In a world gripped by an unprecedented ice age, humanity's survival hinges on the ingenuity of steam-powered technology. As the leader of the last bastion of civilization, you are tasked with managing both the city's infrastructure and the desperate citizens who inhabit it. This is a city-building survival game where every decision carries immense weight, forcing you to confront difficult moral choices in the face of overwhelming adversity.

The Frozen Frontier: Setting and Atmosphere

The game plunges players into a desolate, frozen landscape where the biting cold is a constant, lethal threat. The atmosphere is one of grim determination and perpetual struggle. Players must establish and maintain a central generator, the sole source of warmth and power, around which a new society must be built. The visual design emphasizes the stark beauty of the frozen world and the utilitarian, often desperate, nature of the structures erected to combat the elements.

Core Gameplay Mechanics: Building and Surviving

At its heart, this is a strategy and simulator experience focused on resource management and societal development. Players must gather essential resources like coal, wood, and steel to construct buildings, maintain the generator's heat output, and provide for their citizens' needs. The gameplay loop involves balancing the immediate demands of survival with long-term planning for expansion and technological advancement.

Key mechanics include:

Heat Management: Ensuring the central generator provides adequate warmth to prevent citizens from succumbing to the cold is paramount.
Law and Order: Players must enact laws and establish social policies to maintain order and productivity, often facing ethical dilemmas.
Hope and Discontent: Citizen morale is a critical factor. Low hope or high discontent can lead to societal collapse.
Exploration: Venturing into the frozen wilderness is necessary to discover resources, survivors, and understand the history of the world.

The Weight of Leadership: Moral Dilemmas

What truly sets this game apart is the constant pressure to make difficult ethical choices. Players will be presented with scenarios that challenge the very definition of a just society. Will you resort to child labor to increase resource output? Will you implement harsh punishments to maintain order? These decisions have tangible consequences, shaping the future of your city and the character of its leader.

What decisions will you make to ensure survival?

The game presents a series of challenging scenarios, each with its own unique narrative and objectives. Success requires not only strategic planning but also a willingness to make sacrifices and confront the darker aspects of human nature when pushed to the brink.

Exploration and Discovery

Beyond the city's immediate confines lies a frozen, unknown world. Sending out scouting parties is crucial for finding new resources, encountering other survivors, and uncovering the lore of this post-apocalyptic setting. These expeditions can yield vital supplies or lead to unexpected encounters, adding a layer of exploration to the strategic city-building.

Who will you become in the process?

The game explores the psychological toll of leadership in extreme circumstances. The choices made will define the kind of society you create and the leader you become. The narrative is driven by these player-driven decisions, leading to multiple potential outcomes and a deeply personal experience.

Game Information

This title is a main game, released on April 24, 2018. It is available on PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, and Xbox One. The genres include Simulator, Strategy, and Indie.