Silica

game is high concept; futuristic; heartfelt; made with love; the developer is Solo. Needs a lot of support and more collaboration! However this is exactly the type of game that could go on to DESTROY the Battle Royale hierarchy like Helldivers if it had many many more thousands of work hours in development. The Art is there. The gameplay is there. The RTS features excel. It just needs love and care. Better map development emphasizing what RTS games have learned from the 30 years of creation: simplicity is best. If this was Game Development Tycoon, this game scores all B+ across the board at the time of writing this (7/24/25). Definitely buy it and go play it!

Ok as someone who grew up playing games like Starcraft, Warcraft, Age of Empires, Praetorians, BFME, Empire Earth, etc.. This game has the potential to be greater than all of those games. Crazy I know but the developers have a really good foundation here.
The game looks beautiful and very atmospheric. I love the soundtrack, it's so damn good and adds to the immersion when you are in FPS mode. Speaking of FPS mode, I think the future of RTS games really is having a nice blend of FPS in it while still having a Commander role over troops and production. This game has just that. The devs also update this on the regular showing true passion and a care for their product. Now is this game perfect? No, not by any means. But the ceiling this game could reach is up there!
This game is suffering from publicity sadly, it needs some kind of a sponsored streamer buff at this point because I can personally tell you the times I do get into games with a good sized lobby, it is some of the most fun I have ever had in an RTS game.
Now, to the developers, if you guys read this. Some things I would 100% put in the next update and I think is generally needed to take this game a step forward.
1) Troop formations. This is a must. Plain and simple. We need to put our troops in some sort of a variety of formations. Not only will this help with pathing issues but it allows us to strategically maneuver troops better.
2) Attack move function. This is a tride and true command to have in an RTS game. Add it.
3) Lastly, I'm sure its coming but, there needs to be better variations of the two human factions. They are just too similar and lack any degree of differences in appearance or functionality.
I love the new modes they are bringing out but to take this game to the next level, I think they need to hunker down and really smooth out the rough edges on the RTS side of it before they continue on with new game modes and such.
I still give this game a thumbs up because it is still really fun, in its current state. If you ever enjoyed just randomly hopping on Starcraft or Warcraft back in the day and queing up some custom games going against AI or friends, this game already has that down. I still recommend!

Silica is a unique blend of real-time strategy (RTS) and first-person shooter (FPS) that attempts to carve out a niche in the gaming world. Set in a sci-fi universe, the game offers players an ambitious mix of gameplay mechanics, but the experience isn't without its highs and lows.
Pros:
Innovative Gameplay Concept: The core idea of mixing RTS with FPS is intriguing. Players can command units and structures from a top-down RTS perspective, or hop into the boots of a soldier to experience combat firsthand. The dual gameplay styles make for a refreshing and dynamic experience.
Varied Combat Options: The FPS combat is fairly engaging, offering fast-paced action with customizable weapons and vehicles. Meanwhile, the RTS side allows for strategic depth, such as managing resources, positioning units, and planning large-scale tactics.
Visuals and Design: The game’s environments are beautifully designed, with rich sci-fi landscapes and detailed structures that help immerse players in its futuristic world. The vehicle and unit models are also well-crafted, providing some visual flair.
Cons:
Learning Curve: The game has a steep learning curve, especially when trying to juggle between RTS and FPS elements. New players might find it overwhelming to transition between commanding armies and engaging in direct combat, leading to frustration early on.
Performance Issues: While visually appealing, the game occasionally suffers from technical hiccups. Frame rate drops, occasional lag, and minor bugs can detract from the otherwise smooth gameplay experience.
Balancing Concerns: At times, Silica feels unbalanced, with certain strategies or units being more dominant than others. The game could benefit from further fine-tuning to ensure that each playstyle and faction has a fair chance, whether you're playing on the ground as a soldier or commanding the battlefield from above.
Limited Replayability: While fun in short bursts, the game can feel repetitive after extended play sessions. The maps, while detailed, can start to feel a bit too familiar, and the lack of diverse game modes or engaging end-game content makes long-term replayability questionable.
Conclusion:
Silica is a game with a lot of potential, offering a unique hybrid of genres that feels fresh at first glance. However, its learning curve, performance issues, and balancing struggles may turn off some players. For those willing to put in the time to master the mechanics, there's fun to be had, but it may not be a game for everyone. If the developers can address the technical issues and find a better balance, Silica could truly shine.

Bottom Line Up Front (Overall 6.5 /10) *WILL CHANGE UPON FULL RELEASE*
- Been following the development of the game since release. Excellent concept but still needs more time and development to showcase true potential
- Reminds me of a mix of early 2000 PS One games like Dune 2000, Wargames: DEFCON 1 and Warzone 2100
- Sandworms!
- Some stunning backdrops - gives Dune vibes!
- Developed by one person - still better than most AAA garbage in the Steam Store at the moment. Happy to support Martin any day of the week (part of the reason why I bought the game)
- No difficulty slider at this time. There is no difficulty scaling. The AI does not seem to follow the same rules as the player in regard to resources and they produce units quicker than the player
- Needs a lot of unit / faction balancing especially with resources and time to produce units or build structures
*BIGGEST COMPLAINT AND ISSUE* - Sometimes alien units do not respond to actions on click and just sit there to be shot at during a battle. The amount of times I click on a unit to attack something and they just sit there is very infuriating. PLEASE FIX THIS.
Gameplay Loop (6/10)
- A single game can take hours. Huge maps to cover
- Switching between FPS / RTS gives flexibility to how you play each map
Gameplay Mechanics (6/10)
- Very basic RTS commands - no stop, hold fire, engagement, grouping etc orders as found in other RTS
- Very basic FPS controls - it works well for this style of game. DO NOT EXPECT COD / BATTLEFIELD / COMMAND AND CONQUER RENEGADE level of controls at this time
- Can switch from first person to third person in some units (mainly infantry units)
- 3 different factions, but the 2 human factions are pretty much the same. The two human factions needs more work to make them different enough (either in play style or unit variety)
- Pathfinding is hit or miss at times
Presentation (6/10)
- Excellent environmental backdrops
- Some of the human units look like their rendering is flat or unfinished (at least on the screen i'm using)
Sound (6/10)
- Some gunfire sounds could be a bit more punchy
- Some alien sounds could also use a bit more volume to convey presence
- UI voice is very faint - needs more work as I can hardly hear what is being said
- Music is actually sick! whoever composed it needs a raise. It will do well with more punchier frequencies with Dolby Surround etc. I thought I picked up some similarities to Pearl Harbour / Flags of Our Fathers Japanese Navy attack music
How this can be a 10/10 game / Developer wishlist
- Better optimisation - I've got a decent PC setup and I can hardly get a consistent 60 FPS on most sessions (by comparison i get 60 FPS consistent on DCS and Space Marine 2 - my two most resource draining games)
- Better pathfinding for units (as covered by other reviews)
- Better shading / geometry for human units (mainly infantry)
- Add unit special abilities. eg, infantry can have grenades, all aliens have burrow ability, tanks can have overcharge ability etc
- Add unit customisation (eg. unit / team colours, special abilities, modify alien genetics to enhance their abilities)
- Better voice UI
- Better sound optimisation
- Needs a difficulty slider
My Specs
Intel I5 13500K
RTX4070Ti
80 GB DDR4 RAM
SSD
Samsung 4K TV 60 FPS
Game is on the highest graphical settings with VSYNC ON - FPS will drop to 10-30 during high levels of unit activity

Beautiful graphics and excellent sound design makes the game fun to watch, but the FPS/RTS elements make it even more fun to play. The battles are massive and very engaging, and all for a very reasonable price.

This is an incredible game. Even in its early access state, the dev has successfully captured the epic scale of the conflicts I imagined as a kid playing Dune 2000.
Silica is a readily apparent successor to that Westwood classic (sandworms included), successfully splicing the RTS genre with a modern interpretation of Battlezone's gameplay. I'm having a hard time coming up with the words to describe the feelings of grandeur Silica gave me, wandering its rocky cliffs on a hoverbike as a sniper, and later engaging in all out war as part of a hovertank platoon on the dunes. This is one of those games you have to try for yourself to see what I mean, with the caveat that you need good hardware to handle it.
Until Dune: Awakening releases at a vague date in 2025, Silica is the next best thing for war on a desert planet. And dare I say it, you'll come back for more when you want to swap survival for a strategic shooter of epic proportions.

Hi, I really like this game there is a lot of potential but it doesn't hit up to the mark yet.
My feedback to the devs:
If the commander isn't very good or active its garunteed a loss game, you're stuck the scout.
2 people should be able to be the commander in 1 game
Missing basic RTS features like double clicking 1 unit should select all nearby in that area
F2 (All units button) shouldn't select harvesters
Missing tutorial for the RTS side of the game
Tutorials shouldn't be bare bones
All vehicles with wheels seem to have major issues getting stuck on tiny rocks
No garrison on the maps i.e. no crashsites, no buildings, sniper towers, etc (Almost all RTS has)
It's unclear how much damage a weapon has
The teleport feature or any menu system i.e. when you go to a barracks is in-game rather then a GUI which seems very oldschool
3rd or 4th faction should be robots rather than a duplicate copy of the humans (understandable the games WIP)
All vehicles have poor control when driving i.e. feels like old halo 1 controls rather than modern controls
Almost all the vehicles I used where only 1 seat, they need to have a passenger seat or featuers where multiple players can get into the vehicle similar to battlefield
Infintary need secondary abilitiy i.e. flashbang, grenade, c4, etc
Add more classes like an engineer, maybe make the engineer part of the rocket class, etc
Add leader powers per faction i.e. dropships, vehicles, etc
Add more base defense like siege turrets, sniper turrets, walls, barb wire, mines, traps, etc
Do aliens have turrets? I never seen any in any of the games I played
Aliens seem extreamly weak for almost all aliens being melee they get out gunned very easily
All the buildings don't fit RTS style its kinda unclear what building is what, maybe because of lack of experience but when I've played C&C, Halo wars, Starcraft I look at a building and I know exactly right this is the barracks, this is the airfield, this is the main base, etc.
if I lower my setting i can just about play this game and im running a 3060 TI, so more optimisation would be awesome
The hud is unclear where I'm firing at i.e allow me to change my transparancy of my hud when im looking up a hill into the sun at someone firing down at me the light blue colour is so light I cannot see what is going on
Colour blind features
Muzzle flash on the weapons is crazy, weapons don't recoil they just shake everywhere so it's better to hip-fire everything
Make it more obvious when a mine has ran out of resources, how to base expand, the build radius, the build time of a troop or building if I am infintary or in RTS mode how long it'll take to build.
Resource collectors easily get stuck on anything
Feels like sometimes when I'm in RTS mode the troops either bearly move or don't listen to commands.
Sometimes it's difficult to see who's enemy and who's friendly besides looking at my mini-map
Missing hit feedback i.e. hitmarkers or something to know you're hitting the target coz sometimes im playing aliens and I have no clue if i hit something
Good job on this game, such a difficult 2 genres to blend RTS & FPS so well done keep up the amazing work guys!