Whilst I am sure we all enjoy diving into an all-new gaming IP to explore the exciting unknown, there is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing an established master expanding their world, which is exactly what Com2uS and NetEase have lined up with the upcoming release of Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice, produced in partnership with 11 bit studios. There are countless reasons to jump on into the game’s Early Access, but let’s start with these five.
You’re looking at an instant winner
Frostpunk mobile is building off quite the foundation. Created in partnership with 11 bit studios, the team behind the original Frostpunk, you know you can expect a fantastic society-survival game with the same style of immersive world building as its forebearer, and other meaningful hits such as This War of Mine.
If you need more proof of concept, Frostpunk itself is sitting strong with over three million copies sold and received some narrative award nods with nominations for the British Academy Film Awards and BAFTA Game Awards.
The story is gritty and gripping
Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice is set where most other dark narrative games find themselves, a horrifying post-apocalyptic world. It’s the Second Industrial Revolution taking place during an impending ice age, and the only thing keeping you and other survivors alive is a whacking great steam engine your life will revolve around.
Heat matters more than food now, and it will be your job to amass and conserve this precious resource. Try your best with what little there is to expand your territory, grow your city, and keep the people happy and healthy before the encroaching grasp of the big freeze wraps its frigid fingers around you.
In-depth strategy elements for managing your city
There is a huge range of elements to keep under control when developing your city, such as managing resources for heating, making sure your people have food, collecting taxes, and setting up workshops to produce various necessities.
As you develop your city you’ll find more demands placed on your pool of resources, so you’ll have to pick wisely and stay vigilant with your resource gathering. Fortunately, as you progress you’ll unlock automation systems for resource gathering and collection, as well as various additional content including specialized personnel recruitment and animal rescue.
Exclusive features to elevate the already beloved gameplay
The original Frostpunk was a tour de force in its own right, however, Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice is looking to step things up with some new and exclusive mobile features. To kick off, there will be more expedition content to enjoy, with a treasure trove of items to collect and events to encounter, which no doubt include your party not making it back.
At last, somebody is thinking about the animals in the apocalypse, with the new Animal Shelter, a collection-orientated quest, seeing you gathering and protecting endangered species. Finally, the Trade System will allow you to buy and sell much-needed items to give you a little bit more breathing room.
The chance to make a difference in development
It is always nice to feel like developers are listening to you, and Frostpunk mobile’s developers are dedicated to making sure the player’s voices are heard. That is why players in the US, UK and Philippines are invited to take part in the game’s Early Access.
Not only will you get a chance to be one of the first to enjoy the new mobile content, but you can also relay your thoughts and ideas back to the team. The developers have stated that they are eager to listen to and act on feedback from the player base to tweak the game before the global launch, which is a pretty classy move.
If you want to be one of the first to brave this new world of ever-shifting morals and constant threats, then be sure to participate in Early Access from the App Store and Google Play now. Early Access is scheduled to kick off on January 31st, so if you are in the US, UK, or Philippines, make sure you don’t miss out on steering the direction of development. You can also keep up to date with all of Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice’s latest developments by following the game’s official Website, Twitter/X and Instagram channels, as well as joining the game’s dedicated Discord channel.
