Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a real-time strategy (RTS) game with survival elements developed by PlaySide Studios.
With the concept of surviving waves of thousands of enemies, this game offers a thrilling experience for strategy enthusiasts seeking a true challenge.
So, is this game worth playing? Here’s a review of Age of Darkness:
Age of Darkness Review
In this article, the author will review the game Age of Darkness in terms of minimum device specifications, first impressions, gameplay, game characters, and strategies for playing.
Happy reading and pay close attention!
Specifications – Can It Run on a Low-End PC?
Technically, Age of Darkness: Final Stand has quite friendly specifications. However, to enjoy large-scale battles with maximum visuals, you will still need a high-spec PC.
Here are the specifications required to play this game:
Minimum Specifications:
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel i5-10600 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: GTX 770 4GB / AMD R9 390 4GB
- Storage: 10 GB
Recommended Specifications:
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel i5-12600k / AMD Ryzen 5 7600
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: GTX 1070 8GB / AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB
- Storage: 10 GB SSD
While it doesn’t require high specs to be played, performance can feel heavy during massive enemy encounters if your PC isn’t strong enough.
Therefore, this game requires a large amount of RAM for smooth performance.
First Impressions of Age of Darkness
As a fan of Tower Defense and PvE games, I was immediately drawn to the preview of Age of Darkness, a Steam game that really caught my attention. Without much thought, I decided to try out Age of Darkness.
Upon first entering the game, Age of Darkness gives the impression of a dark fantasy game that exudes a dark aura!
Game Modes
Age of Darkness has 3 play modes: Survival, Campaign, and Multiplayer. In Survival mode, you play by enduring until reaching the highest level or the longest day.
In Campaign mode, you play by completing given missions and surviving until the end. Multiplayer mode allows you to play with other players or friends, where you can cooperate to survive challenging nights.
Difficulty Levels
Each mode has difficulty levels ranging from Easy, Normal, Veteran, Horrific, to Nightmare. Each level has varying difficulty, with Easy being the easiest and Nightmare being the hardest.
Players can also customize the difficulty level as desired. Additionally, players can save their game progress to continue playing at any time without losing progress.
Age of Darkness Characters
You can also choose characters to be your main character or Hero. There are 3 main characters: THE ORDER (defense type), THE REBELLION (strategy tactics type), and THE VOLATISTS (aggressive type).
Each character has different skills and attributes according to their type, and characters can be chosen to match your gameplay style.
Atmosphere and Difficulty From the start, Age of Darkness: Final Stand immediately showcases a dark and intense atmosphere.
Players are greeted with a world shrouded in mysterious fog (The Veil), where darkness is not only a visual obstacle but also a real threat.
The lighting effects, lively building animations, and small details like flickering torches create an immersive yet grim world.
One thing that is immediately felt is the difficulty level. This game does not forgive players who do not quickly adapt.
From the first minute, you must immediately build defenses before waves of Nightmares come in overwhelming numbers. If you make a mistake, your entire army can be wiped out in no time.
In terms of excitement, Age of Darkness truly pumps adrenaline. The sensation of building fortresses with limited resources while waiting for the night attack feels like preparing for the final battle.
When enemy waves arrive, the game transforms into an epic battle between life and destruction.
However, this game is clearly not for everyone. If you like relaxed strategy games, you might get frustrated with the difficulty of Age of Darkness. Its survival mechanics are very tight, and even the smallest mistake can mean defeat.
The gameplay itself is quite challenging, as you have to pay attention to many things at once: resource production, defense formation, territory expansion, and utilizing heroes with their unique abilities.
While playing, the feeling that emerges is a mix of tension and satisfaction. Every time you successfully survive a major attack wave, there’s an incredible sense of relief and pride. Conversely, if you fail, there’s a drive to try again and improve your strategy.
Gameplay and Survival Mechanics
The game combines classic RTS (Real-Time Strategy) elements with intense survival mechanics.
Players must build territories, gather resources, recruit troops, and defend against increasingly fierce enemy attacks each day.
Every night, the enemy’s strength increases, with numbers reaching tens of thousands of units at once.
The Death Night system becomes a key element in the game. On certain nights, hordes of Nightmares will attack brutally, forcing players to have solid defenses.
After successfully surviving a Death Night, players are given random buffs or debuffs that can change the course of the game, adding a strategic element to survival.
Units and Heroes Units and heroes play an important role. Players can use heroes with special abilities to aid in battle and provide tactical advantages.
Additionally, players must be careful in positioning troops and building defense walls to prevent being caught off guard.
Age of Darkness Review: Settings & Control
In terms of controls, the game has a fairly standard system for the RTS genre. Units can be commanded with a right-click, buildings can be created using the construction menu at the bottom of the screen, and customizable hotkeys can speed up commands.
However, there are some areas for improvement, such as unit management which sometimes feels less responsive. For example, troops commanded to a location occasionally do not choose the best route and instead walk towards dangerous areas.
Additionally, the pathfinding system (how units find their way) still needs refinement to avoid congestion in narrow areas.
From the UI perspective, the game’s interface is quite intuitive with clear information about resource counts, building conditions, and enemy positions.
However, the game could be improved by adding more prominent notification features when there is a sudden attack.
Effective Survival Strategy Analysis
Survival strategy in Age of Darkness is crucial. Here are some effective strategies that can be applied:
- Layered Fortress Construction: Don’t just build a single layer of walls. Use multiple layers of defense with archer towers behind them.
- Optimal Troop Placement: Place melee units at the front lines and archer units or heroes behind them for maximum attack.
- Utilization of Light: Always ensure there is a light source around the base as enemies are stronger in the dark.
- Controlled Expansion: Don’t expand territory too quickly without adequate defenses.
Important Buildings:
- Barracks: To train infantry units.
- Archer Tower: Effective defense tower against large numbers of enemies.
- Catapult: Area attack that is very useful during Death Night.
- House: Increases population capacity to recruit more units.
Age of Darkness Review – Worth It or Not?
Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a game well-suited for strategy enthusiasts seeking a significant challenge.
With a strong atmosphere, epic battle scale, and unique survival mechanics, this game offers an experience rarely found in other RTS games.
However, there are still some aspects such as AI, balancing, and optimization that need improvement to reach its full potential.
If you enjoy games like They Are Billions and want to experience the tension of surviving endless enemy waves, then this game is worth trying. But if you prefer a more relaxed RTS, this game can feel too brutal and challenging.
That’s it for this Age of Darkness Review, hope you like it!