1849 Review

"Gold Simulation at its Finest"

Campaign

I, as for many others love the thought of mining for gold. It's something about the lustful color or just the fact that this ore has been long sought after by so many. 1849 takes place in well, 1849 and moves around from there. The game is split into two distinct areas of one being a scenario based campaign and the other being an open sandbox. The sandbox mode was something I was really hoping for during some quick early access. I'll just brush over it quickly just saying that it makes a ton of sense and just lets you run your little settlement in an area of choice. That's where the most time will be gained in playing the game as though interesting the scenario levels can be easily played through. There are a good stack of these that make up the campaign and it's connected loosely by start missions assists. At the start of every little setup you are given multiple options of how to start whether that be with lots of cash or some small already on site hookups, choice will really be by your playstyle and whether or not you think that it will help on the mission. My main annoyance was how similar each goal was, even though there are multiple ones they all aim towards you selling so much stock or well gaining a certain residency. Aside from that you are also given in-game side requests that may benefit you, but honestly I felt I never had a chance to complete them while keeping everything on track. This is where some good management comes in as you are really trying to keep a balance of profit and collecting resources to use towards your goal while also keeping those citizens happy. Now as a simulation there really isn't much it does towards a story and just strings you along which works fine for it. I'd just really rather go play the sandbox mode if I do want to load 1849 up. Some levels do offer a good amount of play time as you struggle to balance usage with costs and getting towards your set goal. It just seems repetitive after a while especially as you just throw away the old city for the next.

Gameplay

It certainly looks good for its type of game and all the little folk running around is awesome. There are also ways to manipulate time and I like it to be in rushed settings though sometimes you do need to slow down to manage everything. This is done through the various side menus which are really helpful and actually show you the stats needed. Including everything from resource stock to outgoing and incoming funds along with the trade routes which need be opened to actually truly sell stock.

The Conclusion

1849 captures the spirit of the times for gold mining quite well. It provides a great simulation for you to capture resources and build a small area for the time. It looks great and has interesting characters filling the worlds. There are annoying fires and crazed robbers to watch for, but everything keeps you on edge. It can be difficult to control so constant guidance is needed. The campaign is really repetitive and sandbox adds some time. It really depends on if this is your idea of a game, I will note that for many it will have a limited play span.

1849 for PC
Review code provided by Somasim

Rating Overall: 6.8