Hexlands

Prospectus

Hexlands is a relaxing 3D adventure RPG where everything happens by itself: walk up to a tree, a rock or a monster and your hero chops, mines and fights automatically. Your job is to explore. Start in a tiny village on a green meadow and buy new land one hex at a time. Further islands hide better ore, new monsters and workshops that turn raw materials into planks, bricks, bars and gems. Somewhere beyond the last bridge lies the Lost Crown. What you will find: - 13 islands and 500 hexes: meadow, desert, swamp, autumn woods, canyon, frostlands, jungle, graveyard, volcano and more - 13 bridge guardians to defeat, and toll gates that open shortcuts between islands - Day and night: at night you only see what your lantern lights up, and monsters grow bolder - Weather: rain, snow and volcanic embers - Pets hatched from eggs: beaver, mole, fox, owl, turtle and drake, each with its own job - Workshops: sawmill, kiln, loom, smelter, mint, gem cutter, tannery and an alchemist brewing five potions - Dungeons with side rooms, a champion and a treasure chest - Upgrades: tools, sword, armour and lantern at the Forge, permanent blessings at the Shrine, a perk on every level - Traders, a wandering merchant, quests, giant resource titans and supply drops Easy to pick up, hard to put down. Your progress is saved automatically.

How it plays

Your goal is to reach the Lost Crown on the far side of the world. Move with WASD or the arrow keys on desktop, or drag anywhere on a touch screen. Your hero chops trees, mines rocks and fights monsters automatically when you stand next to them. Stand on a glowing circle to pay for a new hex and unlock it. Turn raw materials into better ones at workshops, upgrade your tools, sword, armour and lantern at the Forge, hatch pets at the Nest and defeat the guardian on each bridge to enter a new island. At night you only see what your lantern lights up. Press E or tap the bubble to open buildings and traders.

Opening an account with this game takes one press: Open the holding, above, and it loads on this page itself — nothing downloads and no form stands between you and the first decision. It is drawn for a flexible screen and takes its instructions from mouse, keyboard or touch, as the game prefers. It adjusts itself to upright and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all present it properly. If a fullscreen control is offered, take it — a growing enterprise deserves the whole desk.

Analyst's notes for simulation holdings

• Learn the loop before optimising it. Every simulation is a circle — earn, spend, expand, earn more — and the players who last are the ones who found the circle's slow point early.
• Watch one full cycle without touching anything. A simulation confesses its priorities when left alone: whatever runs out first is what the designer wants you managing.
• Small inefficiencies compound faster than big ones. A route that wastes ten seconds every cycle costs more than a disaster that happens once, so audit the routine before the dramatic.

Hexlands — questions from the readership

What does it cost to open Hexlands?

Nothing, at any point. The holding is free from the first click to the last upgrade — no account to open, no download to wait for, no paywall filed anywhere in its pages. The advertising around this page is what pays the bookkeeping.

What kind of game is Hexlands, exactly?

We file it on the Simulation shelf of the ledger. It is a browser game through and through — the prospectus above is the publisher's own summary of what the game asks of you and what it gives back.

Can I play Hexlands on a phone or tablet?

Yes — it runs in the browser on phones and tablets just as it does on a computer. It adjusts itself to upright and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all present it properly.

Is there anything to download or install first?

Nothing at all. Hexlands is an HTML5 game: press the open button and it loads on this very page, and closing the tab leaves nothing behind on your device.

Closing entry

Finished the audit, or still mid-season? The full Simulation shelf is one click away — The ledger's main hall: 302 simulations of everything from bus routes to burger counters to entire small lives. If it can be run, staffed, watered or worried over, somebody has simulated it and filed it here.