I wrote a good bit final 12 months about Ixion, a deep house city-builder than mixed the fun of popping in little constructions with some 4X components like exploration, then wrapped all of it up in an engrossing story concerning the dying days of the human race. I liked the sport, however I additionally hated it.
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I liked it for all the explanations I spelled out right here, however I additionally hated it as a result of it was at occasions pointlessly annoying, and its tightly-wound narrative, which helped the sport in so many different methods, was additionally an unlimited ache within the ass when it got here to progressing by way of Ixion’s ranges:
In Ixion you’re at all times in peril, at all times wanting one thing you want, and it’s laborious to get that stuff at one of the best of occasions, not to mention if you’re coping with every little thing from employee strikes to burning factories. A city-builder ought to a minimum of generally be a tranquil expertise, as a result of they’re about constructing and watching issues develop; right here there have been valuable few moments I wasn’t feeling extremely wired, and by no means felt like I acquired the possibility to simply take pleasure in for a day or two the truth that, hey, we had been nonetheless alive. A sandbox or freeplay mode might have actually helped right here, however sadly the sport doesn’t embody both of these issues, there’s simply the marketing campaign.
I wrote that in December—Ixion simply squeaked into my 2022 GOTY record—and now we’re in Might 2023. And whaddya know, whereas the sport doesn’t have a “sandbox or freeplay” mode, it now has one thing possibly even higher: problem choices.
Really, it’s one thing even higher than that: they’re deeply customisable problem choices. Take a look at this!
Any new playthrough will now start with a alternative of three problem modes:
Journey:
This mode is for gamers who wish to benefit from the sport’s narrative and is really helpful for these unfamiliar with the city-builder style.
Default:
That is the meant IXION expertise and is really helpful for gamers acquainted with metropolis builders.
Problem:
An unrelenting battle for survival; this mode is for Directors who actually wish to take a look at their abilities.
Need a bit extra customization so you’ll be able to play IXION the way you envisioned? Then this fourth possibility is for you. In Customized mode, you’ll be able to alter all kinds of sport mechanics to your style. Bored with the fixed hull degradation. Flip it off. Not getting sufficient staff from cryopods? Change the ratio. Accidents occurring too usually? Lower the frequency.
You may as well alter these problem parameters through the pause menu mid-playthrough – together with in your present saves!
Excellent. That is excellent. It lets us proceed to play the sport the way in which its builders meant, but in addition lets us—the Royal Us, these of us who weren’t down on a few of its problem and pacing points—tailor a few of its extra annoying points to easily make it extra enjoyable. And that doesn’t simply imply making issues simpler, you can also make them more durable if you need!
My preliminary Ixion suggestion in 2022 got here with some fairly robust caveats; these are nearly all gone now, so if the concept of a city-building Battlestar Galactica seems like your factor, you must undoubtedly test it out in 2023.
