Indie gems: Driftland: The Magic Revival

Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim used to be one of my favorite strategy games almost 20 years ago. Controlling so many heroes with a will of their own is still something you won't see in many games nowadays. And even though some of the (later) missions were occasionally frustratingly difficult, the entire experience was really rewarding for me. The sequel, although still a very decent game, did lose some of the charm and didn't quite hit the spot. And now, Driftland: The Magic Revival is only the third game I've played where micromanaging your units is not required. Instead, they try to meet the goals you set for them. As a mage, though, you can cast spells that can change the course of the game.

Has this been executed well? Yes. Is Driftland a fun game? Very much so. Is it the "sequel" Majesty deserved? Too early to tell.

Why you should play it

• It's the closest thing you'll get to Majesty, a criminally underrated game.
• Macromanagement means gameplay is a bit more relaxing than the typical RTS game.
• Nice, colorful graphics.
• Good value for the price.
• Developers are very active and addressing player concerns and bugs.

What might put you off

• If you're not into macromanaging, this is not a game for you.
• Tutorial could've been done better.

Plays similarly to

Majesty, Northgard, Stronghold