Terrific castle-building sim Cataclismo is being transformed into a chunky strategy boardgame, care of a paid Old Kingdom expansion

Out 20th August

Image credit: Hooded Horse

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by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell News Editor

Published on July 23, 2026

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Excellent real-time castle defender Cataclismo is getting a DLC expansion, The Old Kingdom, which transforms it into a hex-based strategy boardgame. Players must hexpand from citadel to citadel, shoring up supply lines and unlocking technology while fending off the minions of the Mist. Please aim your Lobbers and Cannoneers at this trailer.

It's sort of the Cataclismo equivalent of Darkest Dungeon 2's Kingdoms mode, unfolding on a papery war table with books and playing pieces. And it goes hand-in-hand with that good, good block-building functionality that drove a gesticulating Nic Reuben (RPS in peace) to write about staircases in language more befitting of Lumiere the Candlestick singing about table service.

Speaking of language, I should disclose that former RPS contributor Brendy wrote words for Cataclismo. My writing words about his words represents a potential conflict of interest, but please rest assured that I loathe Brendy, co-founder of diseased internet hovel Jank.cool, and have many times generously invited him to go jump in the sea.

Anyway, back to The Old Kingdom. To spell it out a little, this appears to be the classic Total War split between a turn-based overworld and real-time clashes on the ground. Publishers Hooded Horse offer this summary:

"Venture forth to reclaim a lost kingdom in a new strategic game mode where players must expand their domain through multiple citadels, growing the realm’s economy and military might turn by turn. Manage and dispatch troops between sites, sending crucial reinforcements to vulnerable points and delivering vital supplies to where they’re needed most. Build up defenses across multiple fortresses to hold back the onslaught of horrors from the Mist, which grow stronger with each passing day. Unlock vital technologies that enable powerful abilities that will help win the ultimate victory!"

We never got round to doing a full review of Cataclismo, but not for want of enjoyment. Here is a representative excerpt from Nic's wallgasm: "The RTS-meets-tower-defence of its wave survival is sturdy and satisfying; its economic management tense and fraught with tight calls." The Old Kingdom expansion will launch on PC via Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store on August 20th.