Patron vs Tropico Reloaded
Patron
Patron is a medieval-themed city-builder that is quite similar to Banished. In this game, you play as a pioneer sent by your King to colonize a new region. With a group of peasants to help, it is up to you to build a town from the ground up and develop it into one of the most prosperous colonies of the empire!The game is all about optimizing production chains and subsequently, pursuing advancements. So, at the beginning, it’s important to produce enough raw materials so you can have enough materials to “fuel” your other production facilities in order to craft more profitable items. As your town expands, you’ll need to make sure your production scales up accordingly, be it by upgrading existing structures or building new ones. This is where the challenge really comes in.
Of course, besides upgrades and expansions, you’ll want to invest in research so you could unlock better and, hence, more productive buildings, as well as new production facilities which will then allow you to produce items that are usually more luxurious and lucrative to trade. From time to time, you will receive various edicts from the King or news of certain events. You’ll then be expected to choose between the two decisions provided.
All in all, Patron is definitely a much better version of Banished in every way, and this saying something since I’ve enjoyed playing Banished. This game’s a solid medieval city-builder with a nice level of difficulty which matches what a midcore gamer like me can handle. The game is definitely worth the cost!
Tropico Reloaded
Tropico Reloaded is a strategic nation-building game that may feel a little like one of those really in-depth city-building simulation games. However, playing the role of the leader of a banana republic rather than simply being the mayor, you have a wider reach and influence over your people - you can choose to rule with an iron grip or with benevolence - and also the ability to amass an army to defend your said republic from external invaders and internal dissidents. Of course, you can also choose to be corrupt and set aside some funds for your swiss bank account.The game's expansion, Tropico: Paradise Island allows you to not only bring natural disasters on your people but also build tourist attractions as you open up your country for others to visit and of course, to bring in tons of cash. This reloaded version even includes Tropico 2, which will see you ruling over a pirate island as the Pirate King.
Tropico lets players enjoy the fun of managing their own country in their own respective ways much like a simulation game would, and yet, there is also a strategic element to it as you'll need to lead your armies or pirate crew to defend your people from time to time. This game may appeal to fans of city-builders or people who have always imagine themselves leading a nation.