Diplomacy Is Not An Option was developed and published by Door 407 and is available on Steam.
Diplomacy Is Not An Option is a base-building RTS; you’ll be pitted against massive hordes of enemies while protecting your kingdom. To survive the deadly onslaughts, you’ll build fortifications, raise armies, become a master engineer, run a bustling economy, and master magical skills. Every map in the game is procedurally generated, meaning each playthrough will be unique. In a functioning society, you’ll have to take control of your civilians’ needs as well, from providing first aid to help your soldiers and assist with disease. Ensure that you have a fully functioning industry at your fingertips to build, upgrade, and maintain your town/city. Farmers will need to ensure that they produce sufficient food to support their armies, allowing them to grow and become more powerful. Your economy is important in Diplomacy Is Not An Option, and everyone relies on it to make sure your Kingdom is still standing. What will you do to make sure your Kingdom reigns supreme? Create a behemoth army? Perhaps master the dark arts of magic? The choice is all yours.
“As in real life, stupidity and greed lie behind most problems, but here it is far too late to talk it through. You have no recourse to resolve this peacefully. At this stage: Diplomacy Is Not an Option!”
Diplomacy Is Not An Option features 4 different game modes:
- Endless Mode – This pits you against endless hordes, in which you must survive for as long as possible. How far will you make it?
- Story Campaign – This features missions that you must take on to help your kingdoms thrive and survive. You’ll also be met with many different choices shaping the campaign as you go.
- Challenge Mode – You will be tested with an array of challenges to take on. These range in difficulty and offer a different way to challenge your skills.
- Sandbox Mode – This lets you build freely and play the way you want; everything is unlimited, and you can have endless fun against hordes of enemies while building the ultimate undefeatable kingdom.
Diplomacy Is Not An Option is a game that is full of content; it offers many choices along the way, it was a joy to experience this behemoth of a game. I love how the game has something for everyone, whether you want a slow build experience where you learn the game as you go, or a full-on endless onslaught mode that becomes some of the best action in an RTS I’ve ever seen. It reminds me of Age of Empires 2, but it does everything on a grander scale and with even greater detail. Starting with the tutorial, it introduces you to the game’s many systems in a simplistic way, easy enough to understand for veterans of RTS and newcomers to the genre. Once that was done, I stepped into campaign mode. At first, you have to work for the King, who, in simple words, is a corrupt *******. He wants to raise taxes endlessly, no matter what his civilians’ concerns are, and will even kill the so-called *rebels* who don’t bow down to his every whim. Later in the campaign, though thankfully, you’re given the choice between working for the King or joining the rebels. I joined the rebels; it was an easy choice, despite the game’s difficulty spiking slightly due to having fewer resources and a less powerful army, but it’s a choice I proudly made. You then have to take the fight to the King while defending your people and helping them survive and thrive. Overall, I enjoyed all the strategy and choices I made along the way; however, the game gets harder, so be prepared.
The gameplay in Diplomacy Is Not An Option is fantastic; if you want full-scale battles close to the ones you see in movies, this game does absolutely that. Early in the story, missions and endless modes start off slowly with small waves of enemies trying to destroy your progress. As you progress, the battles start increasing alongside your kingdom size, and all I can say is that with the physics systems Door 407 has used, it is just incredible to watch these battles unfold. Graphically, the game has an arcade pixel style, which fits the theme. I fell in love with the art style they used because it fit the game perfectly. The battles looked incredible and daunting, especially when huge armies are charging at your walls. I had a good time learning the systems and managing everything. Door 407 has a way of making it so appealing to even me, who isn’t very good at the RTS genre. I still had a blast even when I struggled to defend my Kingdom. Overall, I had the best time with Diplomacy Is Not An Option; it’s a ton of fun for newbies and veterans alike, and everything about it screams, one more game. With an array of things to do, you’ll be hard-pressed to wonder what to do next. With an added in-game map editor and frequent updates, the world of Diplomacy Is Not An Option is your oyster.
You can find the game on Steam HERE.
nerdybirdgames.com 