Ahead of the Game - Crownstone Survival lets you save humanity from a Stone Curse across a pixel-art city-builder
It's all King Arthur's fault, really
- Strategic city-builder with chaotic combat
- Cute pixel-art visuals
- King Arthur's story with a twist
It's all about un-petrifying the land in this week's Ahead of the Game series, where we tell you about a new mobile endeavour that's playable in one form or another despite its unofficial launch.
Who would've thought that King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone would end mankind's existence? I mean, I don't suppose anything ever good comes out of grabbing random swords in forbidden places, after all, but thankfully, you're born a thousand years later as the Chosen One who'll revive humanity from petrification and save everyone who's been turned into stone.
It's a pretty bleak backstory, but the charming pixel art here is absolutely superb, and lighthearted enough to make you forget about why the world is how it is in the first place. As the aforementioned saviour, you'll rebuild Avalon, un-petrify everyone around you, and expand a thriving kingdom while fending off monsters and magical folk along the way.
It's nothing that hasn't been done before, but what I feel makes this city-builder a tad different is really its retro pixel-art visuals and the chaotic combat. You'll summon heroes from the summons pool as expected, and deploying them alongside you in battle lets you unleash really cool-looking skills against hordes and hordes of foes.
Other than that, it's your standard base-building affair with timers, resources, and upgrades you need to go through in a strategic manner. I'm not a huge fan of the genre, to be honest, but because the aesthetics are lovely, I might just give this one a chance.
So, how do you play Crownstone Survival?
It's currently in early access on Android (no iOS plans as of yet), and it's only available in certain regions according to the official Facebook page (the voice acting also feels very AI-generated at the moment - could be a placeholder?). Knowing Level Infinite, though, I'm sure it'll roll out across more countries soon.There's also no word on an official release date at the moment, but for now, you can have a go at it and offer your valuable feedback alongside a very active community while you can!
