Jon Shafer's At the Gates (2019)

Developer: Conifer Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Indie, Strategy
Rating: 2.1 of 5, 499 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 17 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, deliberate grand strategy game where you carefully manage clan relationships and resources while surviving the harsh environment of a crumbling empire.

turn-basedstrategicdeliberatehistoricalresource managementemergentchallengingatmospheric

What players say

Players call the game abandoned and unfinished, with placeholder tags and broken mechanics still in place years after release. The concept of a nomadic 4X set in the collapsing Roman Empire is praised, but the lack of AI, diplomacy, optimization, and developer updates leaves it unplayable for most.

Screenshots

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.