Indie game of the week: Against the Storm

In our weekly indie section, we’re recommending Against the Storm, by Eremite Games.

Eremite Games decided to make city-builder fans a little happier: they reinvent the genre with rogue-like touches, a carefully tuned interface, and an atmosphere that’s very much their own, and recognizable. Personally, it feels good to play; I can say it’s one of my comfy games. So here’s the piece.

What is Against the Storm?

In Against the Storm you’re the Crown’s viceroy: sent into the unknown to found settlements, explore hostile terrain, and meet demands while the storm threatens to swallow the world (the premise, as you can tell, sounds epic).

Each adventure is a time-limited run. Time and certain random events shape what you can do: you explore, face whatever the forest throws at you, gather resources, build, and keep the town running. You win by meeting the level’s victory conditions; you lose if your people can’t weather the hardship (or you try the Queen’s patience too far), and then it’s time to send a new expedition.

What draws me to this title?

I love how the runs fit together here: start with your supplies and a basic building, grow bit by bit based on what the surroundings offer, micromanage the villagers in your forest-glade camp… Plus there’s a random factor that keeps two runs from ever feeling the same. And speaking of forest glades, the exploration loop reminds me of clearing paths with lumberjacks through dense Age of Empires maps; I don’t know if that was an inspiration, but it hooks me the same way.

It also doesn’t stop at that first layer of exploration and runs. There’s a long-term progression layer. Not so much a deep story to unravel, but a light bit of accompaniment while you chase larger-scale goals.

Anyway, enough talk. Here’s how the game looks:

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Why it hooked me

Because I like city-builders, but sometimes after a couple of sessions you get bored. Here, the rogue-like mix stretches the playtime, and you always want one more run. And if you want a tougher challenge, you can raise the difficulty as you go: same systems, less room to breathe, more pressure. No need to force it early; once you’ve got the loops down, it’s there.

The game (which launched on Steam in late 2023) is still alive with updates and DLC. It’s not abandoned; the latest hotfix was July 9.

Will you like this game?

• Yes, if… you like city-builders with some pressure, runs with a beginning and an end, or you’re tired of “build forever with no consequences.”
• Not so much, if… rogue-likes aren’t your thing or you want something more contemplative. It’s easy to pick up, hard to master: you’ll need time to learn (and exploit) the systems if you want to survive the storm.

The one caveat

After many hours, the base game can start repeating the same beats: same problems, same priorities. That’s where the DLC extends the lifespan… in exchange for an extra spend.

Conclusion

Against the Storm is my indie of the week because the city-builder genre had gotten comfortable, and I liked this breath of fresh air.

• Game: Against the Storm
• Studio: Eremite Games

Next week, another one. And if you’ve got an indie you think fits this section, write me at contact@inlobby.gg.