The Scouring
Last updated: 2025-08-13
- Engaging core gameplay, fun RTS experience
- Excellent modding and workshop support
- Pleasing and clean visuals
- Insufficient game content
- AI behavior issues
- Building size and placement issues
Emotions
Players felt satisfied due to the game's solid foundation, well-executed gameplay mechanics, and thoughtful details, including responsive controls, good graphics, and engaging modes. The game's overall quality, value, and adherence to expectations, particularly its tribute to classic RTS games like Warcraft, contributed significantly to this positive emotion. Mod support, replayability, and an active developer also enhanced the experience.
Hope stemmed from the game's perceived potential and promising future, with players looking forward to future content, updates, and improvements. The existence of a good foundation and a promising roadmap, along with the developers' commitment, fueled optimism for the game's continued development and the addition of missing features or factions.
Disappointment was primarily caused by a perceived lack of content, including missing game modes, campaigns, and unit variety, leading to the game feeling bare bones or generic. Players also expressed dissatisfaction with the game's price relative to the amount of content offered, and issues such as unengaging hero/MOBA modes and AI problems contributed to this negative sentiment.
Excitement was generated by the game's existence as a new RTS title, its overall quality, and its potential for future growth and moddability. Players, especially Warcraft fans, were thrilled by its captivating nature, vivid emotions, and its promise as a spiritual successor, particularly noting its strong launch compared to other games.
Frustration arose from issues such as a lack of strategic depth, unit balance problems, and technical issues like server problems, bugs, and AI pathfinding. Players also felt frustrated by the game's price being too high for the content provided, repetitive gameplay, and limitations in certain game modes.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 79% · Negative 21%. Score: 21 / 100
Positives:
- Players overwhelmingly praise the game's core gameplay, finding it fun, engaging, and well-designed. Many highlight its strong resemblance to classic RTS titles like Warcraft, offering a nostalgic yet fresh experience.
- The game's robust modding and Steam Workshop support from launch is highly appreciated. This feature is seen as a significant value-add, promising longevity and community-driven content.
- The game's visual style, described as simple, clean, and cartoonish, is well-received. Players find the graphics pleasant and attractive, contributing positively to the overall experience.
- The 'Heroic Mode' and AI assist features are noted as innovative and enjoyable. These options provide new ways to play, catering to different player preferences and skill levels.
- The game's impressive development by a small team, often a single developer, is frequently mentioned. Players also appreciate the active developer communication and the strong foundation laid for future updates.
Negatives:
- Players consistently report a severe lack of content across various aspects of the game, including units, factions, game modes, and progression systems. This limited content leads to quick boredom and makes the current price feel unjustified, with many comparing it to an unfinished demo or early access title.
- Multiple players noted issues with AI behavior, including pathfinding problems, strange army movements, resource waste, and inconsistent difficulty. The AI assistant was also reported as frustrating to use.
- Players found that building sizes are often too large, which complicates tactical placement on maps and makes the overall building system feel less intuitive or deep.
- The user interface and overall visual presentation need refinement. Specific issues include a rough menu, lack of graphic options, poor widescreen optimization, and visual effects hindering readability.
- The game's audio elements, including sound effects, music, and unit responses, are frequently described as placeholders or in need of significant improvement for better immersion and feedback.
Gameplay:
- The game is a real-time strategy (RTS) title with a strong resemblance to classic Warcraft games, particularly Warcraft 2 and 3. It offers a variety of modes, including traditional RTS PvP, single-player campaigns, and unique 'Hero' and 'Scenario' modes that add RPG and MOBA-like elements.
- A key gameplay mechanic involves units interacting with buildings in specific ways. Melee infantry can capture or storm buildings, while ranged units can occupy and fire from them. Certain powerful units like knights and ogres can directly demolish structures.
- The game features a dynamic day-night cycle where the primary objective of capturing territory and destroying enemies occurs during the day. At night, players face attacks from undead hordes and other neutral monsters, which can also serve as a source of gold.
- Resource management is central to the game, with gold, wood, and food being the primary resources. Gold and wood are finite, emphasizing the importance of capturing and controlling gold veins, while food is produced infinitely from farms.
- The game currently features two playable races, Humans and Orcs, with mirrored unit compositions including infantry, archers, cavalry, and cannons. Each race also has unique powerful units like Orcish Ogres and Human Knights.
Performance:
- The game reportedly runs smoothly on Linux systems, specifically tested with an AMD RX7600 graphics card. This indicates good compatibility and performance for a segment of the player base.
Recommendations:
- There's mixed sentiment regarding the game's current price point relative to its content. Some feel it's not worth the current price and advise waiting for more content or a sale, while others believe it's a fair price or worth it to support the developers.
- The game is highly recommended, especially for fans of classic RTS games and those who enjoyed Warcraft. Players appreciate the nostalgic atmosphere and strategic elements, suggesting it fills a niche for this audience.
- Many players are willing to purchase the game primarily to support the small indie development team. They see potential in the game and want to contribute to its future growth and success.
- Some players recommend trying the demo or adding the game to a wishlist, indicating that while they might not fully endorse an immediate purchase, they see enough potential to suggest further investigation.
- Players are looking forward to improvements in AI diversity and unique AI behaviors from the official development team. This suggests a desire for more challenging and varied opponent experiences.
Miscellaneous:
- Players are highly enthusiastic about the game, viewing it as a spiritual successor to Warcraft II and a much-needed return to classic RTS gameplay. Many purchased it to support the genre and the developers.
- Players are eager for more content, particularly additional factions (like Dwarves, Elves, Undead) and new units. The current lack of diverse factions is a common point of feedback.
- The absence of a story campaign is noted, but players are actively looking forward to its promised release in future updates. This is a highly anticipated feature.
- The game is well-received for an Early Access title, with players acknowledging its current state and expressing excitement for its future development, including planned features like naval and air units.
- These clusters contain general observations or minor points, such as the game's development history, art style, difficulty, and well wishes for the developers. While positive, they offer less specific actionable feedback.
