Underplayed Gems

The Emperor and State (2024)

The Emperor and State cover
Developer
涂途
Publisher
Hawthorn Games
Platforms
Windows
Genres
Casual, Indie, RPG, Simulation, Strategy, Early Access
Rating
2.9 of 5, 334 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 31 hours
Where to get it
Steam
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

a slow, methodical strategy and management simulation set in ancient China, focused on governance and collection.

strategicmanagement-focusedmethodicalhistorical2dcasualearly access

What players say

Players say the game has a solid foundation and can be addictive with its gacha-like system for generals and consorts, but is riddled with bugs that updates often worsen rather than fix. Many find the economy punishing and the diplomacy AI overly aggressive, while long-time progress can be ruined by broken research or building requirements.

Screenshots

The Emperor and State screenshot 1The Emperor and State screenshot 2The Emperor and State screenshot 3The Emperor and State screenshot 4The Emperor and State screenshot 5The Emperor and State screenshot 6

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.