Parents' Guide to They Are Billions

This challenging strategy game demands absolute precision from players, which is difficult for veterans of this genre and almost impossible for newcomers, thanks to its lack of tutorials. Real-time strategy (RTS) games like They Are Billions can be one of the hardest genres to get into, thanks to its many moving parts and complex rule sets. Still, it can be one of the most rewarding once you get the hang of it. Tutorials and forgiving beginner levels are essential when it comes to absorbing such large chunks of information, and They Are Billions has neither.

True, it contains a player guide/glossary of sorts, but reading pages of instructions isn't as good as learning gameplay a step at a time. The difficulty settings could help things, but here they don't really mean anything. In keeping with the recent hard-core difficulty game trends, even the lowest possible setting is fairly punishing, and things play out so slowly that it's tough to quickly attempt new strategies. The problem is the infection mechanic. As cool as the idea is, it's unbalanced. Infection spreads exponentially, and that means if a single zombie gets through your walls, it's game over. New and less skilled RTS players could find themselves stuck on the same map indefinitely, which is the antithesis of fun. It's too bad, because They Are Billions could be a great game. The steampunk aesthetic is cool, graphics and sound are great, and the build and placement controls are easy and fun. Further, upgrades and unlockable maps promise all kinds of fun new buildings and combat units to toy with. As it stands, though, many players will never see those. High difficulty and the no-tutorial policy mean new and casual players are doomed to hours of time-consuming work followed by quick and painful defeat. If you have the stamina for that, you might enjoy the game. If not, keep searching for that starter RTS.