Dwarf Fortress is a storytelling engine as much as it is a game, spitting out associations and facts and details that you can shape into a coherent and specific narrative. This is also what we do to our own lives, personifying random events so that they feel significant rather than a matter of chance. Life isn’t usually a satisfying narrative. It isn’t so much that “Dwarf Fortress” is a perfect simulacrum of life, but that it shines a bright light on the human tendency to look for meaning in everything. I care about my dwarves because the stories I make up about their lives are also the ones I make up about my own.
A dedicated renewal for an already-legendary video game, the 2022 release of Dwarf Fortress brings it to a level where the casually interested can finally dive in and Strike the Earth!
First hours be like: what I'm even seeing on the screen? Is that enemy or environment? If this part is fun and you intrinsically want to play the game to get past that part to actually start playing the game (and, spoiler, end up modding the game yourself just for yourself), the said game is a blast.
Dwarf Fortress is a very difficult, edgy game, but it is also an essential experience, a true celebration of the hidden potential of the videogame medium, which you will not find in any other game.
Dwarf Fortress is, initially, a little daunting. Not because it’s inaccessible, but because you just know that it’s going to turn into a real time-sink. Is it the prettiest game around? No, but it’s wonderfully, ridiculously deep and a sheer joy to play. If you’re prepared to put the time in, Dwarf Fortress will drag you into its depths and you won’t regret it for one second.
The steam release may have a few rough edges that need work, but everything from the original has been drastically improved upon and is a joy to lose at.
There are games that are so groundbreaking that they define a new genre that other games emulate for years afterwards hoping to get a fraction of the magic that the original created. Dwarf fortress is one of those games that set the standard for a colony simulation genre that future games copy and rehash. It is a true labor of love and amazing concept that has evolved over time. You can sink 500+ hours and still not fully discover all the secrets the game has to offer. The best simulation game that currently exists and the family behind the development are so open to the game's struggles that you feel like part of the team over the years. It's been an amazing ride so far and I can't wait to see what the game looks like when it finally reaches completion. It will truly be a historic achievement.
This game should have a better introduction into the game and a longer tutorial, so you better understand, what to do and how to help yourself. I watched a guide on youtube, but this is not fun, to do the same, what someone did on a video. The wikipedia seems to be outdated. Anyway I missed a manual. And this game is only in english, I prefered to play it in german, but there is no translation
The graphic is clearly very bad.
The sound is good, I like some of the music.
I have only played the game that was recently released, I have not played the previous ascii version. Its a very impressive game considering how small the team is, but it simply is not for me. Its clear that it has been the backbone of other games I enjoy more in this genre (Rimworld for example), but the original is not for me. Its not too difficult, and in quite a few ways I find it easier than other city management games. My main issue is that with all its depth its rather clunky. Trying to optimize a sick base or build walls of the same material just takes too much time. While i see how much is in there, and there are plenty of game mechanics I have not explored, all I see so far is how mundane it is. I'll probably return to give it another shot in a couple months. Its definitely good, but the user experience needs to be improved by a lot. If I want to build 4 simple houses, it shouldn't take me minutes to drag and click on what I need, it should take seconds.
Summary The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created. The legendary Dwarf Fortress is now on Steam. Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world.