They Are Billions

They Are Billions is a unique blend of real-time strategy, survival, and city-building set in a steampunk post-apocalyptic world overrun by relentless zombie hordes. Players must build and defend colonies against overwhelming swarms, balancing resource management, tactical defense, and strategic planning. The game is highly challenging and punishing, with an unforgiving permadeath mechanic and no manual save/load, which often forces players to restart lengthy missions after a single mistake. This design choice, while increasing tension, frustrates many players who feel their time is not respected.

The campaign mode introduces the mechanics gradually but can feel repetitive and unbalanced, especially with mandatory hero missions and a rigid tech tree lacking respec options. Despite these flaws, the game offers addictive gameplay with high replayability through randomized survival maps and difficulty settings. The steampunk aesthetic, atmospheric sound design, and massive zombie swarms contribute to an immersive experience. Overall, it appeals strongly to hardcore RTS and strategy fans but may alienate casual players due to its steep difficulty and design rigidity.

Highlights

Players praise the game's innovative genre fusion of RTS, survival, and tower defense, creating a tense and rewarding challenge. The steampunk art style and large-scale zombie hordes are visually appealing and immersive. The gameplay mechanics, including resource management, base building, and tactical troop control, are well-executed and satisfying. The dynamic sound design enhances the atmosphere, and the campaign effectively teaches the game while offering a solid challenge. Many find the game highly addictive with strong replay value, especially in survival mode and randomized maps.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the forced ironman mode without save/load options, causing frustration due to repeated long mission restarts after failures. The campaign is seen as repetitive and sometimes poorly balanced, with tedious hero missions and a tech tree that lacks respec, limiting strategic flexibility. Pathfinding issues and clunky unit controls detract from gameplay fluidity. The inability to speed up time during slow phases and the harsh punishment for mistakes make the game less accessible for casual players. Some feel the design prioritizes difficulty over player enjoyment, leading to a steep learning curve and occasional boredom.