Cataclismo Steam Charts & Stats

It's basically all the fun horde/base defense levels of Warcraft or Starcraft but with A LOT more capabilities to modify your defenses however you want! The survival mode is sort of a 'rogue-like' base defense where after each wave you get to pick a new buff/added resources/etc. Overall, the game is really cool and more people need to try it.

Despite other reviewers calling this a Tower Defense game, its more like RTS art of defense formula known from [i]They Are Bilions[/i], [i]Age of Darkness[/i] or [i]Diplomacy Is Not An Option[/i]. You will be doing the same things like in those games (build base, expand to gain resources, clear some mobs during day and build walls to defend against waves at night). The twist to this formula, that Cataclismo offers, is terrain elevation and emphasis on wall construction. Terrain you build on is not a plain, but instead have many different heights and you need to build stairs for your people. Like a lot of stairs. Instead building simple wall like in other RTS's, you have bricks that you stack on each other (like LEGO) to make this wall. And then build a stairs (again) to get your archers on those walls. Its puzzle game mixed with RTS (art of defense style). The puzzle part is my main criticism. In first few hours you may be drawn to it because of novelty factor (it allows a lot of customization), but after that it becomes tedious and annoying. Even to build a simple wall, you have to jump between 3 different brick shapes and rotate them a lot. It takes a lot of time and the puzzle isn't satisfactory. In the end you learn, that shape doesn't matter, just how high the wall is. That's just walls. Other buildings also have some puzzle aspect to it - like one have to be build high, so you need to make high stairs to it (stairs, again). At some point, building every building in this game feels like chore. I felt like I was spending so much time on annoying work, just to get to small fun part, when I could see how my defensive construction works during the wave. Games should be fun at all parts. I hate to give this game negative review because it looks like it is made with love, but the fun just isn't there for me, despite being the fan of the genre.

my GOTY 2025 This is the passion-filled logical conclusion to the They Are Billions genre of tower defense rts base survival, with entertainingly complicated structure defense mechanics and an awesome theme on top that's executed perfectly.

Would prefer that for campaign missions, after the 4th Night, give an option to continue playing it as Endless.

My Rating: 7.8 out of 10 Fantastic strategy game that kept enthralled with its world and easy to pick up building mechanics that have keep me a long way from mastering during my first playthroughs. I want to come back to this game and master everything it has for me and learn about its dark fantasy world. This game is in early access but feels more than complete in its initial experience to be satisfied. I look forward to the full release of this amazing tile and have found myself inspired as a game designer through what it has achieved. Building mechanics are very easy and intuitive with an easy to understand UI. The tutorial is very well put together and turns this intense tower defense game into a wonder strategy sandbox.

I got this game on the first day of early access and got it refunded due to the poor game play and lack of any real game for the price. However after seeing the updates and how much they've expanded I bought it again and really enjoying it. I'd say get it in a sale atm but I can see that in a few months time that it will be a game worth the price tag.

What an engaging and fun game. It's an initially strange but ultimately satisfying blend of Age of Empires settlement management, Frostpunk presentation and a unique Tower Defense approach where you build your defenses by the tile. I love the style of the game as well. It ticks a lot of things right and takes the best of what it blends to craft something truly unique and fun to experience. Highly recommend!

Not a bad game, but nowhere near worth $30. I'd pay $10 at most. It seems like a really cool RTS/Tower Defense game, but there is ZERO depth. The progression is incredibly linear and there is no real strategy to utilize here. Each time you play it's just "build tall base and stick archers on top then wait". There is the occasional upgrade to use but they are very few and pretty linear.

Played over 100 hours - absolutely loving the game. It's a great time-passer and the graphics are very fulfilling. I am inlove with the building mechanics, it's so easy and no tutorial needed. I don't play the campaign so I can't judge - but the endless waves in skirmish is my cup of tea. Very challenging and happy they are still updating the game. Can't wait to see the potential fulfilled in this game. It's a fantastic foundation, hopefully they can improve and make it multiplayer somehow. 100% recommended.

TLDR: I like Cataclismo. It is an ultimate expression of creativity, when it comes to castle building. By combining several elements of, "They are Billions", "Age of Darkness", "Diplomacy is not an Option", and similar games like those, it presents an interesting format with which you can cultivate your own outpost. It is not overly complex and allows you to enjoy the game at your own pace, without having to count every second. (Either thanks to the lower difficulty or pause button.) But it does not shy away from a punishing difficulty either, for those who enjoy a good challenge. It would be unfair to say that it has no issues. It certainly does, but not enough to be given a negative review for an early access game that has strong bones/foundation. The Positives: Units: A decent roster of units, combined with a tech tree and in-mission upgrades, makes for an interesting dynamic. Especially if you like one particular unit. Of course, certain missions will require more than one type to succeed, but at large, you are not punished for playing the way you want to, in regards to said units. IMPORTANT: There are no melee units. Only ranged. You will not be able to play out a heroic melee last stand, like in "Diplomacy is not an Option" or "Age of Darkness: Final Stand". The economy: It is simple and straightforward. Find a resource node, build a mine/logging/air collector camp and passively collect the resources you need. You can however improve these buildings, by either upgrading them directly, or building separate addons that increase their efficiency. It does not bog you down with unnecessary complexity. Defenses: This is where the game shines the most. Unlike other strategy survival games, this one requires you to invest time and creative thinking into building your defensive walls or castles/towers. Stone-by-stone. One could say that this is where the complexity of the game shows itself. Specifically, the symbiotic relationship between the wall and the units. Each unit has an optimum height and tile count for maximum efficiency. (Like an archer that should be placed on a tall tower, while mortar and globadier, on the average height wall). Some units however, require more than 1 tile to be placed upon a wall. And all of them can be improved with additional defensive options, like fire arrows, palisades, roof overhead(to protect from rain debuff.) and so on. Every stone piece, contributes to the entire height of the wall. With a very clear transformation that shows you how good of a wall you have. (If you want strong walls, you must build high!) Additionally, you can place spike traps and explosives to either slow or wither down the monster wave. Structures: This one is my personal favorite. Being the casual gamer that I am, I often built houses(for additional population), in a straight line, or perhaps around the capital building, to make it look pretty. Like in most strategy games. In this one, you're allowed to build vertically. You can connect walls to your buildings and place units on top of them. You can stack several houses or workshops together, or on top of each other. Further enhancing your creative/immersive experience. Blueprints: The game is fairly slow, when it comes to building up your defenses. You spend a lot of your time in 'Pause', just so you could build a semi-decent wall. Luckily enough, you can save all of your creations. And even with a new and unusual terrain, it doesn't take much for you to adjust it with additional bricks, before planting your favorite tower/home on top of it. Performance: So far? I haven't had a single hiccup or a crash. The game runs flawlessly and doesn't seem to be slowing down from the overall amount of enemies. (But of course, that is my personal experience. Take it with a grain of salt.) Stable and above 60fps. The Neutral: Tech tree: This one might be a hit or miss for some players. The supposed tech tree is only available in the campaign mode and not in the sandbox. Because in the sandbox or endless survival, you already have everything you need. (thus removing the aspect of choice.) You can only further improve your structures or units within the in-game session. Units: As mentioned before, there are no melee units. I understand the concept here, and it is a personal gripe of mine, but it would be entertaining to see highly stylized melee infantry, same as all other ranged units. Solo missions: I personally don't mind them, and there are not many of those, but I know that some players do not like individual missions, where you operate as a campaign's hero. Trudging along the map, in search of some clue or units or messages. But at least it still offers you interesting ways of going through those. By collective scattered supplies and building makeshift bridges over obstacles. Sometimes even smaller outposts. Voice acting: The voice acting is clearly designed with a heavy accent in mind. In some cases, actors under deliver on the urgency of the situation(sounding too relaxed or passive, when there's a new horror in sight), while in others they sound interesting and clearly alien to our world. The Negatives: The lack of opposition: Outside of your castle/outpost, you will rarely find a monster spawn camp, besides a small log that is easy to take out. Perhaps it's a hiccup of an Early Access release, but so far, there's not much you can do, besides roaming, killing a few stragglers and building isolated mining camps. I recommend adding more open spaces where you can encounter previous expeditions or perhaps remnants of other cities, that -you- have to besiege, in order to get through. (maybe even allow building upon the destroyed bases of your enemies! Since this game is all about building, and being creative, let us be creative with our enemies and their buildings too.) (You can also give enemies, ranged units too. Corrupted expedition members or some such). And my personal favorite idea that they could implement: Add surviving expedition camps, that you can liberate and fortify. Lack of oompf: Right now, the story is moving steadily forward, where you try to uncover the secrets of [insert in-game lore stuff here], and build outposts along the map, with occasional challenges here and there. The boss unit that is featured in the trailers is certainly interesting-looking, but not much beyond that. I would recommend something more mobile than that boss-mob. Something that doesn't just spawn additional monsters, but also creates conditions that the player needs to deal with. (like casting fog of war, causing all these ranged units to miss their shots.) Maybe spreading corruption on walls, that allows these creeps to climb over(thus we could have a reason for melee units), or creating some sort of a spitting tower, that damages your walls from afar). I'm sure there will be more to experience and explore in the full release. But for now, it's lacking.