Graphics and Audio

When going into an Indie game you aren’t really expecting big production quality, especially when it comes to graphics. You can also typically expect it to be a little rough around the edges. I’m not going to come in here and say that Banished is Titanfall, because it’s not even close. The overall experience is similar to Tropico. Things look good, but there isn’t anything that is going to catch your eye and really make you Ooh or Aah. But for an indie game Banished looks good, really good. All of the buildings look different throughout the year depending on the weather and sunlight. There is still room for improvement. For example, I think a little more detail on the mountains would really make the overall map pop.

The audio in Banished isn’t spectacular in any way but it does its job perfectly without being to annoying. That may sound a little cynical, but city builders aren’t exactly known for their audio. Typically you get background music that if you are lucky you don’t immediately want to pull your ears off when listening to it. Banished’s background music wasn’t distracting in any way. They did a good job of tying the audio with your camera location as well, as you move around the map you will hear sounds more as you get closer to them. This, along with sounds that change when workers run out of supplies, help draw you in slightly.