Hexagod is a tile based “high score game” made by Aarimous. It’s a game that I really enjoyed exploring when it was actively being worked on and I think it’s a game that showcases what a solid foundation for a game can feel like. There are a lot of systems in the game that all work together, but it never quite landed the way that Aarimous wanted.
Earlier version of the game had hunger mechanics, tech trees, and turn timers. The original objective was to finish the end of a tech tree before the “corruption” claimed all of the tiles on the board. This version of the game was at odds with the more cozy vibe of the visuals, so it’s understandable why it needed to be changed. Of the two versions, that is still my favorite.
The current version of the game functions similarly to Balatro with a resource scoring system. Each day is broken up into 10 turns, where your villagers will work their tiles and generate Tribute. Rack up enough tribute points by the 10th turn to advance to the next day. There are more mechanics involved, but you’ll be able to see that in action from the video.
I really hope that Aarimous will return to this game some day, but even if not I think there are a lot of interesting ideas here that he explored. This game did a great job taking parts of the 4X genre and turning it into something modern and quick to play. On those days when you don’t have enough time to play a game of Civ, Hexagod might be just the game for you. Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Connor