang of it, the game might gradually becomes boring mainly because there is nothing else to do except to expand, expand and expand! However, we can't say that we didn't enjoy playing the game, and even for the shorter play duration it has to offer, as opposed to triple A city-building titles, the game is worth the money it costs.
Frostpunk
Frostpunk is the world's first society survival game set in a chilly post-apocalpytic setting. Developed by none other than the people behind the award-winning This War of Mine, the game puts you into the shoes of a ruler of the last surviving human civilization. It is now on your shoulders to help your people survive the terrible storm that's coming by enacting necessary (but likely unpopular) laws, deciding which refugees to accept and which to turn your back to, automating as much of your city's vital facilities as possible, ensuring that your city is well-heated, and hoarding as much resources as you can. In this game, every decision you make is impactful and will affect your chances of survival at the every end.Frostpunk is a game that takes resource management to a whole new level by letting you know upfront that you can't win or be the "good guy" all the time. Sacrifices will have to be made and your choices will determine what sort of leader you'll be. If this is the sort of unique game that catches your eye, you might also enjoy our selection of similar games. Check them out!