Alawar is releasing a new game, The Golden Years: Way Out West this week and I was given the opportunity to preview the game. Now you all know that I’m not exactly unbiased when it comes to resource management games in that I love them so much. What you don't know is that there are games of this genre that I do not like and will not play beyond a demo. I am not just a junkie but a connoisseur. So where does The Golden Years: Way Out West lay on this continuum? Well, duh, at the top! Yep, I think I have just previewed one of the best resource management games out there. It's up there with the best of the best, and I am absolutely ecstatic to let you in on some of the details.
I just wish I had time to sit down and play The Golden Years: Way Out West in its entirety this weekend. If I could drop everything and play it right now, I would. Why did they have to release this game now--with the holidays coming and little people having high expectations of their moms? I mean, why do I have to decorate the tree when I have such a cool game to play. So, I may just have to wait a bit before I can write a walkthrough for it, but believe me, it will come.
Okay, let's get down to specifics.
Storyline: Gertrude is a feisty, young, married mother who has come upon hard times. Her husband, Samuel, had purchased a General Store by borrowing money from the richest man in town. Somehow, a few weeks later, the store burns to the ground and because Samuel can't pay back his loan, he gets thrown in jail until he can pay back his loan plus a lot of interest. Professor David takes pity on Gertrude and gives her a train and some money to make her way to George to mine for gold. Ultimately he offers her a job to build towns on his train line out to the west and all the gold. Our goal is to help Gertrude build up towns by providing housing, other town buildings, and a train line that will eventually support mining communities.
[[menu.jpg]]
Gameplay:
Gameplay itself in The Golden Years: Way Out West is pretty standard, but before you can build any housing you need to have built municipal buildings within the range of the housing lots. Sometimes it is difficult to figure out exactly where to place these buildings but before you build you will be shown which lots will be included in the build range. This can be challenging at times to figure out, but isn't that what a game is for?
[[municipal.jpg]]
We are used to games requiring more and more people to actually build and upgrade buildings, but in this game you need more people to get larger quantities of items from the lumber mill, mine, etc. So while you can get a much better deal on purchasing supplies when you buy in bulk, you will also need to have more available workers to do so, and the number of workers needed can be quite large (see below) So yet another layer of complexity, eh?
[[town-sample.jpg]]
In addition, to the usual build and get resources to meet a goal, you have a train (which is always a big deal in MY house!) With the train you can buy and sell resources, but it is darn slow so that needs to taken into account as you try to meet the goals. However, you do get to upgrade it. If you have a little boy running around, he will be super keen on seeing all this happen. It always helps to entertain the kids when you are entertaining yourself, I say!
[[train.jpg]]
Criticisms: The only criticism I have is historical accuracy. Now I don't know for sure but I don't think anyone took a train to Georgia to mind for gold. Now after a bit Gertrude does head out to California so that's not too bad. Also look at the money amounts in these screenshots. There is a lot of money being thrown around; again, not historically accurate. The game would probably been a lot more realistic if all money quantities just had a zero or two lopped off the ends of the numbers! Again, a small thing.
Pros: The Golden Years: Way Out West has a level of challenge that is quite unparalleled in the resource management genre. To me it almost felt like a combination of My Kingdom for the Princess and Westward games. Population counts and rent income is very important. Interestingly you can actually choose to upgrade your housing to maximize income or renters. I imagine there will be many levels where you will have to restart more than once when you see what the goals are for the different stages. Planning ahead is going to be super important. Being aware of what the population and income for each building are is also going to be key to planning ahead.
Review: The Golden Years: Way Out West is fantastic. I cannot wait to for the opportunity to finish it and am planning on writing a walkthrough for it for you guys. If anyone wants to come to my house to help decorate, shop, and cook I'd be happy to let you so I can play this game! I think a guide will be needed as the complexity of this game is incredible but without being completely overwhelming or impossible. I will give this game my highest ratings and cannot recommend it more enthusiastically. It is definitely one of the best resource management game that I have come across.
