Everyone loves a last stand. From works like David Gemmell’s Legend and the battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers, to games like They Are Billions and Thronefall, there’s an enduring appeal to standing on the walls of a fortress, fighting for your life against an unending swarm. Diplomacy is not an Option is a game devoted to heroic last stands, and it’s now launching out of early access and into a full release.
For the last two years Diplomacy is not an Option has carved out a neat little niche for itself in the RTS game genre. It’s easy to see why it’s done so well, combining a city builder with strategic combat, all wrapped up in plenty of physics-based chaos. Build your base, recruit an army, and then try to survive for as long as you can against a tide of enemies that number too many to be counted. The end will most likely always be coming for you, but your skill and preparations will determine what shape that takes.
As in all the best last stand stories you’re forever outnumbered by the enemies trying to force their way in, but you have a few different weapons in your arsenal that should help you even the odds, at least for a while. You can blast enemies with huge spells, you have your own army that can shore up your walls and slay anything that gets through, and of course you have trebuchets. Lots of trebuchets.
Now the game is finally launching into its full 1.0 release, and there are a few additions that complete this already polished package. The main new feature is the game’s campaign, which promises a storyline that changes depending on player decisions, along with six different endings. There are three factions to choose from, an estimated hundred hours to play through over 25 different levels, and much more including an endless mode that will truly put your skills to the test.
Diplomacy is not an Option leaves early access today, Friday October 4. If you’d like to check out the teeming hordes for yourself, you can head over to Steam to learn more and see why over 5,000 players have given the game a ‘very positive’ rating.
Should you need an alternative in your life, our guides to the best city building games and the best strategy games will make sure you find exactly what you’ve been searching for.
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