Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress.

The secret champion of video games? Or a hobby gone too far, that question will be for you to answer.
A review of all the great features of this title and more!

The ultimate free game in development since 2004 by Toady One (Tarn Adams), released in 2006 and still being developed to this day. It may not look pretty, but we all know that "graphics" aren't everything.
It's an ASCII based game, but supports graphics packs which add brilliant pixel art.

The focus of Dwarf Fortress is to lead 7 dwarves to greatness, or a slow and painful demise.

You begin by creating the world.

The world is a randomly generated well world, with a history of every living thing, weather, mountains, oceans and everything inbetween is created to make a diverse landscape. Even clouds and fog are simulated, but that's very subtle. Different biomes meaning deserts, swamps, badlands, jungles and many, many more are generated. Everything gets a "Savagery" rating and a "Evil" rating leading to the creation of good and evil lands with both positive and negative effects (mostly negative). "Megabeasts" are created to roam
the lands and cause chaos to the kingdoms. Rulers of civilizations make great cities including Elves, Goblins and of course, Dwarves.

They go to war, make peace, trade and even the citizens may cause havoc by searching for "secrets".
World generation can take place from anywhere from 2 in game years to 10,000. The default is set to 1,050, trust me, that's enough.

You can customize every single aspect of how the world will form inside the world settings.

When the world is finally created (it may take from anywhere from a few seconds to hours!) You are ready to play! Well, almost. Now you get to pick either Dwarf Fortress, Adventure Mode, Arena mode or Legends mode.

Legends mode is a simple tool to look at every single aspect of your created world, you can dig through the past and find interesting stories. Not really a way to "play", but it lets you learn about the world.

Arena mode is a very interesting mode, it lets you test anything you want, including growing trees, raising the temperature or pitting hundreds of creatures with various equipment against each other (best thing ever, seriously) You can spawn magma and water and create obsidian walls. You can do whatever you please. Throw 100 blue whales onto a cat to see what happens if you want, it's all go here in the arena.

Adventure mode has been recently fleshed out into a more complicated and interactive mode then it previously was. You control a single character and can do whatever you want, go on an adventure or slay every living thing. Whatever you try, it's all possible.

Dwarf Mode is the main way to play the game. It has the most features and is the main mode that is in development. Simply put, you get 7 dwarves at the start and try to establish an outpost. You grow quickly and get migrants every session leading you to reach massive amounts of dwarves. 120 is the most popular amount as it lets you manage them easily enough and get plenty done with them too. It's not unheard of to have over 300, but your frame rate will suffer.

It may seem peaceful at first, but soon, your growing population and wealth attracts enemies, ranging from lone beasts and all the way up to huge sieges by goblins. Combat is one of the most detailed feature that has existed in video games. The body of a creature is simulated to every small detail, including the nails on its hands. There is a massive amount of weapons which can cause different damage to the body, for example; a sword can slash, stab or even pommel the enemy causing different damage according to where it hits. A stab to the heart is always lethal, while a simple cut to the hand can cause enough bleeding or pain to make them lose consciousness. Combat is truly a very well done feature in this title.

The main game may be great, but because Dwarf Fortress is moddable to massive degrees, the fun is endless and combinations amazing, visit the modding page to have a look, you'll be blown away.

People may complain about the "graphics" or "interface" of the game, but when you get used to them, it truly becomes a great game, rivaling other top rated games, but truly none can conquer Dwarf Fortress.

Conclusion:

It has much to offer but first you have to get past the graphics and learn how to play at all but you will surely be awarded. I would actually recommend that you use a tutorial at first, because it truly is a tough game to learn, And don't be afraid to post in the forums, they'll help you out in a pinch.
But if you're truly stuck, check out the book, it features ALL the ways you can improve your experience.
Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress: Learn to play the most complex video game ever made

#1 game, truly.

Get it here