Xbox Series X Beta Version

Overthrown is a city-building survival game currently in beta, with about 40-50% of its content available to players. You take on the role of a queen tasked with building a city while defending it from waves of bandits who are determined to overthrow you. While the game lacks a storyline or structured missions, its open-world mechanics and creative freedom offer an enjoyable sandbox experience for players who love experimenting with landscapes and structures.

Gameplay: The gameplay in "Overthrown" is simple and easy to grasp, making it approachable for players of all skill levels. The main objective is to build and defend your city while ensuring your crown stays out of the bandits' hands.

1. Building and Customization: I loved the freedom the game provides when it comes to designing your city. The 3D world lets you move freely and even reshape the landscape to create structures in unique ways. For example, I completely reworked the landscape to build my city on a self-made mountain, making it nearly impossible for bandits to reach me. This creative aspect was one of my favorite parts of the game.
2. Combat and Bandits: Bandits periodically attack your town, but even if they steal your crown, you can simply take it back. While this keeps the gameplay from becoming frustrating, it also removes any real sense of urgency or challenge after a certain point.
3. Co-op Mode: There’s a co-op mode that lets you play with friends, but it didn’t feel like it fundamentally changed the gameplay experience. It’s fun to share the world with others, but it lacks depth or meaningful multiplayer interactions to make it feel essential.

Mechanics: While the mechanics are fun and easy to pick up, the lack of overarching goals or missions left me feeling like I had done everything after about 40 hours of play. Once my city was secure and thriving, there wasn’t much left to do.

Graphics and World Design: The world of "Overthrown" is vibrant and colorful, with a charming art style that adds to the enjoyment of exploring and building. One feature I particularly appreciated was the season changes, which added a dynamic and immersive touch to the environment. Watching the world shift from summer to winter while managing my city felt refreshing.

Character Customization: You play as the queen, but I didn’t notice much in terms of character customization. If there was an option, I must have missed it, but having more ways to personalize the player character would definitely enhance the overall experience.

Replayability and Longevity: As the game stands now, I don’t see much replay value once you’ve fully built and secured your city. While the beta offers a solid sandbox experience, the lack of objectives, storylines, or additional challenges limits its longevity. However, I can see the potential for the developers to expand on this foundation based on player feedback.

Suggestions for Improvement: One thing I’d love to see is an expanded world where other players or AI-controlled "kingdoms" are also building their own cities. This could open up options for trade, alliances, or even competitive gameplay. Perhaps registered servers or persistent multiplayer worlds could be introduced to make the game more dynamic and engaging.

In Conclusion, I enjoyed my time with "Overthrown", and the 40 hours I spent building my city and defending it was a lot of fun. That said, the game still feels very much like a beta, with plenty of room for improvement. The lack of a storyline or meaningful objectives makes it a game you’ll likely play once, enjoy, and move on from. However, the vibrant world, creative building mechanics, and potential for future updates make it a title worth keeping an eye on.

Dev Recommendation: If you enjoy city-building games or sandbox experiences, I’d recommend giving "Overthrown" a try, especially if you’re interested in shaping the game’s direction through feedback during its beta phase. It’s a fun experience for what it is, but I’m hopeful the developers will expand on its potential and add features that provide more depth and replayability.