At the Gates Reviews

At the Gates is ranked in the 30th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
57 / 100
Jan 23, 2019

Passive AI and a flawed economy ruin what could have been a refreshing 4X experiment.

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No Recommendation / Blank
Jan 25, 2019

The former Civ 5 director's long-running passion project is filled with nice ideas, but they never threaten to pull together.

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T.J. Hafer
Top Critic
4.8 / 10.0
Feb 13, 2019

At the Gates tries some ambitious new ideas that, in time, may leave a mark on the 4X genre. But today, it's far too broken to recommend.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2019

At The Gates' opening hours are vicious, but those who stick with it are rewarded with a satisfying blend of strategy and rogue-like gameplay

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7 / 10
Feb 4, 2019

At The Gates is a fresh, invigorating, more personal take on the grand strategy game, but a lacking late-game holds it back from greatness.

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Unscored
Jan 25, 2019

At the Gates is badly flawed, and strangely compelling

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9 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2019

At the Gates has a ton going for it, and this is easily the most addicted I've gotten to a game that I am reviewing. Although the replay value might not be as vast as some of the bigger 4X games on the market, it has enough of a unique and condensed feel that by the time you're getting ready to make moves to win, it hasn't overstayed its welcome by 20 hours.

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Unscored
Jan 23, 2019

At The Gates has an impressively complicated set of interlocking systems, but the amount of time and patience it takes to actually get anywhere is ridiculous.

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Jan 24, 2019

In spite of having unique mechanics and a fresh take on the 4X and roguelike genres, Jon Shafer's At The Gates falls woefully short of delivering on both counts with frustrating RNG, mechanics, unintuitive design, and bugs.

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6.5 / 10.0
Feb 6, 2019

Should Jon Shafer's At the Gates be judged for what it is now, or what it has the potential to become? The experience is hamstrung by glitches, oversights, and unfinished systems, but playing a 4X game from the perspective of the barbarians remains a fantastic concept and some of that Civilization “one more turn” allure is still intact. Forgiving types may want to give At the Gates a try now, but most others should probably leave the game out in the cold until a few updates are released.

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60 / 100
Jan 31, 2019

Even with my frustrations with the interface, the game itself made me want to keep going.

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3.5 / 5.0
Jan 24, 2019

At The Gates is a brutally hardcore strategy game that will keep fans engaged for dozens, if not hundreds of hours. The amount of time it takes to learn even the basics, coupled with its simplistic art style and obtuse menu-based UI, will scare off newcomers.

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Jan 23, 2019

Jon Shafer's At The Gates delivers great twists to a proven strategy formula, making it a roguelike worth checking out for strategy game fans.

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6 / 10.0
Jan 31, 2019

Jon Shafer's At the Gates is a unique 4X, with tons of fresh ideas, but many of them remain incomplete,

Review in Italian | Read full review

6 / 10.0
Jan 24, 2019

Decent strategy game with Civilization roots, but only one town and strong character management.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

Feb 12, 2019

For those who do understand their 4X genre, however, At The Gates will come across as a breath of fresh air. It's a ground-up rethink on how the genre can work, and what the 4X might look like as applied to the many cultures and civilizations out there that didn't have the imperialist intent that most 4X titles assume. For that, it's one of the most interesting strategy games I've played in years.

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Cultured Vultures
W.B. Mason
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2019

A different take on the genre makes Jon Shafer's At The Gates well worth checking out. This game is a labour of love for Jon Shafer, and it really shows.

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4.5 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2019
Jon Shafer's At the Gates (ACTUAL Game Review) [PC] video thumbnail
OnlySP
Tayla Moulton
Jan 24, 2019

Jon Shafer’s attempt at slow-burn strategy has been mixed with rogue-like elements to give the game an original feel, and, overall, it works. At the Gates’s randomly generated land, clans, and enemies allow for hours of replayability The clans and personality features give the game an edge against its competitors and forces the player to strategically look at every move they make. At the Gates is a game that strategy lovers will enjoy and holds just enough depth and content to keep players entertained, but it can also be difficult to players new to the genre.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 26, 2019

Jon Shafer’s At the Gates is a great 4X game that is promising and will keep you coming back for more. It’s beautiful, it has deep engaging systems and it’s flexible enough for players to experiment and optimize their playstyle and builds. Hopefully, At the Gates minor flaws can be worked out with post-launch support or by the time the next installment comes along.

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