Flooded is a reversed city-builder, in which you need to optimize your production on an island that shrinks over time. Gather enough resources to flee to safety, while the surrounding world is getting flooded.
The core gameplay revolves around a unique twist on the city-building genre. Players must contend with a gradually shrinking island that is being consumed by rising floodwaters. This creates a constant sense of urgency, as they must quickly optimize resource production and defenses to stay ahead of the encroaching tide. Carefully balancing the extraction of minerals, wood, and food to fuel the expansion of the island's infrastructure is crucial.
The procedurally generated islands offer a sense of exploration and discovery. Each new landmass presents its own unique challenges, with different biomes, terrain features, and environmental hazards that require players to adapt their strategies. This keeps the gameplay loop fresh and encourages experimentation with different approaches to resource management and defensive tactics.
As players establish their foothold on the shrinking islands, they must also contend with threats from hostile neighbors. Constructing defensive structures like watchtowers and traps becomes essential to protecting mining operations and resource stockpiles from raiding parties. Carefully managing the balance between expansion and defense is a key tactical consideration.
The game offers a robust progression system, with players unlocking new commanders, relics, and technologies as they advance through the story mode. These unlocks allow for greater customization of playstyles and the ability to tackle challenges in different ways. The rogue-lite elements, including procedurally generated islands and multiple game modes, further enhance the replayability and longevity of the experience.
One of the aspects that players consistently praise is the well-paced, challenging gameplay. The constant pressure of the encroaching floodwaters creates a sense of urgency, but the game's systems are designed to be intuitive and approachable, allowing players to effectively manage their resources and defenses. The difficulty curve is well-balanced, providing a satisfying sense of progression and accomplishment as players overcome each new challenge.