They are Billions Torrent is a strategy game that shifts between careful defensive strategies as you fortify your base against zombie hordes and well-thought-out expansions to grow your territory and exploit crucial new resources. Released on Steam Early Access last year with a survival mode challenging players to endure a set number of days on a randomly generated map, the game now includes a hand-crafted campaign mode in its Version 1.0 release. The result is a mix of real-time strategy that excels when playing to its strengths, even if some of its new features seem like unnecessary diversions.
Upon starting a new map and witnessing your isolated base surrounded by zombies, the game’s title might seem fitting, though somewhat exaggerated. Stray zombies lurk in the fog of war, moving in small groups until you alert them, occasionally shuffling toward your settlement. It’s not truly billions, but the numbers can be deceiving. Fifteen days later, the alarm signals the horde’s arrival, and as a relentless stream of undead besieges your defenses, you start to think billions might be an understatement.
The survival mode and most campaign maps provide a similar experience. Initially, you establish a perimeter with patrol routes to eliminate approaching zombies, scout the area to identify chokepoints and nearby resource deposits, construct structures around your base to boost the economy and safeguard it all with enough troops and fortifications to repel the initial wave of attack. Surviving that, the next step is a swift land grab to seize fertile new ground, eliminating the stray undead and managing production to generate the resources needed for your expanded colony.
The rhythm in play here is delightful. The arrival of each new wave of zombies is signaled, allowing you to know precisely how many days you have to prepare for the onslaught. The interesting strategic choices emerge in how you utilize that time. Deciding whether to expand northward toward the iron for building soldiers or eastward, where a large forest offers natural cover and wood for repairing fences and guard towers, becomes a recurring decision with each wave, and your chances of surviving the next one depend on the decisions you make.
Survival mode in They are Billions Torrent revolves around permadeath, as expected. However, the campaign also introduces varying degrees of permadeath and iron-man elements to make you face the consequences of your decisions. For instance, if you get overwhelmed and fail a campaign mission, you must restart the mission from the beginning rather than reloading a save from midway. There’s even a penalty applied to the mission reward for each failure. Ironically, since its 1.0 launch, an option to back up your campaign save has been added, and the developer has hinted at possible adjustments in future updates, creating an uncertain vibe around these decisions.
They are Billions Torrent System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7, 8,10,11 (32 and 64 bits)
- Processor: INTEL, AMD 2 cores CPU at 2Ghz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD3000, Radeon
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 4 GB available space
