Marketing itself as the first society-survival game, Frostpunk puts players in control of one of the last cities on Earth after a global catastrophe plunges the planet into a perpetual winter. Steam power is now the only way to keep the cold at bay, and players will have to creatively utilize this resource to keep their city safe.
As the city ruler, players will need to carefully balance their time between managing citizen’s wants and essentials and building additional infrastructure for the city. These two opposing needs will test the player’s moral code, much like in developer 11 bit studios’ previous game, This War of Mine. The most practical leadership strategies will rarely coincide with empathetic solutions. Additionally, decisions that appear to be black and white on the surface may hold deeper nuance further down the line. Players will constantly have to be thinking ahead and preparing for what might come.
Frostpunk isn’t just about city building though. The game comes equipped with a single-player campaign where events of the story will change and evolve depending on the player’s actions. Anything and everything can influence the overall narrative, from the layout of the city to the laws that are issued (and whether they’re subsequently observed or ignored). The player will venture outside of his or her own city limits too. Exploring the icy tundra and frigid plains will reveal clues that offer hints to how the world ended up a frozen wasteland.
Many city building games focus on physical expansion, but Frostpunk takes a different approach when it comes to crafting a civilization. Rather than just pushing the player to find a means to keep their in-game people and society alive, Frostpunk asks gamers to find a reason for their people to live. The game tackles “Why?” as opposed to “How?” when it comes to living. 11 bit studios did a marvelous job tackling “Why should we survive?” in This War of Mine, so there’s little doubt Frostpunk will be able to do the same.
Watch Frostpunk in action:
You can play Frostpunk right now on Steam, GOG, and Humble Store. If you need any help surviving the endless winter and keeping everyone around you happy, check out our official Frostpunk Wiki.