Taur

Taur looked like an excellent game from the store page. Effective graphics, combat on a large scale with a lot of units, huge weaponry, multiple skill trees, trading, recruitment... So why were the reviews borderline bad?

Well, everything described is in the game, but... I think the best I could explain is that it just doesn't feel very rewarding to play. The game is advertised as a strategy and tower defense, and I'd say that's already a bit far from the truth. You literally are / have a giant tower that you must defend, which is a "tower defense" in a literal sense, but not as a game. There aren't any real-time strategy elements in the game, as your only action during gameplay is to fire this giant cannon. I'm sure there's some strategy involved in making the right decisions outside of combat - choosing the right upgrade paths, making sure your units don't die, picking the best missions - but they're not very complicated decisions, nor do they feel that impactful to the game. Most decisions are pretty good, so as long as you pick something, your war machine is getting stronger, and you just let it do its job, and fill the menial task of firing the cannon.
I say menial, because despite the cool lasers, energy shields, projectiles and explosions, the combat lacks the polish to really feel good. I'm firing a giant laser or huge mortar shells at enemies, but it doesn't feel like I am. It's a bit difficult to describe, because it's not that it doesn't have a numerical effect, it's just that the visual feedback is lacking.

I don't really have any big negatives to point out, but I think you'd understand why I say this game doesn't feel rewarding to play if you tried it. It feels lacking the mayhem you'd expect from such a scale, and it's definitely lacking in actual gameplay. Shooting the big turret feels the same in your first battle as your last, and I don't feel I'm executing any strategy as I upgrade my defences through the levels. With all that in mind, I can't recommend Taur.