Frostpunk: Game of the Year Edition

I buy a lot of games searching for that certain feeling - the feeling of being totally immersed in the game and having all of my emotions tied into it. The feeling of having time go by and you don't even notice it. Most games fail. Or they fail within a short period of time. Frostpunk does not fail. It somehow manages to make you work hard enough to link you into the storyline without micromanaging every little thing . I have played so many hours on it now and I am eagerly awaiting Frostpunk 2.

This game has a really good interesting way of telling a story, with city-builder and survivor game mechanics. This game has different difficulty levels. The easier modes really emphasis on organic gameplay and the extreme difficulty really sets you up to min-max your games. Its hard and punishing, and your decisions is impactful. "The book of laws" sets this game aside from other games, this enhances the feeling of choice the game gives you. However the game feels fair and not once in over 50h of gameplay did I feel bad about a failure, just that I had to try again with more severe "laws" Music in this game is well made for the different moods you face when playing it. The sound effects are made to help you, when things get hectic and confusing. The sound and music build up the experience of this game. Visually this game leans into steampunk and really does it justice. The art-style is timeless and still gives the early 2000's videogame nostalgic. The building itself can be somewhat clunky and sometimes the geometry can screw you over. Still this is just a minor complaint and does not drag the game down. "New home" scenario acts like a really good in-game tutorial. This scenario is by far the most perfected by 11-bit studios. "The Arc" on the other hand is the least impactful scenario of all the scenarios 11-bit has made for this game. "Refugees" and "Fall of Winterhome" scenario have interesting stories and gameplay mechanics, and choices to make. "Last Autumn" this DLC is really worth it! The gameplay mechanic for this scenario is tweaked up, and really lets you punish the game back, if the game punishes you. The choices and laws you can pass in this scenario is BRILLIANT. "On the edge" is a dessert scenario for this game. Its a shorter and more condensed story, with new gameplay elements. This scenario is probably the best one to learn how to play survivor mode. Frostpunk is a gem!

One of the best games I've ever played but be warned, it can be VERY difficult. Maybe I'm just bad, but I can't beat the Last Autumn story even on easy. :( Also know that since it is very good and challenging that you'll probably want to set a time limit to how long you play. 6-10 hour sessions are the norm for me and I kinda had to stop playing for awhile because I wasn't getting any sleep between Frostpunk and work. Amazing game, I'd recommend it any day!

Got my free copy from the EGS giveaway, and holy crap this game is fun. Fun as in it will entertain you and drive you nuts, untill you finally figure out the most efficient way to complete the quests before you try upping the difficulty on endless mode. This game is a city/survival manager, but its also quite a puzzle game too! The main quests are guided missions that will challenge you to reach certain goals in a limited amount of time while dealing with different problems. They are all certainly winnable on normal difficulty once you learn the tricks to master micromanagement (I HATE leaving a heater on when the workers have already left for the day!). Endless mode comes in 3 flavors, survive the storms with your city, build a generator, or mild survival mode. There are 4 levels of difficulty that can be mixed as you please, and a toggle for random problems adds more head scratching if you want more challenge. Some of the social tech tree choices are near useless (child shelters, duels, ration healing come to mind) and the faith tree is lolOP vs order, but it is interesting to try each to see how your run differs. The rifts is the worst DLC of the bunch, its just one map in endless mode that makes you build expensive bridges to access needed early wood/steel/coal/steam core/deposits, but having to plan around what order to build them makes it somewhat worthwhile. Last Autumn was a cool challenge, you build the city generator instead of managing it and have new social tech trees to ponder over. The outpost DLC was pretty good, it's a semi-role playing quest where your town is a iron outpost instead of a generator city, so no automatons and limited self reliance will have your noggin joggin' plenty. Frostpunk is pretty, never crashes, has a great soundtrack, and will frustrate you to no end while you learn all the tricks. 5/5.

This game just gives you those post-apocalyptic vibes to the max. It is at heart a survival city building journey set in an era of essentially the beginning of an ice-age. Humanity is in the steam era, think the industrial revolution end of 18th century - beginning of the 19 the century, of their development, and must survive as a species. The enemy is the COLD, ever increasing in intensity, rarely giving a reprieve. As the player, you need to manage scarce resources, develop and research technologies that help you manage the cold, but most importantly you need to manage your small community, And here is the big challenge, because people need things in order the survive, like shelter, food and rest and of course a goal, something to believe in: law and order, or religion to keep everybody in check, albeit chaos, disorder and failure awaits the player. Visually, it is a stunning looking game, the music plays into the atmosphere of dread, hardship, and survival. You actually feel for the people and their struggles. And it is up to you to guide them and help them overcome the increasing cold.