A Strategy Gaming Podcast

About Critical Moves

Strategy gamers aged 30-60 with full-time jobs and families average five hours weekly for gaming—roughly 300 hours annually. The Critical Moves team examines which strategy titles respect that constraint while delivering substantive experiences, covering everything from Total War’s naval combat to Dwarf Fortress’s emergent narratives. https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode confronts the practical reality facing most strategy gamers: severely limited time. Research shows players in their 30s through 60s with jobs and families manage approximately five hours weekly for gaming, totalling just 300 hours annually. Jack, Al, and Joe evaluate strategy games across multiple subgenres—grand strategy, city builders, colony simulators—based on accessibility, learning curves, and whether meaningful progress occurs in short sessions. The hosts debate whether immersion conflicts with time management, examine how prior experience affects perceived complexity, and question whether campaign-style games serve time-limited players better than isolated matches. The discussion...
Al, Adam, and Tim examine the city builder genre’s evolution from SimCity’s 1989 origins through City Skylines’ dominance to the controversial developer change for City Skylines 2, exploring why Paradox removed Colossal Order from development after three years of attempted fixes, whether the game’s failure stemmed from rushed release pressure or fundamental design problems, and how different city builder subgenres—from Anno’s island logistics to Banished’s survival mechanics—serve distinct player preferences between aesthetic builders and optimization enthusiasts. https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode delivers comprehensive analysis of city builder gaming’s current state through examination...
Tim and Jack sit down with Ben Angel, narrative lead for Age of Empires 2 Chronicles, to explore how his team approaches story-driven campaign design within RTS constraints, discussing the balance between historical authenticity and engaging gameplay while examining why single-player campaigns remain the silent majority of RTS players. Listen Link: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode features an in-depth conversation with Ben Angel, narrative lead and designer on Age of Empires 2 Chronicles DLCs, covering the challenges of creating character-driven narratives within RTS limitations, the design philosophy behind varying difficulty levels that...
Al and Tim examine Anno 117’s disappointing departure from the series’ strengths, discussing how the Roman setting functions primarily as window dressing while new mechanics like tech trees and religion systems add tedious micromanagement without meaningful gameplay rewards, questioning whether Ubisoft’s design choices justify moving away from Anno 1800’s proven formula. https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode provides an in-depth critique of Anno 117 through the perspective of longtime series veteran Tim, who has played every Anno instalment since 1602, contrasting the new release against Anno 1800’s established excellence. The discussion examines how...
Our hosts sit down with Thomas van den Berg, creator of the beloved Kingdom series, for an in-depth conversation about minimal strategy design, the golden age of Flash game development, and the philosophy behind prioritizing atmosphere and accessibility over mechanical complexity in strategy games. https://criticalmovespodcast.com/listen This episode explores the complete journey of Kingdom from Flash game prototype to genre-defining franchise, examining how creative constraints shaped its innovative side-scrolling strategy mechanics. Thomas discusses the challenges of following up indie success, his collaboration with composer Amos Roddy, design philosophies around diegetic UI...
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Critical Moves Podcast Trailer

AL

CRITICAL MOVES FOUNDER

NUNO

CRITICAL MOVES FOUNDER

JOSEPH

CRITICAL MOVES HOST

TIMOTHY

CRITICAL MOVES HOST

ADAM

CRITICAL MOVES HOST

JACK

CRITICAL MOVES HOST / ASSISTANT EDITOR