Against the Storm

A settlement in Against the Storm gives you plenty to think about while your legs keep moving, but I’d save it for an easy pace where you can glance down and make a decision without trying to set a personal record. You’re rebuilding in a wilderness that keeps throwing apocalyptic rain at you, so this is less “play with your eyes closed” and more “take the jog down a notch.”

Gameplay

I think this is a very good city builder, partly because a settlement has a clear job to do and you’re not just placing houses until the screen looks nice. You’re gathering supplies, keeping different species reasonably content, and trying to get enough done before the Queen loses patience. That pressure gives each settlement a shape, even when the plan you started with gets interrupted by the forest.

The mix of humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies is fun because their needs don’t line up neatly. You might have the ingredients to make one group happy and still be short on what another group wants, which makes every new building feel like a small negotiation. I like that the game makes you work with the people and resources you’re given instead of letting you build the same perfect town every time.

There are stretches where I’d be staring at a few options and trying to work out which problem to solve first, and those are the parts that make this less of a jogging autopilot game. Orders point you toward goals, but I don’t think they remove the need to check whether your settlement can actually afford to chase them. Sometimes your big strategic plan is basically “we need more wood, and we need it before everything else gets worse.” Fair enough.

Opening up the forest is where the game can turn a calm little settlement into a series of decisions. New glades can bring useful resources, but events there can ask for things you may not have ready, and I’d be tempted to stop and think rather than click through while bouncing along. I don’t know that every run will feel equally exciting, but the changing needs and pressure from the Queen give the slow planning bits a reason to be there.

The rain is a clever fit for the setting, and it helps make the wilderness feel like more than empty space around your buildings. I wouldn’t call this constant action, because a lot of the fun is working out what to do next, but I also don’t think you’re sitting around waiting for a story scene to finish. You’re generally making a choice.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

I’d play this with a controller and keep the pace conversational, because you can pause while you plan and the game isn’t asking you to aim at something moving across the screen. That makes it much more manageable than a city builder where every second keeps ticking by while you’re trying to figure out why your supply chain has fallen apart.

There are console versions, so controller play is supported, though I’d still expect the menus and building choices to take more attention than they would with a mouse. You’re picking buildings, checking what your settlement needs, and deciding what to do with the next patch of forest. I’d rather slow down and make those choices carefully than fumble through them while my hands are doing a little extra exercise of their own.

A stationary bike seems especially comfortable for this, since your hands can stay settled while you look over the settlement. On a treadmill, I’d keep the speed easy and pause before making a decision that needs a lot of reading or comparing. I don’t know if I’d want to manage a difficult glade event during a harder run, but that’s easy to avoid by taking the intensity down when the game gets involved.

You can still have a good workout with it. Just don’t expect it to pull your attention away from the planning for long stretches, because sometimes the planning is the game.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum graphics card is old enough that you probably don’t need a recent gaming computer just to get this running. I’d check that your machine meets the listed graphics requirement first, but this isn’t asking for a top end card.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Against the Storm is a smart choice for an easy treadmill session or a steady bike ride, especially if you enjoy strategy games where each settlement asks you to adapt. Skip it when you want a game that plays itself while you exercise, because you’ll want to look down and think pretty often.

Overall Score: 2.33 out of 3