"Against the Storm" is a 2023 city-building video game created by Eremite Games and released by Hooded Horse. It is different from most city-building games because it includes features from roguelike games. The game has a shorter playing time, and players must complete specific goals to progress.

Plot

The game takes place in a fantasy world that is always damaged by the Blightstorm. The only safe place in this world is the Smoldering City, which is ruled by the Scorched Queen. When the storm calms down, the Scorched Queen sends her viceroys to create settlements to collect supplies for the Smoldering City. However, when the Blightstorm returns, it destroys all the settlements.

Gameplay

After the storm ends, a "calm" period begins. During this time, players must build villages around the Smoldering City before the storm returns. These villages work to stop the forest from spreading and harming the area. Players collect resources from the forest and use them to create items like food, fuel, and building materials. The maps, resources, population, and buildings are randomly created each time.

The villagers belong to seven species: Humans, Beavers, Harpies, Lizards, Foxes, Frogs (from a special add-on), and Bats. Each village has only three species, and each species has unique needs and skills. Each village is given tasks to complete, which can be difficult if needed resources are hard to find. Villagers may leave or die from hunger, reducing the number of workers. New workers can be added by completing special events or through caravans that arrive yearly. If players keep villagers happy and finish tasks, they earn reputation points. To complete the map, players must fill the Reputation gauge before the "Queen's Impatience" gauge fills completely, which would force the Queen to recall players to her city. Earning reputation points also slows the Impatience gauge, giving more time. Like some modern games, players keep unlocked abilities that help build future villages.

When the calm ends, the storm destroys all villages, and a new map is created. Players also collect "seal fragments" to enter a special map where they can reforge a seal to earn extra rewards. Reforging the seal for the first time weakens the storm, making the calm period longer.

Development

The game Against the Storm was first available in early access in October 2021. Hooded Horse, the publisher, released Against the Storm for Windows on December 8, 2023. An expansion called Keepers of the Stone was released on September 26, 2024. This expansion added new areas and a new type of creature, along with other features.

The game was later released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on June 26, 2025.

Reception

The game Against the Storm received "universal acclaim" on Metacritic. Another review site, OpenCritic, noted that the game earned "mighty" approval, with 95% of critics recommending it. The game won the Best Design award at the Taipei Game Show 2024 and was nominated for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. As of May 2024, the game had sold over a million copies on Steam.

Eurogamer gave the game a perfect score and called it a "rare gem" and "one of the most novel and well-crafted city builders." PC Gamer described the game as "one of the most clever, engaging, and endearing strategy games" and highlighted how its premise changed typical ideas found in city-building games. PCGamesN said the game combines roguelike, strategy, and small-scale city-building elements in a "brilliant mix."

Rock Paper Shotgun praised how the game blends city-building and roguelite features, which they found surprising but effective. They noted that the game gives cities clear goals and has a short playing time of about one hour, unlike most city-building games. They called it "one of this year’s best" and labeled it a "Bestest Best." Ars Technica compared the game to a "rogue-ultralite" because of its cozy feel and praised its depth, strategy choices, and replayability. Sports Illustrated called it a "unique blend of genres" and said it combines the best parts of city-building games into a short, addictive experience.