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0 Today we are checking out Patron which was released onto Steam on 10th August 2021. It has been developed and published by Overseer Games. Patron is a survival city builder with a unique social dynamics system. Gather and produce resources, build your fledgling village into a prosperous city
“Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.”
Can I survive the challenges Patron throws at me? Find out below. Check out my previous review here.
Gameplay
On first starting, you work your way through the menu screens. Picking your towns name which of course I called mine “ThumbsOfCulture”. Then you can pick your towns emblem from a pre-determined list of 12 different styles. Next up is map selection and this is where your main game selection takes place. Map selection covers 14 different maps which have 4 main intel areas. The difficulty covers from normal to difficult. Soil fertility will affect how well you can grow crops. Ore richness will impact your available land and efficiency for mining resources. Finally, we have weather which covers Tropical, Temperate, Dry and Cold that will affect your weather conditions.
After map selection, you load into your new home grounds. You have a small selection of resources to get you started, a few townspeople and a town hall. There are some tutorial pop-ups to help you get started which of course, help you learn the basics before being left to your own creation to build and manage your village.
The building aspects work well. Different tabs show different build categories from homes to resources. Mines can only work efficiently over ore-rich grounds. Fields can only be places over fertile soil. To determine these areas you can view different Map overlays. The various overlays show different colours to reflect which ground is best for different resources.
To unlock buildings and other perks you first need to research them. The research tree is very in-depth and is something to be constantly mindful of. To research, something usually takes a sum of your gold coins which are obtained from income/taxes on houses. Some will also require resources depending on what it is you are researching.
Most buildings have multiple upgrade paths that cost coins or resources but provide massive boosts. These can be either reducing running costs or increasing productivity. Some buildings can also house more workers as you upgrade them or increase other important stats.
You will often face numerous interruptions from external parties. Sometimes it’s the king sending a boat of convicts to live with you and other times it can be pirates who want to buy your goods. Take note. Each time one of these occurs, you will have a few options to pick from. These will usually be a combination of good and bad and you will have to pick which you believe is the best for your growing establishment. Choosing the right, your people will respect you and remain happy. Choose poorly and they will revolt! they will refuse to work and may even leave your town.
The weather cycles will change as the days pass by. In winter you will use more resources such as firewood. You will also gather food at a slower rate so make sure you are nice and stocked up as the months start to pass by. While time passes at its usual rate you do have the option to manipulate time. With options 1 – 4 you can speed up time by up to 10 times faster which is very useful.
Graphics and Audio
The game graphics are fantastic. Warm rich colours during the summer months and a thick blanket of white snow in the winter. The animations are on the basic side when zoomed-in however most gameplay is zoomed out looking at an open map where they look much smoother. Whether it’s a clear sunny day or the land is thick with fog the visuals are very enjoyable.
The audio is very enjoyable. Relaxing music plays in the background while you get lots of audio cues to any events taking place. From alarm bells ringing loudly if a fire breaks out to the striking of hammers as you build and upgrade your village.
Longevity
If you push yourself into Patron trying each of the 14 maps you will have hundreds of hours in-game. Completing the research tree, building your mines and farms, housing entire villages. There is so much to do and one wrong decision can send you back to the start. There are also 85 achievements to work towards. Test out your skills on the easier maps first and then build yourself up to the hardest maps in-game. There are plenty of things to be doing and trying out to check what works best.
Final Thoughts
I loved my time in Patron. Hours flew by as I tried to figure out the direction I wanted to push my establishment in. The research tree is vast and in-depth and will take numerous hours to try and work through.
The spontaneous events that occur keep you alert and the ever-growing demand from your villagers keep you busy checking your research tree and provide the amenities they demand. For these reasons. I, therefore, award Patron a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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