This game was a disappointment, and it weighed on me doubly so because it's based on an idea I love.

Hinterland is one-part Diablo-style action game, and one-part village-management. Essentially, you go around a randomly-generated map, fighting monsters and trying to find resources to sustain a village. At the same time, you're recruiting villagers to your humble land who can then set up shop as tailors or blacksmiths or guards. These villagers, regardless of profession, can also be armed with gear and set up to defend their village during monster raids or adventure with the player in a party.

However, it is SUCH a shallow experience. The graphics are visibly of bargain-basement quality (as you can see from the screenshots). Combat devolves to pointing and clicking, then watching your adventuring party (you can only ever control one) beat up whatever is in the area. Worst of all, the village you build up becomes supremely underwhelming when everything it produces are far outshone by loot from the wilderness. The loot itself is never visually appealing or causes satisfying effects beyond making damage numbers higher.

Personally, I have always wanted a game village that takes an active part in the player's game. After all, has a NPC farmer ever asked you to kill 5 rats? Haven't you ever wanted him to kill his own damn rats? You have pitchforks! You have hammers! Fight with me against the enemy hordes! Don't just squat in your stinky huts with exclamation marks over your heads, waiting for Almighty Player to save your stinky hides!

This game took a few small steps towards an interesting idea, and then plopped down and went no further. Tragic.

I was sold on the concept, but that's all there is in this game. Everything feels bare bone. The random world is mostly just random monster placement in a mostly flat world. Monster lair will spawn monsters that will run a straight line towards your town and that's about it. Town building is simply hiring people that show up and give them a building to live in. There is little interaction between people in town other than some people require some other building first.

Ultimately the game feels too shallow to worth the price I paid for it (which is 20 USD at the time), it's now only 10 dollars, but I personally still wouldn't spend money on it.

It's unusual game. Mix of H&S and city builder in oldschool style and in my opinion it's very good idea. What is quite unusual, when you play in this title, you feel like playing some board game. Interesting title for oldschool players.
Might be more polished and potential is not fully exploited, but it is still good game. I wish that second, better part will be developed.

Genre-blurring of a town builder and action RPG that hits the mark.

Thinking quickly is combined with thinking strategically.

This game offers replay value as you try the different difficulty levels and different starting options and paths to victory.

A sequel to this game would have unlimited potential.

I also recommend a game called Dungeon Village which is a mobile game.

Feels very 90's. Pretty basic, even for an RPG. The town building elements (for resources) adds an extra dimension to the usual hack n slash. Very repetitive, and the various races / roles just change a few variables, no major differences.