Age of Darkness: Final Stand is an action RTS game from PlaySide where you fight against the tide of Nightmares using the light. Read our review of its full release to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Review Overview

What is Age of Darkness: Final Stand?

Age of Darkness: Final Stand is an action RTS game from PlaySide where players get to hold out against an endless tide of nightmares as they build up their settlement from a humble keep, to an impenetrable fortress of the light. Follow a multi-mission campaign filled with betrayal, drama, and various fantasy staples as you dive into the remnants of a kingdom plunged into darkness.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand features:
　⚫︎　Scenario-based campaign mode
　⚫︎　Endless survival mode
　⚫︎　6 unique champions from 3 distinct factions
　⚫︎　Pausable RTS horde-on-horde action
　⚫︎　5 difficulty levels from easy to nightmare

Steam
Price			$27.99

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Unique Setting, Great Visuals, Great Sound Healthy Variety of RTS Playstyles Definitely A Newbie’s RTS	Slow Start, Slow Progression Could Benefit from a Larger Tech Tree

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Overall Score - 80/100

It’s no surprise this game has been eagerly awaited for its full release. After years as a standout early-access title, it has matured into an RTS experience worth celebrating. With its polished mechanics, diverse playstyles, challenging yet fair difficulty, and a generous dose of stellar art direction and production value, it’s everything an early-access game aspires to become. If you’re ready to rise to the challenge, this game promises one unforgettable ride from start to finish.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Story - 8/10

Age of Darkness: Final Stand weaves a tale rich in intrigue, grounded world-building, and heartfelt drama, all capturing a world teetering on the edge of destruction—both in survival and morality. As someone who appreciates stories exploring the extremes of fanaticism, like those in the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, this game hits a compelling note. While it doesn’t quite rival Warhammer’s originality (it leans into familiar dark fantasy tropes), the narrative is still gripping enough to make experiencing it firsthand well worth your time.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Gameplay - 9/10

The game’s core loop and features harken back to the golden era of early '90s RTS games, with their relentless difficulty (adjustable, thankfully), straightforward progression, and diverse gameplay options. While I wouldn’t mind seeing an extra faction or an additional champion for each of the existing three, what’s already on offer feels solid enough that it’s hard to fault. In its current state, it’s a well-rounded package that leaves little room for complaints.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Visuals - 8/10

Age of Darkness: Final Stand masterfully balances the aesthetics of classic RTS games and modern strategy titles. Its high-quality assets shine through the traditional isometric view, creating a visual experience that feels nostalgic yet polished. The vivid 2D cinematics further enhances the storytelling, adding depth and drama to the game’s dark fantasy atmosphere. The character design is equally impressive, blending classic fantasy archetypes with darker, more ominous themes that perfectly align with the game’s grim setting.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Audio - 8/10

RTS games thrive on strong voice acting to enhance immersion and clarify gameplay, and Age of Darkness: Final Stand not only meets this standard but exceeds it. The in-game voice lines effectively bring the world and its units to life, while the voice acting in cutscenes adds depth and emotion to the story. Coupled with a majestic musical score that amplifies the game's tension and atmosphere, the auditory experience becomes something worth buying to experience.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Value for Money - 7/10

At $28, Age of Darkness: Final Stand sits on the higher end of the pricing spectrum for AA strategy games. Considering the game’s lesser variety in terms of units and lower staying power due to its less-developed tech three, it can’t quite go pound-for-pound with many other RTS games of our time, but what it does have more than makes up for it in quality. If this lesser variety doesn’t bother you, the $28 is fair. Otherwise, it might just be a bit steep.

Age of Darkness: Final Stand Review: Standing Tall Among Modern RTS Titles

RTS games are undoubtedly an acquired taste—there’s no denying that. My own initiation into the genre came at a young age when StarCraft sunk its hooks into me and refused to let go. While I consider myself unlucky for that formative experience (kidding... mostly), I know not everyone grew up on the nail-biting pressure of resource management and tactical precision. RTS games are a mental workout, and not everyone wants to dive headfirst into that kind of challenge, especially for fun and relaxation.

That said, some games manage to bridge the gap and turn the uninitiated into fans, and while StarCraft has long been the gateway drug for many, Age of Darkness: Final Stand might just be the modern contender to take up that mantle. Before we rush to the finish line (or zerg-rush it, rather), let’s break down why Age of Darkness: Final Stand shines so brightly among today’s RTS landscape.

RTS Fundamentals Mastered

The fundamentals of RTS game design typically revolve around four central pillars: Units, Resources, Buildings, and Technologies. While the exact mix may differ from game to game, most RTS titles follow this blueprint. Add a unique mechanic or two, sprinkle in some creative theming, and voilà—you’ve got the foundation of every RTS ever made. Mastering these pillars is what separates a good RTS from a forgettable one, and Age of Darkness: Final Stand nails this balance, as you’ll see when I break down its core gameplay features.

Let’s start with the overall goal of the game.Depending on the mode you choose, you’ll either focus on completing scenario-specific objectives or surviving for as many days as possible (in the campaign and survival modes, respectively). Victory hinges on fortifying your Keep—the heart of your last stand—by managing resources, constructing defenses, and fending off Nightmares that breach your gates.

Right off the bat, three of the core RTS pillars come into play: Resources, Buildings, and Technologies. Resources in Age of Darkness are gathered in a variety of ways. You can build resource-gathering structures, earn bonuses from specific units like the Rogue (who generates Gold), or discover resources in points of interest scattered across the map. The key resources include Wood (from logging camps), Stone (from quarries), Iron (also from quarries), and Dark Essence (obtained by slaying powerful Nightmares).

Beyond these tangible resources, there are settlement-level resources that must be carefully managed. These influence the pace at which you can expand your Keep and its capabilities. Examples include available villagers, population capacity, and food supply. Buildings play a crucial role here, as they enable the gathering, utilization, or production of these resources.

For instance, Dwellings increase population capacity, provide villagers, and generate Gold income, but they also require Wood, Food, and Gold to construct. Another example is the Training Hall, a more advanced building that demands Stone to build but allows you to train new units.

What sets Age of Darkness: Final Stand apart is how it handles resource and workforce management. Unlike many RTS games where these systems are static, this game allows you to reassign villagers from one task to another as your needs shift. Whether it’s bolstering your defenses or ramping up resource production, the flexibility to adapt your workforce adds a layer of strategy closer to city-builders than standard RTS ken.

When it comes to buildings as a gameplay mechanic, they’re divided into five categories: resource-gathering, defenses, military, development, and residential buildings. Each type serves a distinct purpose and comes with its own unique footprint. Most buildings can be placed anywhere, but resource-gathering structures are an exception—their efficiency depends on how close they are to the resource they’re meant to harvest and the number of villagers assigned to them.

Defensive buildings are another key aspect, with notable distinctions in functionality. Towers, for example, require trained soldiers to staff them in order to be effective, while static defenses like gates and walls operate without additional personnel.

At first glance, this setup might seem fairly standard for the genre. However, Age of Darkness: Final Stand introduces a unique twist when it comes to expanding your territory. While you have the freedom to build in the dark, unlit areas within your claimed territory become a breeding ground for Nightmares once night falls. This adds a layer of peril that can jeopardize your entire Keep if left unchecked.

Enter the light buildings, a crucial mechanic that curtails how far and fast you can expand. These structures illuminate areas and prevent Nightmares from spawning, forcing you to carefully balance growth with security. It’s a feature that not only sets the game apart but also amplifies the “hunker down” atmosphere, keeping you constantly on edge as you fight to survive.

Considering technology, this is where the game stumbles a tad but still manages to deliver something great. New buildings, units, and functions are unlocked by building workshops and researching the appropriate technology. It’s straightforward and effective, but notably quite short, in my opinion. It’s two levels deep in terms of technical progression, which is very limited compared to other RTS games like Age of Empires and Age of Mythology.

Last to step up are the units, which, in my opinion, are a bit of a mixed bag. The game offers a solid variety, ranging from basic swordsmen to archers, rogues, pikemen, and their upgraded counterparts. You also get a champion—a powerhouse leader unit who levels up, wields unique abilities, and serves as the backbone of your army.

But here’s the catch: while the champions bring plenty of personality and flair, the regular units feel disappointingly lackluster by comparison. The diversity just doesn’t stack up, especially when you think about games like StarCraft, with its sprawling roster of over 50 distinct units. It doesn’t help that StarCraft’s factions each boast their own unique lineup, whereas this game recycles most units across all factions, with a few exceptions.

Together, these mechanics weave a satisfying gameplay loop of exploring the fog of war, battling wild Nightmares, gathering resources, using those resources to expand your production capabilities, upgrading your keep and its structures, and bracing for survival when night falls. If you’re familiar with They Are Billions, which this game clearly draws heavy inspiration from, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect.

Despite some minor shortcomings in its technology and unit design, the game nails the fundamentals of RTS design. It’s smooth, engaging, and reliable, though it falls short in offering much variety on that front. But what about the rest of the experience? How does it stack up against other modern titles in the genre?

Unique Setting, Great Visuals, Great Sound

When it comes to presentation, this game doesn’t quite reach the heights of the greats—it lacks Blizzard’s lavish production value and Age of Empires’ nostalgia-driven charm. Yet, it still manages to stand out with its distinctive setting, striking 2D and 3D visuals, and fully voiced performances.

Visually, the game excels at capturing a dark fantasy aesthetic, a haunting blend of bleakness and grandeur that perfectly mirrors the story’s themes of a world teetering on the brink of oblivion. This sense of looming finality infuses every corner of the game, making its setting feel rich and layered with backstory. The campaign brings this to life with a narrative that breaks free from the usual tropes of kings, knights, and swords, offering something far more intriguing.

And the voice acting—what a treat. The performances are compelling and delivered with a richness that elevates the experience. While it may not be iconic, it’s undeniably impressive from a technical perspective, especially when paired with the game’s evocative score. Together, the visuals and sound design create a cohesive experience that complements the depth of the story beautifully.

Healthy Variety of RTS Playstyles

To add to its great presentation, the game also offers itself to a great variety of playstyles, mostly driven by the faction and champion you chose at the start, which represents a general strategy and a niche of that strategy, respectively. The Order, for example, represents slow but steady advancement and hardiness, exemplifying progress through determination and relentless pursuit. Its champions, Edwin and Merek, represent offensive and defensive options, each.

The Rebellion has a high-risk, high-reward, long-ranged strategy that takes the fight to the nightmares and relies more on explosive progression. They get rogues to start with, which generate gold, are hard to kill, and can go invisible, and its two champions, Aelis and Cyrus, represent frontline and backlie offensive options, respectively.

Lastly, the Volatists, utilize dark essence much earlier than most factions and are more dependent on buffing their cheap, faster training units instead of creating powerful units to start. Vizargo and Aurelia each represent their own playstyle, with the former relying on steadfast healing and nighttime buffs, and the former relying on aura buffs, dark essence collection, and slows.

While the basic units themselves offer no variety, each faction has its own host of unique units, such as the rogues for The Rebellion, Lightbringers for The Order, and Cultists for The Volatists. Together, they offer a great, but not tremendous, selection of approaches to survival.

Definitely A Newbie’s RTS

What truly elevates this game’s appeal is how accessible it is, even for complete newcomers, thanks to its customizable difficulty settings. Alongside the standard five difficulty levels—ranging from easy to nightmare—the game offers a slider menu that lets you tweak specific aspects of each run, such as enemy density or game length, tailoring the experience to your liking.

For those who crave a challenge, there’s an array of brutal modifiers to dial up the suffering, like one that disables building selling or another that removes the pause function entirely. It’s a robust system that allows players to make the game as forgiving or punishing as they want, a rare feature in modern RTS titles.

This level of flexibility is what cements the game as the new gateway RTS for today’s players. Whether you’re a casual gamer dipping your toes into the genre or a veteran seeking a customized grind, the game has something for everyone.

Slow Start, Slow Progression

Unfortunately, not everything about this game is flawless—though that doesn’t make it any less great. It simply falls just short of perfection. The early game, for instance, feels almost identical regardless of which faction or champion you choose. It’s slow, methodical, and risks alienating less patient players. While that’s par for the course in classic RTS games, it doesn’t make the experience any less tedious for those who prefer a quicker start.

Another noticeable omission is meta-progression. While it’s by no means a staple of the genre, it would’ve been a welcome addition, offering players a sense of long-term reward and encouraging them to see games through to the end. It’s something that could make every 30-hour grind feel a little more meaningful.

Ultimately, the game’s minor pacing issues owe more to the genre’s inherent design quirks than any specific failing of its own. It’s a small flaw in an otherwise outstanding experience, but one worth mentioning nonetheless.

Could Benefit from a Larger Tech Tree

While the game is undeniably a lot of fun, it would definitely benefit from a much more expansive tech tree. As it stands, with only a couple of tiers to progress through, it feels a bit too shallow to fully satisfy that classic RTS craving. Even though the rest of the game is so well-crafted, the limited tech tree leaves something to be desired.

The unit upgrade tree, on the other hand, is far less restricted and offers a nice range of options, but there’s just no substitute for additional buildings and the visual transformation that comes with unlocking higher tiers.

A Final Stand Worth Witnessing

While the game is undeniably a lot of fun, it would definitely benefit from a much more expansive tech tree. As it stands, with only a couple of tiers to progress through, it feels a bit too shallow to fully satisfy that classic RTS craving. Even though the rest of the game is so well-crafted, the limited tech tree leaves something to be desired.

The unit upgrade tree, on the other hand, is far less restricted and offers a nice range of options, but there’s just no substitute for additional buildings and the visual transformation that comes with unlocking higher tiers.

Is Age of Darkness: Final Stand Worth It?

Would Require More Pylons, But Ultimately Worth It

At $28, Age of Darkness: Final Stand edges toward the higher end for AA RTS games, especially considering its relatively simple unit selection. However, if you’re willing to overlook that limitation and focus on what the game does offer, the price becomes far less of an issue. For those who appreciate its strengths, it’s well worth the investment.

Digital Storefronts
Steam
Price			$27.99

Age of Darkness: Final Stand FAQ

Is there Steam workshop support or a Map Editor planned for Age of Darkness: Final Stand?

The developers have stated in a community post that there are currently no plans to add mod support or a map editor to Age of Darkness: Final Stand. However, they did note that this might be reconsidered after the game’s 1.0 release.

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Age of Darkness: Final Stand Product Information

Title	AGE OF DARKNESS: FINAL STAND
Release Date	January 15, 2025
Developer	PlaySide
Publisher	PlaySide
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam)
Genre	Action, Strategy, Simulation, RTS
Number of Players	1-2 (Online Co-op)
Rating	RP
Official Website	Age of Darkness: Final Stand Official Website

Aaron Bruce Albert..

A massive fan of roguelikes, turn-based RPGs, and open world adventure games. His gold standard games include The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.