At the Gates Reviews
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.
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.
Bursting with ideas on how to revolutionize the 4X Genre, At The Gates demise lies in its poor execution, lackluster AI and what it seems to be an endless list of bugs.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Jon Shafer’s At the Gates has some pretty amazing ideas, but the problem is that those ideas will not reach their true potential. Injecting different features and elements into the game has made the gameplay complicated and the slow process of gameplay makes the game frustrating.
Review in Persian | Read full review
At the Gates could have an extremely good 4X but as things stand there’s just way too many fundamental oversights to ever recommend it.
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.
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.
Even with my frustrations with the interface, the game itself made me want to keep going.
So my final verdict on At The Gates is that it’s a 4X brimming with potential, but in its current state is certainly not a game I can recommend to everyone. The story of the development and of Jon Shafer himself is a hell of a tale, and I always hate sounding negative about projects like this but ultimately there some pretty big flaws holding the gates closed. Unless you’re a die-hard 4X consider waiting a while for this one.
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
At the Gates is a good and acceptable independent experience (with leniency) that can be enjoyable and satisfying for players who don't have very high expectations from it. Because it's created by lead designer of Civilization V you can expect to see lots similarities with that game, and this might be a great thing for players who are struggling to cope with Civilization VI.
Review in Persian | Read full review
At the Gates is a definite core 4X experience that any fan of the genre should, at the very least, take a look at, if not play through with at least one tribe.
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.
At the Gates is badly flawed, and strangely compelling
The former Civ 5 director's long-running passion project is filled with nice ideas, but they never threaten to pull together.
Decent strategy game with Civilization roots, but only one town and strong character management.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
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.
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.
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.
It's take on managing clans, professions, and resources very clearly distinguish it from similar titles such Civilization. It has a couple of weak points I'd like to see improved, the AI in particular. But If you like titles that make you think and plan. You will probably enjoy At The Gates.