GamesReal Time StrategyI’ve found my strategy soulmate in Cataclismo, the new Starcraft-Lego mashup that proves defending is way more fun than attackingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesReal Time StrategyI’ve found my strategy soulmate in Cataclismo, the new Starcraft-Lego mashup that proves defending is way more fun than attackingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)
“It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun” is a phrase usually reserved for consoling children who lose every game at their school’s Sports Day. But it’s also painfully apt when it comes to turtling, a term which refers to building impenetrable defenses in real-time strategy games. It’s my favorite tactic, but it’s not the most effective – I could watch waves of attackers crash against walls forever, but actually beating your opponent requires leaving home comforts behind to go on the offensive.
But Cataclismo, the latest title to launch under strategy publisher Hooded Horse’s watchful eye, puts an end to that nonsense. An RTS game that feels equal parts Starcraft, Lego, and tower defense, Cataclismo hasn’t just stolen my heart – it’s built a 50-foot wall around it and dared me to take it back.
Castles under the hammer
(Image credit: Digital Sun)
When the sun goes down, Cataclismo shifts gears and becomes a full-on RTS tower defense. You’re told exactly where Horrors will attack from, but they’ll usually pour in from several points at once, and actually stopping them is easier said than done.
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On guard
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)
I’ve always found playing defensively to be far more fun than attacking. In my first foray into strategy, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth 2, I’d spend hours in custom matches with AI, holding the walls of Minas Tirith from waves of orcs and goblins. Some of my fondest memories in the Total War series are winning impossible siege battles – from a few veteran praetorians holding the gates of Rome in the historical side, or rows of Dwarf Thunderers shooting down thousands of zombies in Warhammer’s, er, not-so-historical entries.
Elsewhere, my favorite missions in turn-based games are the ones that give you an objective to defend against overwhelming odds – like that stupidly fun Avenger Defense mission inXCOM 2, or fighting a hopeless battle to hold Garreg Mach monastery inFire Emblem: Three Houses.
Perhaps it’s none of these reasons that make me a sucker for security. In another life I may have been a 10th century mason, spending my days stacking bricks and gleefully building the perfect balistraria before dying of plague at the ripe old age of 23. But as even thebest strategy gameshave broadly shifted from tightly-crafted single-player missions to open-ended sandbox campaigns, and nearly every multiplayer mode revolves around smashing your opponent to bits as quickly as possible, I find myself scratching that defensive itch less often.
It’s a relief, then, but Cataclismo has entered my life to tell me that it’srightandgoodto stay in my base forever, to shirk 90% of the map in favor of home comforts. It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun? That still holds true, sure – but Cataclismo lets me have my base and keep it too.
Check out ourCataclismo reviewto see what we think of the Early Access game
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