Banished
IGDB
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About Banished
Banished is a city-building simulator from Shining Rock Software that dropped in 2014. You lead a group of exiles trying to establish a sustainable community in the wilderness. Unlike typical builders, you start with zero buildings, just a few survivors and a cart of supplies. The goal is to balance short-term survival with long-term planning, managing food, shelter, and resources without depleting the land. It’s a slow-burn strategy game focused on trade-offs, where every decision impacts your population’s growth and happiness.
Gameplay
You begin by assigning survivors to gather resources like wood and food while building basic shelters. Early gameplay is frantic, scavenging, hunting, and preventing starvation. As you progress, you introduce agriculture, mines, and trade routes. Every action requires careful planning: overharvesting trees causes long-term shortages, while neglecting waste management triggers disease. You drag-and-drop tasks, manage a small map, and juggle production chains. The real-time strategy element kicks in as you scale up, balancing worker efficiency and infrastructure. Victory isn’t just about growth, it’s maintaining a self-sustaining society over decades.
What Players Think
The IGDB score is 70.4, with 191 ratings. Players average 30 hours, but only 34% finish the base game. The 36 achievements sit at a 6.6% unlock rate, led by "Tenure" (1.3%, you need to keep a population alive for 50 in-game years). Reviews split between praise for its depth and criticism for slow pacing. One user wrote, “Feels like farming with spreadsheet mechanics,” while another called it “the most stressful cozy sim I’ve played.” Completion rates drop sharply after the 20-hour mark, and the rarest achievements are near-mythical among players.
PlayPile's Take
Banished is for strategy fans who enjoy careful planning over instant gratification. At $19.99, the price feels steep for a game where early success hinges on trial-and-error learning. The achievements add longevity but demand patience, most players won’t hit “Tenure.” If you’re okay with grinding through tutorials in your head and have a soft spot for systems-driven simulators, it’s worth a try. Skip if you crave action or flashy visuals. The real reward is watching a fragile settlement evolve into a thriving town, provided you don’t starve your citizens first.
Game Modes
Single player
IGDB Rating
70.4
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11Achievements
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