Developer: Xigma Games
Publisher: Xigma Games
Platform: PC, Mac
Tested on: PC
The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores – Review
The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores is a follow-up to Xigma Games’ 2018 title The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands. Both are what we call colony simulators, combining resource management, city building, and the slaying of enemies into one big mess. And as the title of Uncharted Shores indicates, this time there is nothing stopping you from hopping on a boat and exploring the world at large in search of others to trade with or adventures to be had.
Story
A short cutscene at the start of the game sets up the pretty simple story. A group of brave explorers on their raft have set off for better tides, but instead, find themselves caught in a storm. They become stranded on a small island, where the group will have to start building anew, collecting resources from the land, creating their own little homes, and defending themselves from the monsters that roam these parts. As the town grows, so does your population and before long you will be trailblazing your own stories by expanding your operation and the places you can visit.
Graphics
The Bonfire 2 ditches the side-view approach of its predecessors and instead opts to use the more traditional top-down view we’re used to for city-building games. It’s definitely an upgrade, as it provides a great overview of your island that you can move around over and zoom in or out of freely. This makes planning the layout of your town easier as well. The graphics are very nice, with a minimalistic approach that keeps things looking clean. The UI itself is especially uncomplicated, keeping your screen from becoming cluttered as you gather up new materials and villagers. The game makes clever use of both its day and night cycle, as well as changing seasons to keep your environments looking interesting.
Sound
There is some surprisingly nice music in The Bonfire 2 that makes it really easy to get immersed in the setting. Plenty of alternating tracks with appropriately medieval-themed music keep the game fresh during the daytime, and when you’re beset on by wolves at night you can expect the soundtrack to gain a sudden urgency. Sound effects are present, and while there is no voice acting your villagers will voice their thoughts in the way of cute gibberish sentences that make them sound like Sims who had a bit too much to drink.
Gameplay
The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores is a colony simulator that challenges you to make your community thrive on an island with limited space. You begin the game with only four people and no buildings, meaning you really need to start from scratch here. The first order of business will be putting down buildings, for which your townies will automatically gather resources and commence with building it. Whenever you don’t assign a specific job to somebody, they will always default to being a builder.
As you increase the number of buildings you have, new jobs will unlock. This can mean sending people out to gather resources such as wood and metal that you can store for later, or maybe assigning people to hunt and fish to provide your town with food. At night you will need to have a guard to make sure your village doesn’t get surprised by any of the enemies lurking on the island, who would gladly make your townies their meal if they sleep outside. Eventually, you can start expanding even more, building bridges to unlock more land or even boats so you can send expeditions to other islands for trade or loot. A bigger village will also make new people come live with you, meaning more workers will be at your disposal.
And the villagers are really the beating heart of this game. All of them have their own unique stats, and you will need to keep track of their energy, hunger, and health to make sure they are all safe and sound. Jobs can be assigned and reassigned at will – something you will certainly do a lot as your town’s need for certain types of work can change overnight. But they also have their own stats and personality traits that make them better at certain tasks and which they can level up over time. Some thought into who does what will get you a long way. If there was any complaint about the gameplay, it’s that the pacing can be slow, especially in the beginning. You can pause the game and also speed it up slightly, but even with this option, sometimes you will just have to play the waiting game for the night to be over or a building to be completed.
Conclusion
Overall, The Bonfire 2 has a pretty simplistic approach. This isn’t surprising, since it’s a ported mobile game brought to PC. Regardless, as a colony sim, it works in its own right, where its straightforward setup can actually be a benefit. It’s easy to get the hang of, can be surprisingly addictive, and has a randomly generated world map that is truly fun to explore.
The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores - Review,
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