Review: Age of Darkness: Final Stand

Developer – Playside Publisher – Playside Platforms –   PC (Reviewed) Review copy given by Publisher In a genre brimming with similar concepts and themes, Age of Darkness: Final Stand is yet another dark fantasy survival RTS that doesn’t quite rise above its competitors. The game offers a familiar blend of base-building, resource gathering, and fending off relentless waves of enemies, but despite its attempts at grandeur, it often feels like an average entry in a very crowded field. The story, as far as it goes, is classic dark fantasy fare: humanity is on its last legs, fighting off an endless onslaught of horrors from the darkness. This “darkness” is vague enough to avoid any deep exploration, merely serving as a backdrop for the real challenge: surviving the hordes. Players are tasked with building up a defensible position while fending off waves of enemies, all while navigating a procedural map that’s shrouded by a creeping fog of death called The Veil. This adds some tension, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before in games like They Are Billions or Banished. It all feels very familiar and, unfortunately, a bit uninspired. One of the more advertised features of the game is its SwarmTech technology, which allows for up to 70,000 units on-screen at once. While this sounds impressive, the reality is that the sheer number of enemies often leads to chaotic, cluttered battles that lack a sense of precision or strategy. The swarm looks cool at first, but it quickly becomes more about overwhelming numbers than actual tactical depth. Yes, you’ll need to manage resources, defend your base, and build up defenses, but the core gameplay quickly feels like just a series of repeatable, grindy cycles. The roguelike elements, such as the Malices and Blessings, do add some variety to the experience, but they often feel like a gimmick rather than a meaningful part of the gameplay. While it’s nice to have some random elements to keep things fresh, they rarely change the overall experience in any significant way. The Death Nights, where random afflictions throw wrenches into your carefully laid plans, can be frustrating rather than exciting, especially when they punish progress without offering any satisfying reward for overcoming them. The heroes, who are supposed to be a major part of the experience, don’t do enough to elevate the game. Each faction – The Order, Rebellion, and Volatists – offers unique playstyles and abilities, but the heroes feel more like stat boosts than deeply engaging characters. The lack of meaningful progression or attachment to these heroes makes them feel like just another tool in your arsenal rather than something you’ll want to invest in. The dynamic day-night cycle and the Living Death Fog are decent ideas, but again, they’re not executed in a way that feels groundbreaking. By day, you’ll focus on building up your defenses, while by night you’ll fight off increasingly difficult waves of enemies. The challenge ramps up predictably, and while the tension does build as night falls, it’s nothing we haven’t seen done better in other RTS or survival games. The addition of the fog adds some mystery, but it’s more of a nuisance than an exciting gameplay mechanic, often obscuring the battlefield in a way that feels cheap rather than challenging. For those who prefer to experience the game with friends, Age of Darkness: Final Stand does offer co-op multiplayer. It’s a nice addition, but given the game’s rather formulaic nature, it doesn’t do much to elevate the experience. It’s more of the same, just with a friend to share the grind. Pros:Age of Darkness: Final Stand has some solid foundation elements, particularly in the sheer scale of battles. The SwarmTech technology can create massive, chaotic battles with over 70,000 enemies on-screen at once, which is impressive and can lead to moments of breathtaking spectacle. The factions are distinct, offering some variety in terms of playstyles, and the heroes, while not deeply engaging, provide unique abilities that can turn the tide of battle. The Malices and Blessings introduce a degree of unpredictability, ensuring no two Death Nights feel the same, which can be refreshing for players who enjoy a little variety. The co-op multiplayer is also a nice touch, allowing players to team up and tackle the horrors of the night together, adding some camaraderie to the otherwise solo grind. Cons:Despite these strengths, Age of Darkness: Final Stand ultimately falls into the trap of being just another average entry in the survival RTS genre. While the game’s visuals and scale are impressive at first, they quickly lose their novelty, and the gameplay often devolves into repetitive cycles of base-building and defending against waves of enemies. The roguelike elements, while offering some random variety, fail to add any meaningful depth to the experience. The heroes and factions, while distinct, lack enough complexity to make them truly engaging over time, and the Living Death Fog feels more like an obstacle than an exciting mechanic. Overall, the game doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking to the table, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve seen all of this before in other, more refined survival games. Ultimately, Age of Darkness: Final Stand feels like a game that could have been something more, but it settles for being just another decent, if forgettable, entry in the survival RTS genre. The game checks all the boxes – base-building, enemy waves, heroes, procedurally generated maps – but none of them feel particularly new or innovative. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll find some enjoyment in the game’s competent mechanics, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out from the crowd. For those looking for a truly memorable dark fantasy survival RTS experience, Age of Darkness: Final Stand will likely leave you wanting more.

Sea of Stars for Nintendo Switch is $25 on Amazon

Sea of Stars from Sabotage Studio was one of the best indie games in 2023 and overall a top game from the year. In our review at Rectify Gaming, we scored the game a 9 out of 10. It captures the essence of what makes RPGs beloved by gamers of all generations. Currently, Sea of Stars for Nintendo Switch is on sale for only $25 which is 38% off its original price of $39.99. This deal is currently exclusive to Amazon via the iam8bit Store. The sale only applies to the Nintendo Switch version of Sea of Stars. The Xbox Series X, PS4 and PS5 versions are all normal price. It’s also worthy to note this is the physical edition of the game. Below is an overview of the game via Sabotage Studio: A Turn-Based RPG Inspired by the Classics! Engaging Turn-Based Combat – Timed hits, combo attacks, boosting, damage types and spellbreaking. Unshackled Traversal – Swim, climb, vault, jump off or hoist up as you traverse the world seamlessly. A Story Rich Adventure – Dozens of characters and story arcs will take you on a captivating journey. A World You Can Touch – Need a change of pace? Go sailing, cooking, fishing or find a tavern to relax. The retail version includes: a double-sided poster with artwork by Bryce Kho.

Is Party Animals Coming To Nintendo Switch?

Recreate Games’ Party Animals has been a big hit since it came to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam in 2023. Since then the game has received consistent new content. We’ve seen the additions of Nemo Kart, New Maps, New Game Modes, and New Characters. To kick off 2025, Party Animals became available on PlayStation 5 for the first time. Since then it has received new updates including the Contra crossover. Is Party Animals On Nintendo Switch? While Party Animals is available on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation, it is not available to play on Nintendo Switch. With the official announcement of the Switch 2 by Nintendo, there is significant anticipation for third-party developers to launch their games on the console. It’s possible Recreate Games will bring Party Animals to the Nintendo Switch. More platforms will greatly benefit a game like this including the Switch which has sold over 140M units worldwide. The current Switch likely can’t handle the party game from Recreate Games, which is why they might be waiting for the successor to be released.

Party Animals Reveals Contra Collab, Available In-Game Now

Recreate Games has been consistent with updating Party Animals since it was released on September 20, 2023, for Xbox and PC. It was recently announced the party game will be coming to PlayStation 5 this year. Today, the studio revealed the Party Animals and Contra crossover. The 1987 run-and-gun game is still relevant as it joins Party Animals. The collaboration has brought the Contra Bundle which features two costumes.  The Contra Bundle in Party Animals is 16,800 Cookies or you could get Bill Rizer and Lance Bean for 12,000 Cookies.  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Party Animals collaborate with other video games. When it was first released Ori and The Blind Forest was its first crossover. There are also other animals that are clearly inspired by other iconic characters.  Party Animals is now available to play on PlayStation 5 after it was console exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.