Banished Reviews
The outlook of the Shining Rock Software created game is too bleak and, while it might inspire some thinking about the future of mankind as resources dwindle, it's unlikely to keep gamers coming back to play.
Was worth the ~$10 I paid for it, but I'm a big resource management nerd. You have to like the genre, like challenge, and even then, you'll only get so many hours out of this thing.
A polished and enjoyable but somewhat aimless survival focused city-builder that slowly loses its appeal once you figure out how to survive the initial starting-up period.
If you put the lack of missions aside as a consequence of the budget price tag, Banished is still a flawed game. There's brilliant concepts and a core that shines, but a troublesome interface and a general lack of breadth of content is clearly an issue. With all that noted, there's still something strangely and subversively compelling about it in the end. Knowing and feeling all I do, I still want to go back and play some more - and that is likely telling.
Overall, the game will keep you captivated for hours with trying to figure out the proper way of approaching your town. The heavy involvement of the seasons and weather in the game in the initial part of the game was challenging and sometimes frustrating. Understanding the AI of your citizens was over complex and without out the help of the people in the Banished forums I would have not figured things out. The game is beautifully crafted, and the rewarding gameplay makes you know the citizens of your town without the need to micromanage them.
Banished is a game that you can pick up and play and then drop in a minute to go do real life tasks. You can largely play the game on your own terms and in your own style, which is wonderful. The goals in front of you are flexible enough to allow for creativity while concrete enough to give you a sense of accomplishment.
Life on the frontier wasn't pretty and neither is Banished, but it does provide an interesting city-building simulation with an excellently designed user interface.
A solid city builder that will appeal to most fans of the genre even if it's currently lacking in features and scope.
Aside from interface complaints, I would not really call Banished a bad game. I would also not call it a pleasant game.
Watching over your town in Banished can make you feel like a God, but you had better read the Wiki first.
Banished is not impressive solely because it was made by one man—it is impressive, period.
Banished is like the quiet kid in school: unassuming, down-to-earth but also filled with hidden depths. If you're looking for a no-nonsense city builder that demands you keep a handle on important things like food, warmth and how much beer your citizens have. Once you've figured out the basic mechanics, Banished's appeal can dip slightly but there remains something weirdly engrossing about watching the seasons pass.
Banished is a clever network of interlocking systems and mechanics that accomplish a lot with very little.
Banished is a deep, difficult exercise in survival
If you're into city building games, this is one to check out.
I liked playing Banished. It was complex, but never fiddly, difficult, but rarely cruel, though it would benefit from a little more transparency. But as soon as I had a handle on it, as soon as I'd started to see through some of the fog of its complexity, I wanted to grasp for something bigger, something greater. Banished is satisfying, but never spectacular. That's not quite enough for me.
New city-builder Banished is the most fun you'll have simulating famine all year.
A nice change of pace for city-builders, but it loses momentum once the immediate urgency of survival goes away.