Brand new "dieselpunk" city builder New Cycle showcases gameplay ahead of early access
Solar eclipse of the heart.
Developer Core Engage and publisher Daedalic Entertainment have shared a gameplay overview of upcoming city builder New Cycle ahead of its release into early access next week.
New Cycle is described as dieselpunk by Core Engage, as the player is tasked with rebuilding society following a "global catastrophe" caused by solar flares. Settlements begin as very basic and players must progress into industrialisation, then capitalism, all whilst tackling the challenges thrown at them by the environment.
The gameplay overview takes us through each of these stages briefly, showing the transformation from a small hunter-gatherer settlement, to a larger industrial town with electricity and factories, before expanding and building a railway to enable trade and tourism.
Residents will also need to be managed via their morale, efficiency, and workforce size stats. Failing to keep workers happy will cause efficiency to decrease, and can eventually result in a mass exodus and even an uprising against the player.
All of this needs to be juggled alongside random events such as flu outbreaks, threats from outsiders, and more solar storms. Although survival is the primary goal, players will also need to consider which technological advancements are worth undertaking to ensure the future of humans on the planet.
New Cycle is set to hit early access on Steam on 18th January and will have two gameplay modes - campaign and sandbox - to choose from. In these, players can choose between three different biomes, each with individual advantages and disadvantages which provide varying levels of difficulty. The game's core mechanics, including a social class system and production tree, will all be fully implemented in early access. According to the game's Steam page, Core Engage expects New Cycle to remain in early access for one to two years.