If there's one game worth mentioning in the last two decades that truly represents a genre, it's Dwarf Fortress. This cult game has surprised millions of players since its early access ended a year ago. Dwarf Fortress is the quintessence of construction and resource management simulation games due to its simple but also complex mechanics that have taken the genre to another level.

A direct consequence of the vision of Dwarf Fortress is Rimworld, a game released ten years after the award-winning dwarf game, which came to continue the path traced by the legendary simulation game. However, Rimworld's fame has increased to such an extent that, currently, both games compete for the first position as the most relevant simulation game in the industry.

So, if you've never tried these types of games and want to know whether to play Rimworld or Dwarf Fortress, you've come to the right place! In the following lines, I compare these two masterpieces so that you can choose your next challenge and experience unforgettable moments of fun and administrative stress.

• Release Date : October 17, 2018

• Developers : Ludeon Studios | Double Eleven

• Publishers: Ludeon Studios | Double Eleven

• Platforms : Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

• Metascore : 87

Rimworld is one of the latest and greatest management and life simulation video games in recent years. It depicts an adventure involving aliens and social conflicts. As it's more of a colony sim than a life simulation, you control a human settlement on a distant planet where resources are scarce, and survival is quite difficult.

This sim game provides the best elements of any great simulation game, from tons of things to do to epic battles in which the fate of your settlement is at stake.

Rimworld once again revived the colony simulators that were very successful in past decades. One of their greatest exponents is Dwarf Fortress, the title with which we will be comparing with Rimworld. Both Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress are excellent examples of how to develop and plan a simulation game set in an SCI world.

Rimworld Global Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date : August 8, 2006

• Developer : Bay 12 Games

• Publisher: Bay 12 Games

• Platforms : PC, Mac OS X, Linux

• Metascore : 93

When we talk about construction and management simulation video games, Dwarf Fortress is one of the essential references of the last two decades. This title changed the way we understand open-procedurally generated worlds, the creation of replayable scenarios, and the dwarven life. Despite its initial release in 2006, a new, more complete version was released on Steam in 2002.

Dwarf Fortress has been acclaimed for its emergent gameplay, which allows new situations to appear from simple mechanics. DF also stands out for its ASCII graphics and various details in the game world.

Dwarf Fortress is a rich game full of random events and situations that you will encounter throughout the administration and management of your fortress and the exploration of the world. As such, it is full of surprises that make it worthwhile. It was not in vain that it was selected to be exhibited at the MoMa (the Musem of Modern Art) to show the history of video games.

Dwarf Fortress Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

Let’s examine the core of this article and delve into the intricate factors that make these titles some of the best in the sim genre.

Dwarf Fortress is continually hailed as the deepest, most intricate world simulation ever created. The game considers all the factors that go into normal life, such as obtaining and managing the resources needed to survive. In this sense, Dwarf Fortress is more than just a game in which you manage a colony of dwarves by building and managing resources; It is a game where exploring the world and reviewing maps and stories are crucial.

Dwarf Fortress is also notable for its turn-based mechanics found in the adventure mode, which involves roguelike elements that add multiple layers of depth to the game. Additionally, since world building, elevations, minstrel layout, temperature, and other factors are procedurally generated, the way you interact with the geology changes depending on the needs and nature of the terrain.

RimWorld also features a custom world where you must manage resources to build a successful settlement and ensure the colony's survival in the strange alien world. One point in RimWorld's favor is that an AI narrator tells procedurally generated events that are critical to the game based on the current situation and conditions of your settlement. Characters also have complex personalities and backstories that can affect the progression of scripted events. Combat is also a crucial part of the game's story and can define your colony's ability to survive.

Verdict . Both titles stand out due to their intricate gameplay, but Dwarf Fortress has a deeper gameplay that involves more mechanics, factors, and detailed procedures.

Both titles have a particular pixel art visual section that makes them seem like they are from another era. Still, this graphics aesthetic helps generate procedurally generated worlds that look striking and contribute to the management mechanic. This is because you can easily administer resources, buildings, structures, characters, and other components in the form of square or 2D voxels.

However, since Rimworld is a more recent game and uses contemporary technology to generate its graphics, its pixel art looks more defined and organic, with better effects and a fine color palette.

Dwarf Fortress uses an ASCII art style, which makes the title look more “static” and “computational.” It has its pros and cons, highlighting a unique art style that can captivate the more fans of computer language and the basic effects you can see on the screen. An important con in this regard is that Dwarf Fortress may look a bit rusty, which is not for gamers expecting modern graphics.

Verdict . Rimworld has a fresher visual style and looks better than most colony sims.

Both RimWorld and Dwarf Fortress allow you to build and expand a thriving colony with a wealth of resources during your management adventure. However, in Dwarf Fortress, since its nature is to sink deep to find resources and gain more space for the population, you will be able to build an ever-expanding fortress or even an underground kingdom whose limits depend only on you.

In RimWorld, the colonies you can create are usually more limited than what you can build in Dwarf Fortress. This is due to the very nature of the title, which places a colony on an alien planet where inhabitants and resources are very scarce. This way, you will likely build a settlement of controlled size that contains the rooms necessary to ensure survival. As you will be able to conquer the surrounding lands to plant sows and crops, your area of influence will be larger.

Verdict . Although you can create an expansive realm in Dwarf Fortress, the motley possibilities in RimWorld allow you to generate a community based on different ideas and unique characteristics.

Without a doubt, Dwarf Fortress' cause-and-effect simulation is one of the most detailed and impressive I've seen in a video game. The new version - and most recent - of Dwarf Fortress has even increased the amount of detail to crazy levels, allowing you to be part of an eye-catching simulation that involves everything from the blinking of eyelids to how cats are fed and poisoned. Additionally, Dwarf Fortress has more options than RimWorld in terms of how to interact with community members and other factions on the map.

Of course, RimWorld also has a bunch of stuff to administer and manage, but things seem more random as most events are told by an AI narrator who decides the right moment for certain circumstances. The events follow a specific thread in the colony's lifestream, but this AI component often takes you out of your management and hinders the process. It is not a bad thing by default, but this condition reduces the difficulty and turns the title into a game with a huge component of randomness.

Verdict : Basically, everything happening within Dwarf Fortress is a consequence of different systems, factors, and causes that are strictly related. From this point of view, its complexity beats RimWorld’s simulation.

Since RimWorld and Dwarf Fortress are life-sim games, it’s normal that both pay special attention to resources to create a closer experience to real life, regardless if you’re playing on an alien planet or in an underground dwarven settlement.

On its side, RimWorld sorts resources into five main classes: food, materials, medical items, crafted resources, and exotic items. Each class has over thirty different items with a unique rarity. Resources can help you for different purposes, which can increase your chances of surviving in the harsh environment of the alien planet. Still, it is striking that there are numerous medical items. It reflects the main goal of RimWorld, which is surviving and keeping the inhabitants secure, which rarely happens.

I believe Dwarf Fortress takes things a step further by considering a wider array of resources and possibilities compared to its counterpart. It delves into the materials you'll utilize to construct your underground realm, including stone and wood. Additionally, Dwarf Fortress accounts for more specific resources crucial for the survival of your dwarves, such as freshwater, to prevent dehydration-related deaths among your dwarven populace. Food is also important and easy to get through hunting and gathering.

Still, defense and specialization require more refined materials to create better crafts and not fall into mediocrity. Wealth is another important factor—and resource—that determines your success inside the stronghold. The thriving of the settlement also determines whether your hold is just an outpost or a big city in the middle of the stone. Keep in mind that the lives of your dwarves depend on your economic prosperity.

Verdict . Dwarf Fortress has an overwhelming list of resources for colonists to survive in the dwarven realm.

Combat is probably one of the most difficult aspects to analyze, as both RimWorld and Dwarf Fortress share deep and detailed combat mechanics. It is understandable since surviving and expanding your settlement or kingdom is strictly related to the success of the battle against enemies who have the same goal as you: conquer the territory and avoid death.

However, after deep research and several hours of gameplay, I honestly believe that the combat in RimWorld provides greater satisfaction and possibilities. That is to say, in RimWorld, there is no luck in the equation. Thus, there are many ways to confront enemies since you can control each pawn and give them particular orders when attacking. This way, you can order where to move or who to fight on the battlefield, which adds a great strategic component to the mix. I know it sounds like too much, but the combat in RimWorld is a lot of fun and is one of the best aspects of the game. In addition, it also includes great animations and visual effects.

Dwarf Fortress, on the other hand, does not provide the accessibility of RimWorld in terms of controls and battle management. This way, when your dwarves enter the battlefield and start dealing blows, you lose control over what they do. In this scenario, you need to have a lot of patience and wait until you see the results of the battle. Whether or not your warriors kill an enemy will depend on several factors, such as equipment, accessories, unit type, and more.

Verdict . RimWorld stands out due to its conflicts and battles, as these can increase until they are converted into big struggles and real destruction.

Both titles tell totally different stories. Although they may seem very similar at first glance, the plot of Dwarf Fortress is one of the reasons why this game has been a total success in the last two decades. There are numerous anecdotes of players dedicating years to Dwarf Fortress, embarking on countless adventures, only to see their fortresses fade into obscurity. The way you inhabit the world in Dwarf Fortress is full of heart, including the way your dwarves relate to the animals, inhabitants, enemies, and even the geography. Consequently, the lava found inside volcanoes, floors that fall, walls that are impossible to break, etc., help to build amazing and, at the same time, particular stories.

The story in Rimworld is a little different. RimWorld’s storytelling is based on so-called AI Storytellers. Hence, the stories are a bit random since sometimes events happen without a clear reason. It makes RimWorld feel less organic than Dwarf Fortress. Still, RimWorld is equally enjoyable since you really feel you are inside a simulation of life with all its intricate relations and consequences.

Verdict . Dwarf Fortress stands out over other management-sim games due to its highly important plot component.

Both RimWorld and Dwarf Fortress were designed to be played by a single player from start to finish. In the case of Dwarf Fortress, it’s its core. You are on a solo mission to survive and manage the dwarf settlement in the middle of the rocks. In this sense, all its mechanics go in this direction, taking advantage of single-player methodologies in which you must solve management problems. Additionally, there is no indication that there will be a cooperative or multiplayer component in the future.

Something similar happens with RimWorld since this title does not contemplate co-op mechanics and multiplayer, either. Still, the game’s mods allow you to play cooperatively with friends. The Multiplayer mod provides compatibility with Vanilla and the Steam version, which is the Rimworld Global Steam CD Key available on our website. The Harmony mod, which depends on the Multiplayer mod, on the other hand, will provide you with desyncs while playing. You will have to activate both mods and be sure that any other mod isn’t active.

Having said this, you get the best of both titles in single-player modes. However, if you want to try some kind of combination, then Rimworld is the right choice.

Verdict . Since Dwarf Fortress does not have any multiplayer or co-op mechanics, this point goes for RimWorld.

The expansions in RimWorld really enlarge the universe, depth of the characters, the story. At the moment of writing, RimWorld has three main expansions: Ideology, Royalty, and Biotechnology. Each expansion adds a new layer of personality and relationships to the characters. For example, ideology adds a belief system and defines social roles for leaders and moral guides.

Creating a system like this allows you to delve deeper into your characters' personal beliefs and customize certain aspects, such as clothing, tattoos, animals or gods they worship, etc. These expansions also provide new buildings that can be very different from the settlements built previously. However, the biggest changes come with the Biotech DLC. It includes children and reproduction, allowing characters to become pregnant naturally or artificially.

Dwarf Fortress, on the other hand, does not have a particular expansion or DLC. However, the title is constantly growing as developers continually work on it, adding new mechanics, tutorials, interactions, relationships, and other factors that determine the course of events. Keep in mind that the creators of Dwarf Fortress have been working on the project for almost two decades, constantly improving their systems and adding new content, but not in the form of expansions or DLC. Besides, the recent Steam release provides more than you need, at least for now.

Verdict . RimWorld is ahead of Dwarf Fortress in terms of massive content, with new and intricate expansions released from time to time.

The winner is RimWorld! Still, regardless of this result, you should try both titles as they are incredible video games that will give you hours of unbeatable fun, especially if you have a lot of free time. However, I would start with RimWorld and spend a few hours checking out its mechanics and the greatness of its world. Then, I would try Dwarf Fortress and marvel at the contingency of its mechanics and possible stories. Luckily, you can get both titles, Rimworld Global Steam CD Key and Dwarf Fortress Steam CD Key , here on RoyalCDKeys. There is no excuse for not playing them!