Games Like Against the Storm: Why Ikariam is Worth a Look
If you enjoy Against the Storm because you like building settlements, managing resources and making strategic decisions, you might also enjoy Ikariam. Ikariam is a building and strategy game that runs directly in your browser, is free to start, and places you in an ancient island world. No download, no purchase — simply play in your browser alongside your Steam sessions.
What Makes Against the Storm Special
Against the Storm is a dark fantasy city building game by Eremite Games (Publisher: Hooded Horse), which was released on 8 December 2023. According to the Steam description, as the Queen's Viceroy, you rebuild civilisation in the apocalyptic rain whilst commanding various peoples:
- Humans
- Beavers
- Lizards
- Foxes
- Harpies
The game is categorised in the genres of Simulation and Strategy and is aimed at single-player. It offers Steam achievements, collectible cards, customisable text size and custom volume control. Against the Storm is a full-featured, paid Steam game.
What Ikariam Offers
Ikariam is an ancient building game in your browser, in which you develop an island civilisation, gather resources and progress through various research branches. The Economy research area is particularly extensive, ranging from simple early technologies to high-level future research.
Examples from the Economy Research Branch
- Food Preservation (12 research points)
- Pulley (24 research points)
- Prosperity (112 research points)
- Wine Culture (336 research points)
- Architecture (3,672 research points) — allows the construction of architect's offices
- Culinary Specialities (10,764 research points) — enables the training of chefs in the barracks
- Bureaucracy (106,560 research points)
- Utopia (241,200 research points)
- Up to Future of Economy Level 10 (5,328,000 research points)
Military & Special Units
Through the "Culinary Specialities" research, chefs can be trained in the barracks. According to the description, they boost troop morale and can also join the fray with their knives.
Maritime: Pirate Fortress & Privateer Runs
In the Pirate Fortress you can order privateer runs. Expansion level determines crew, range and duration of the runs. An initial run yields 115 privateer points and 40 gold. Longer runs generate more in total, but are less profitable per second — short runs are more efficient.
Specialised Ships & Buildings
The Balloon Carrier is a floating fortress with balloons that can attack the enemy from the air even at sea. Requirements: Warship Yard Level 7 and a Floating Base. The Sea Chart Archive can be expanded up to Level 35 and reduces travel times with each level — with 50 islands visited, the time savings accumulate to several hours depending on the expansion level.
Where Ikariam Differs from Against the Storm
Both games are building or strategy games, but approach the subject differently. Factual differences:
- Platform: Against the Storm runs on Steam, Ikariam directly in your browser — without installation.
- Cost: Against the Storm is not free-to-play according to Steam. Ikariam is free to start in your browser.
- Setting: Against the Storm focuses on dark fantasy with various peoples (humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, harpies) in apocalyptic rain. Ikariam is set in an ancient-inspired island world.
- Game Focus: Against the Storm is a single-player title according to Steam. Ikariam offers long-term building, research and maritime systems including privateer runs and fleets.
- Progression: Ikariam's research tree ranges from 12 points (Food Preservation) to over 5 million points (Future of Economy Level 10) — so designed for the very long term.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Against the Storm | Ikariam |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Steam (Download) | Browser (no installation) |
| Free-to-Play | No | Yes, playable for free |
| Setting | Dark fantasy, apocalyptic rain | Ancient island world |
| Genre | Simulation, Strategy (City Building) | Building & Strategy Game |
| Game Mode | Single-player (according to Steam) | Online in browser |
FAQ
Is Ikariam really free to play?
Yes. Ikariam runs directly in your browser and can be started without purchase — unlike Against the Storm, which is paid on Steam.
Do I need to install Ikariam?
No. Ikariam is a browser game and requires no installation, whereas Against the Storm is downloaded via Steam.
Is there similar research progression in Ikariam as is typical in building games?
Yes. The Economy branch alone contains over 25 researches from "Food Preservation" (12 points) to multi-level "Future of Economy" researches that cost millions of research points.
Are there maritime and combat elements in Ikariam?
Yes. You can launch privateer runs via the Pirate Fortress, build warships like the Balloon Carrier and significantly reduce travel times to other islands via the Sea Chart Archive.
Fancy a Browser Alternative?
If you enjoy Against the Storm but want to try a building game without installation and without a purchase price in between, Ikariam is worth a try. Start directly in your browser and develop your ancient island civilisation step by step.
If you tend more towards medieval strategy, you can alternatively also check out Kingsage — also a browser strategy game, but in a medieval setting.