50 Years is a fast-paced alternative to the bigger, longer turn-based strategy games. You can win or lose a game in a single evening. Either way you'll want to play it again.
Players can choose from around 10 unique nations, each with its own distinct abilities and playstyles. For example, the martial Spartans excel at building powerful armies, while the faith-focused Byzantines can unlock powerful religious blessings. These faction-specific characteristics encourage experimentation, as players seek to optimize their strategies for different national strengths.
At the heart of the gameplay is a resource management system that tasks players with carefully balancing their income streams of gold, wood, and faith. Effective allocation of these resources is crucial, as they fund the recruitment and upgrading of various military units, the construction of buildings that provide passive bonuses, and the unlocking of powerful "beliefs" that grant additional strategic advantages.
While the combat is automated, with the player's units automatically engaging enemy forces, the game still requires strategic decision-making. Players must carefully compose their armies, considering the strengths and weaknesses of different unit types, such as archers, knights, and mythical creatures. The automated combat system allows for a faster-paced gameplay loop, while still requiring players to think ahead and anticipate the threats they'll face.
Beyond the standard 50-year campaign, the game offers a wealth of replayability through its various difficulty levels and special game modes. The higher difficulty settings present a significant challenge, forcing players to optimize their strategies and adapt to increasingly formidable enemy waves. For example, the "very hard" difficulty setting introduces a brutal escalation of enemy forces, testing players' ability to build a well-rounded and resilient army. Additionally, the game features a selection of unique "challenges" that introduce additional win conditions and constraints, such as the "Zombie Chickens" challenge, which tasks players with transforming their armies into undead poultry. These special game modes further enhance the game's depth and longevity, providing players with new strategic puzzles to solve.