Silica Review Summary

Impressive Visuals and Design: The game features stunning visuals, beautiful graphics, and a unique art style that create an immersive atmosphere. The attention to detail in the design of units, environments, and effects enhances the overall gaming experience.

Fun and Enjoyable Experience: Players find the game to be fun and enjoyable, with a variety of gameplay modes and activities that cater to different preferences. The game's unique concept and execution make it a memorable and entertaining experience.

Hybrid RTS/FPS Gameplay: The game uniquely blends real-time strategy (RTS) and first-person shooter (FPS) elements, offering players the ability to switch between commanding armies and direct combat. This hybrid approach provides a fresh and engaging experience, reminiscent of classic games like Dune and Command & Conquer.

Developer Responsiveness and Updates: The developers are actively involved in improving the game, listening to community feedback, and regularly releasing updates. This commitment to ongoing development ensures that the game continues to evolve and improve over time.

Variety of Units and Factions: The game offers a diverse range of units, vehicles, and factions, each with unique abilities and roles. This variety encourages different playstyles and strategies, adding depth and replayability to the game.

AI and pathfinding issues: The AI in the game is widely criticized for being unintelligent and having poor pathfinding. Units often get stuck, do not follow commands, and exhibit erratic behavior, making gameplay frustrating.

Game is unoptimized and buggy: The game suffers from significant performance issues, including low FPS, poor optimization, and various bugs. Players report that the game runs poorly even on high-end PCs, with performance degrading further during gameplay.

Lack of content and features: The game is seen as lacking in content and essential features. Players note the absence of tutorials, quality-of-life features, and basic RTS controls, making the game feel incomplete and unpolished.

Low player base and server issues: The game has a low player base, making it difficult to find matches and enjoy the multiplayer experience. Servers are often empty or populated by experienced players, making it hard for new players to get into the game.

Lack of tutorials and guidance: The game lacks proper tutorials and guidance, making it difficult for new players to learn the mechanics and controls. This absence of tutorials and in-game information hinders the overall experience.

Faction diversity and asymmetry: The game features multiple factions with distinct units, abilities, and mechanics, providing varied gameplay experiences. However, some factions may lack unique content or have balance issues.

Multiplayer and co-op focus: The game emphasizes multiplayer cooperation and team-based gameplay, with various roles such as commander, foot soldiers, and vehicle operators. Players can engage in large-scale battles and strategic planning together.

Commander role and mechanics: The commander role oversees base construction, resource management, and unit production, providing a strategic layer to the gameplay. However, some players may find the commander mechanics lacking or underdeveloped.

Base building and resource management: Players can construct and expand bases, manage resources, and research new technologies to unlock buildings and units. This aspect of the game adds depth to the strategic gameplay.

Vehicle and unit mechanics: The game features various vehicles and units with unique abilities and controls. Players can engage in combat using these units, but some may find the vehicle mechanics slow or problematic.

Severe performance issues: Many players report severe performance issues, including low FPS, lag, and poor optimization across various hardware configurations, from high-end to low-mid tier computers. These issues persist regardless of graphics settings and significantly impact gameplay.

General optimization needed: There is a consensus among players that the game needs better optimization. This includes improving performance, reducing lag, and ensuring the game runs smoothly on various hardware configurations.

Crashing and stability problems: The game experiences frequent crashes and stability issues, including crashes during gameplay, Steam crashes when quitting the game, and the need to reboot the PC. These problems are widespread and affect the overall gaming experience.

Graphics and visibility issues: Players encounter various graphics-related problems, such as distance rendering issues, lighting problems affecting visibility, and a constant shimmer effect. These issues make it difficult to see and navigate the game world effectively.

Multiplayer and server issues: Multiplayer mode suffers from various problems, including server lag, loading screen issues, and random disconnections from lobbies. These issues disrupt the multiplayer experience and need to be addressed.

Mixed recommendations due to performance issues: Players have mixed feelings about the game, with many recommending it for its unique blend of RTS and FPS gameplay but also cautioning about performance issues and the need for significant improvements. Some suggest waiting for major updates or full release before purchasing.

Recommended for RTS and FPS fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of RTS and FPS genres, as well as those who enjoy hybrid gameplay. Players appreciate the innovative concept and find it enjoyable despite some issues.

Suggestions for game improvements: Players have various suggestions for improving the game, including adding landscape details, reducing map sizes, improving performance, and adding a map editor. These suggestions aim to enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Better with friends and potential: The game is considered more enjoyable when played with friends and has potential for future improvements. Players look forward to updates and believe the game is worth giving a chance.

Avoid or save your money: A segment of players advise avoiding the game or saving your money due to its current state. They feel that the game is not worth the investment until significant improvements are made.

Game in Early Access: The game is currently in early access, which means it is still a work in progress. Developed primarily by a single developer named Martin, progress might be slow but more features are being added with updates.

Developer needs support: The developer, who is part of Bohemia Interactive's Incubator Program, needs more support to continue improving and adding features to the game.

Color blind features needed: The game lacks features that cater to color-blind players, which is an important accessibility consideration.

HUD transparency issues: There are issues with the transparency of the Heads-Up Display (HUD), which can affect the visibility and overall gaming experience.

Bugs are getting patched: The development team is actively working on patching bugs, indicating ongoing improvements and updates to the game.