Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2013
Skyward Collapse
Developer Arcen Games
How do you balance -- and indeed encourage -- a war between factions without letting either side obliterate the other? How do you rule over gods, creatures, and men who refuse to obey you? How do you build a landscape of villages when bandits and mythology are conspiring to tear it down? From the Steam store page
195 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 4, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
46
Mixed
88 positive · 104 negative
95% range 39–53%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 88 | 104 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mixed
152 of 329 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 195 · most liked firstThis is probably the first Arcen game that didn't hit the mark. All of their games so far have been fresh and quite fun, but have also always been flawed. None of them have been perfect, but they were innovative, and always try a different formula of game and were ultimately fun to mess around. Skyward Collapse is another really cool idea, but the game doesn't come together. Resource management is tedious, the idea is really cool, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Turns keep…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perhaps I had too high of expectations for this game, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. In more ways than one, Skyward Collapse feels more like a mobile game than one which, it seems to me, was developed for desktop computing. Its simple graphical sprites would feel right at home on a tablet, but seem out-of-place on a PC. Making matters worse, the clunky user interface manages to simultaneously overwhelm the player with information, while not giving her enough data with which to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My biggest problem with this game is that the ai does not do anything. both sides will stagnate and not do anything if left alone, and you are tasked with growing them to defend against bandits while stoping them from killing eachother, this is not entertaining. you end up having to grow both sides while defending against bandits, and it fails to feel like these are 2 civilizations, they are more like blocks you throw down, compleately inanimate. This can be fun, but you end up having to build…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If being a God is like this game, it's pretty lame. Let's be honest: it's not the worst game ever, it's a game that is just average in everything. The graphics are pretty simple, and I understand that top notch graphics aren't required to a game be any good, but the lack of things like character animation make this title looks worst than most of f2p cell phone games. The objective is very inovative and distinctive from other God games: you should keep the balance between the factions. But…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an interesting premise; I rushed to it because I missed playing god games. Unfortunately, it doesn't manage to be a very good god game, leaning more towards the TBS side, and it's not a great TBS either. If you're anything like me, you'll probably love it for the first 20 rounds or so; then your interest will fall more and more. By turn 70 I just wanted it to be over. Some have said that the main problem is a lack of challenge: once you figure out how to play it, that's it. But if that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fascinating but poorly understood game which is effectively the only inhabitant of the genre it created. Lots of people don't really like it, as can be seen from the mixed reviews here, but for me it's a perennially good game. I'll play a round or two then put it aside for a few months... then come back and play it again when I'm in the mood. It never stops being interesting, and it feels like there's always more stuff to discover. It does take some time to grasp the intended "play…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really like this game for it's somehow chaotic gameplay which makes it unique in the strategy genre. It is turn based and best comparable to a very complex board game. This is also how it is presented. You as a player have limited and mostly indirect control over what happens. There are many random variables. But the offered possibility space of what to do to react on the events is strikingly huge. Every time I start a new round I find something new to try out. It has its lengthy parts and I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worst game from Arcen, it's like playing chess alone, literally.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Paladin's Steam Review: Skyward Collapse. An Intriguing Combination of God Game and Turn-Based Strategy. Genre: Turn Based Single & Co-Op Player Strategy God Game Developed and Published by: Arcen Games Platform: Windows, MacOSX and Linux Business Model: Base Game + Expansion DLC Copy Gifted by a Friend Overall Gameplay Thoughts Skyward Collapse is a combination of turn-based strategy and god game elements. Where your goal is to keep two factions in a balanced war while building up the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game, but in the end I saw what many others ended up seeing. While the game sounds great, it falls utterly short. This is a game that should have been sent back to the drawing board like Hellraid was. Why? Because it's BORING. In Skyward Collapse you get to play as the ultimate ruler of everything. You build cities for two opposing sides, trying to protect them from themselves as well as bandits and natural disasters. You can keep your world thriving by…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Skyward Collapse is a game that requires some dedication and time investment to really learn it. You have to forgive the fact that there is no animation at all - characters slide around the world like pieces on a board game. And I'm going to say right up front to buy this game with the Nihon no Mura expansion. It's only a little extra for it, and you won't want to be without the Super Smite ability that comes with it. As a god-like being, you command two factions of human civilization, which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is really hard to get into complex game like this for me. The tutorialisation was done in a light way maybe too light... There is a lot happening even in the simple tutorial and I feel like the tutorial did not do it's job proprely to explain how deep and complex this game is. I gave up a bit less than 2 hours in because I didn't quite fully understood what I was doing(and that is really frustrating in a strategy game) Imagine playing monopoly and the only thing your friend (the tutorial)…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Look there are a lot of nice details to this game. However between akward controls and poor graphics, it just is totally not worth the effort you have to put into it, just to play. I'd like to se the designers future efforts though. They had the right idea, just a bad execution of it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A unique twist on turn based strategy, the inability to directly control a faction, but mearly nudge them in a certain direction can result in a lot of micromanagement to ensure balance is achieved. Once you get the hang of the mechanics it's rather simple, and at times can seem to drag on, but the abundance of rediculous abilities you have as "god" makes it entertaining.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In Starcraft Broodwar, I use to like to make custom maps with two AIs fighting each other, and a swarm of player controlled battle cruisers to try and balance the two. This game is kind of like that, but a bit more complex. Don't be decieved by the sprite graphics and simple animations, this game gets deep.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looks and plays rough. Feels pretty limited for a 'god' sim strategy game. You more or less try to keep one faction from destroying the other and see how long you can last. It's kind of a basic idea and imo needs something more to keep it interesting. It's a decent idea but rough execution of it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not hard to find games with great ideas and poor executions. Having a great or unique concept is only the first step to translating that into a great game, and the path there is rarely clear or easy. That's what I was expecting going into Skyward Collapse, based on what buzz there was surrounding it. But what I got was something far more engaging than that, something that filled its concept out and gave me plenty to do with it. It's still not a perfect or even great treatment, but it's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Skyward Collapse, for example, is a 4x strategy game where all sides are controlled by the computer, and you, the player, interact as a god of War manipulating all sides as an independent agency. Your wincon is forcing a perpetual stalemate war!
unlabelledView post →I wanted to like this game I really did. The concept is very different from someother strategy god-type games. However the excution is lacking to say the least... And while it seems like a novel idea to try to "keep the balance", it becomes very dull very fast. While it could be said this game is "unique", I wouldn't rush to define it as good. I would liken this to playing a game of chess against yourself; it's not my jam but hey, maybe it's yours?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am sad to see this game get such negative reviews, because I liked it. The idea is to keep 2 civilizations balanced as they go to war with each other, and prevent each civilization from destroying the other, for as long as possible. The civs have unique units, like minotaurs and such, and you can build Military buildings and infastructure in one side if its in danger. But be careful! the military infastructure might tip the scales, but then the other side will be in danger. I remember this as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →takes time to learn the game, but it's more complex than at first glance, and super fun. i don't think anyone who has put in under 2 hours has actually given the game a proper chance. i'm guessing most of the negative reviews are from people who don't want to invest the time and are expecting quick learning curves.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR - basically it feels like playing a boardgame against yourself and it is really boring I really wanted to like this game. I really like the way it sets up and how you build things and gather resources, as well as the concept of adding more tiles to the edge of the board. However, the overall concept is just awful. Basically, you aren't trying to win, you are trying to get the 2 factions to be equal to each other. Which, while it may sound interesting, ultimately results in extremely…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am super sad to see all these negative reveiws. I can understand why some may not enjoy this, and I'll try to cover those through my groggy head. So, forgive my miss spells and other nonesense. But I speak from my heart and mind none the less! So, I love this game for many reasons. Maybe some small, stupidly funny text from the developers as you try to leave the game and such. But that's just me I guess. Or could be? I'm easy to entertain. I think that this game is an amazing strategy game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →kyward Collapse is an odd little turn-based strategy game where the player controls the building but not the movements of both sides of an ongoing war.The core idea of a balancing a strategy game with limited player control is intriguing Skyward Collapse is a game that requires some dedication and time investment to really learn it. You have to forgive the fact that there is no animation at all - characters slide around the world like pieces on a board game. And I'm going to say right up front…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was enjoyable for a couple games. Don't expect this one to hold you several hundred hours, but if you can deal with that, it's a unique premise worth playing around with. Higher difficulties are actually much easier and more enjoyable as there's more bandits to deal with and units level quickly. My first game after the tutorial was on the second hardest setting and there were several close moments, but I was never really in danger of outright losing. My main problem with the game was the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My left hand is fighting my right hand, and I have to prevent each of them from winning. There is a divine committee giving my hands marks for effort - so slacking is not an option. Interesting, complicated, tedious, repetitive. Like playing chess against yourself.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quirky game. Have you ever played a tabletop wargame by yourself? Playing both sides, trying to keep it balanced, but at the same time trying to make the battles are exciting and intense as you can? That's what this game is like. And why I like it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring, repetative, boring, pointless, boring, terrible graphics, boring, terrible gamepley, boring, I wish I could get a refund :-(
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best things I can say for this game are that it's quirky and interesting, and I didn't run into any crashes. At the end of the day, however, it's a rather asinine romp Is highly structured at first, and then quickly devolves into pure madness. Although I did not play it to such a degree that I can succinctly say that it is unstrategic, later abilities delve into risk-reward territory so hard that luck or map limitation exploitation are your main tools for survival. While I want to like a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are a lot of cool concepts and mechanics in this game, but there's something missing. It's not quite a game, yet. It's more like a simulator. The issue is, there's not much motivation to expand each culture. I'm not on either "team," so why do I care if they expand? Not to mention, smaller cultures are easier to control to maintain balance. When I played through the tutorial, I got bored of building very quickly in the Age of Man. By the time I reached the Age of Monsters, I couldn't be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like other games by Arcen Games, this one has a novel idea, colloquial tutorial text, a bunch of options and stats, simple graphics, and a lack of polish. I always want to like their games, but for some reason that I can't really put my finger on, they always seem too dense and boring to me. I'm sorry, but I can't recommend this game either. In this case, I guess it's because the whole game is actually a big escort mission, with the difference being that the "guys" you are protecting have to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →God game with a twist: the objective is not to destroy the other race, but to ensure both survive! Quite original, will probably appeal even to non-strategy fans.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Skyward Collapse is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ dangerous. I work from home, which means this beautiful little bastard is literally within arm's reach at all times. And that is not acceptable for my career. I can never play this game again. Not because it's bad. Because it's too ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ good. I tell myself, "I'll just play for five minutes." Three hours later, I'm still sitting there, completely unemployed in spirit, while my actual work is slowly decomposing in another browser tab. Skyward Collapse takes a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting game with a unique play style. The sad thing about unique and interesting games though as that it takes very little to make them unfun. Skyward Collapse is an interesting idea that is just marred by it being sadly boring. While there is 'lots' going on in the game there is very little for you to do as a player resulting in moments of just waiting and doing nothing. Add in a very grindy and unneeded level up system that takes to long to level up while not providing any bonus…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't like this game much, but it is not a bad game. Just not my style. This game takes from black and white and the whole being a god kinda thingie. Here, you are the god of the universe and you even rule over lesser gods like zeus. You got 2 factions, red and blue. Each try to kill each other all the time and you must keep the balance by preventing one side from winning as long as possible. You can plop down all kind of buildings to help each side. You can help a side improve their units…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Skyward Collapse is one of the most unique RTS God Games ive ever played. Build cities and units not unlike CIV or similar, but you play both sides... and your goal is for them to kill eachother... but you kinda want them evenly matched... and you also get your god powers... Hard to describe but fun! try it out! Beyond all that Arcen Games is one of the best developers there is! constant updates! very responsive! and so creative! I own all of their library and I fully recommend all their games!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →great concept, but somehow not satisfactorily executed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →boring, pointless, lame graphics. Maybe instead of building crap yourself as god they should have let civilizations build themselves while you play god, but that would probably make too much sense to them.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The idea is good in theory and I want to like the game; but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired and it gets quite tedious as the cities expans. I wouldn't recommend.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not exactly the best The premise of the game is to build up 2 distinct factions warring with each other. And to keep things interesting a thrid mean faction shows up and trying to wreck the balance between your trying to create between your two. I think idea behind this game is good it just doesn't turn out to be satifying to play. A fun thing to expirement with but not something I'd want vest my time in.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another elegant, bizarre genre/mechanics mashup from Arcen. It's a 4x highscore strategy game...sort of. It's pretty easy to cruise through lower difficult levels, but once you turn it up to hard or higher, you will be constantly scrambling to both (1) get each side to kill and destroy as much of the other side's units and buildings as possible while (2) not letting anyone get totally wiped out. The basic early-game strategies you employ will involve instigating two competing armageddons…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A quirky turn based strategy game where the goal is not to control one side and defeat an opponent, but to control both and have them war to a furious stalemate with high body counts.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was a bit torn if I should recommend or not recommend this game. It has a "one-more-turn" gameplay that kinda pulls you in, and an very interesting concept. It's a intriguing challenge building up the two factions while trying to avoid one becoming too strong. But as the game progresses, it just starts to feel more like a chore. You keep nudging here and there, on a game-bord that becomes more and more chaotic as woes and god-actions come in to play. Combined with the basic graphics, it's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Skyward Collapse is a turn based game, where you try to build and balance both the red and blue empire. It's areally fun game, but you have to make sure not to unbalance one of both sides. (an item that gives a unit a 100x attack & health bonus is kinda overpowered, especially when combined with other bonuses. But the item that makes minotaurs invulnerable, and gives both sides a couple of them is a real city-wrecker too) You do not control the units in this game, they have a "free will". Thus…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's such a fantastic concept, but I was very dissapointed. It's kind of like Spore - it's an awesome concept, but it isn't actually much fun in practice.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got boring real quick, had fun placing pre-made buildings though lol.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are many good elements to this game. The concept is interesting, the units and buildings are varied, at least by function. I'm generally quite forgiving when it comes to unpolished games, especially if there is enough on offer to balance out the bad. I could almost recommend this, but not quite, because underneath its rough exterior is a good game, but I don't think anyone I know would be as forgiving. Where it suffers is lack of polish. The buildings tend to look similar and blend into…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Post four indie games you think more people should have played. Sunset Heroes of a Broken Land Riptale Skyward Collapse
unlabelledView post →I absolutely love this game. Very original and wel executed. A few more factions would have made this an instant classic for me. No idea how this game can get so many negative reviews but it is right up my alley. Been playing it for years, many hours offline, and will continue to do so. Thank you Arcen Games!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After playing it for a little while I can conclue this game is simply not very good. A neat concept but it doens't quite do what I would want from a game like this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Skyward Collapse is a very unusual game. An odd duck of sorts. You control or rather help both oppoosing factions. You are striving for balance, but balance will be impossible to maintain. All your helpful nudges and interventions will get out of control and tip the scale towards either one faction - initially - or complete and utter chaotic powercreep (when you devastate the landscape, unleash minor gods, mythic creatures, wonders and miracles to "balance" whatever imbalance has crept in,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very unique game, combining automatic turn based combat with godlike with city manager, it is hard to place this in any particular catagory. The game itself is nice, although there are some features that are not so likeable. The game itself feels like a board game, and could easily be played as a board game, which is a great thing if you like board games! (Note, I am the founder of the Tabletop RPG Gamers League, so you could say I like board games!) Anyway, enough said for now, let…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting concept of a god game about ruling multiple factions. Your goal is to balance both sides but also keep them strong enough to fight off stuff like neutral bandits. However after an hour the initial charm of the game wears off as a glaringly ugly UI and game world start to become noticeable. I understand the game is indie but ugly indie games must at least have mechanics which are compelling enough to warrant continued play for at least a decent amount of time. The game is ultimately…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game and very original. Easy to learn but really hard to master at higher difficulties. If you are a strategy-game addicted, it's a must. Edit: Just nominated this game for "The 'I Thought This Game Was Cool Before It Won An Award' Award" so lets improve this review a little bit. It's a great innovative take on strategy games (and that is saying something after at least 25 years of development in the genre!). It does have it flaws, but I really enjoyed playing it. The game is about…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At first: You can't judge this game if you haven't played at least 5 hours or so. It's just so complexed as much can't understand, its like kinda 5% Civilization series and 95% professional chess. A very complex and hardsolid chess. The game is about strong balance of powers inbetween. You must overlook every turn twice before you continue and even if you overlooked your turns twice hundred times - there's an events that crush every your beginning or help 1/all nations. Units just walk…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →don't know how to play *brb*uninstall just came for the cards XD
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really don't get the point of this game. It's like you're supposed to be fighting yourself, and you're supposed to keep yourself from winning. That's about as interesting as trying to play chess with yourself. While the game provides all kinds of choices for you, the graphics look pretty nice, and the UI is decent, it doesn't provide you with interestingchoices or present you with interesting game problems to solve. Just as if you were playing chess with yourself, there wouldn't be much sense…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its boring and hard to play
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Failed to grab my attention. I guess I was hoping for a modernized Afterlife, but the lack of animations and that it's turn-based kinda puts me off.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To be blunt, this game is slow and cluttered and while the idea of being a almighty god and having to balance out two civilizations such that they don't kill each other off is a great concept, they blew the execution of that idea...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
You Might Also Like
similar titlesWhat Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch
Game
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Game
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Game
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Game