Settlements is a compelling indie strategy and RPG hybrid that challenges players to manage resources, craft advanced items, and guide a civilization through the ruins of a fallen world. Released on PC in February 2018, this title strips back traditional city-building complexity to focus on survival and progression. Players recruit workers, develop their skills, and oversee the evolution of their community from the Stone Age into the Space Age.

Setting and Story Overview

The game unfolds in a post-apocalyptic landscape defined by scarcity and the remnants of a collapsed society. As the architect of your colony, your primary objective is to prevent the Doomsday clock from reaching zero and avoid a main plot failure. The narrative is driven by exploration and survival rather than dialogue. You will scout the wilderness for information regarding a mysterious threat known as the Blight, engage in tactical boss encounters, and uncover unique treasures.

Core Gameplay and Mechanics of Settlements

At its heart, the title functions as a deep crafting RPG wrapped in a strategic management framework. The gameplay loop revolves around securing limited space, placing structures, and training workers across a vast array of disciplines. Players must balance character development with colony expansion, as each individual can only train in 15 skills simultaneously. This forces a specialist-driven approach where keeping vital workers alive becomes a top priority. Progression is gated by research and land acquisition, allowing you to control the pace of advancement through ten distinct technological eras. Crafting is central to success, with over a thousand items to research and produce.

Notable Features

  • Extensive Character Customization: Modify names, appearances, and voice types for your workers, then purchase feats that can be allocated to their descendants.
  • Dynamic Building System: Manage over one hundred structures, ranging from basic housing to complex factories, forcing difficult spatial decisions as your plot size becomes your primary constraint.
  • Dual Skill Trees: Develop over fifty personal character skills alongside ten global world skills that impact your entire civilization, from militia combat training to house design.
  • Diplomacy and Outsider Management: Not everyone can fit within your walls. Assist the wandering population to earn diplomacy points, which unlock crucial benefits for your settlement later on.

Platform Availability

Settlements is exclusively available on PC, designed with broad hardware compatibility in mind. The developers explicitly crafted the title to run smoothly on everything from high-end gaming desktops to low-end laptops used for everyday browsing. This optimization ensures that the deep strategic gameplay remains accessible without requiring intensive graphical processing power.

Who This Game Appeals To

This title is ideal for fans of slow-paced strategy games and crafting-heavy RPGs who enjoy watching a community evolve over time. Players who appreciate complex skill trees, spatial puzzle-solving, and long-term progression will find a satisfying loop here. It caters specifically to strategy enthusiasts who enjoy micromanaging workers, researching new technologies, and overcoming resource scarcity in a simulated world.