DR4X

This is a weird 4X game. Some of its weirdness is in the UI. Some of it is in the way it speaks to the player. It deliberately wrecks your assumptions for how a 4X game runs. At this price, 1.20 CAD, it is worth a look.

DR4X, developed and published by Untrustedlife, is an unusual take on the 4X and turn-based strategy formula that manages to feel both compact and eccentric. Unlike the sprawling empire-building games that dominate the genre, DR4X focuses on faster matches, streamlined systems, and a quirky atmosphere filled with strange lore and oddball creatures. It’s a game that wears its indie roots proudly, offering players something different from the expected, whether in terms of pacing, design, or tone. The core structure revolves around asymmetric factions, each of which feels distinct not only in aesthetics but in how they operate mechanically. Choosing a faction is more than a cosmetic preference—it defines your playstyle and shapes the way you interact with the map, enemies, and victory conditions. Some lean heavily into direct combat, while others introduce more unconventional strategies like rituals, resource manipulation, or subtle expansion mechanics. The random generation of maps and the ability to tweak game settings further expand this variety, meaning no two sessions feel exactly the same. Skirmishes are deliberately short, often finished in under an hour, which encourages expe…

I think I can confidently say that this game is a hidden gem

Do not rezist. I mean this game is a hidden gem. It has charm, quirky humour, strategy, good turn based combat, did I mention quirky humour. It kinda is quirky from the get go but it blends right in with the world building and art. You can capture buildings and cities which can produce other buildings or units at a cost of coin and iron but you can find these things and later produce them too. There is a campaign and a skirmish mode. Don't pout about the graphics, do not adjust your monitor- its okay you get used to it. Gameplay wins here. All good. You can tell this game was a labor of love and the price, well, its a zeal I mean steal. What I like about it is the units can have advantages over other types of units and they can find artifacts which can give them a new weapon or buff. But you have to be mindful of terrain advantage, also surrounding an enemy with friendlies gives your men a buff too. What are you doing still reading this, go play it.

An intriguing experience, definite recommendation if you like snooping around and uncover secrets

So I discovered this game a year or two back. I was searching for something to play on Steam, and on a whim I put the tags of two of my favorite genres together, "4x" and "horror". Horror and 4x. What would that even look like? DR4X seems to be an answer to that question by putting a meta horror story layer over the 4x. [mild spoilers past this point because even I don't entirely know wtf is going on and I have over an hour in this game, but I still want to talk about it] Again, "layer" is an operative word here, because as far as I can tell there are sort of two games here. There's a DOS-esque command-line terminal simulator that seems to have a FNAF style thing going on with a monster, and then the 4X game that you access through this terminal. I'm assuming the two of these probably influence each other in some way, though I haven't figured out how exactly. I've found one clue hidden in a level of the 4X, following it took me to a spooky sequence. Good stuff so far. [end spoilers] The 4X is fun, you can use terrain advantages intuitively with punchy combat despite low fidelity graphics. The game does have an amateur look that will bother some, but I feel like it gets away…