With the possible exception of the odd nuclear war, Civilization has always been a rather optimistic, aspirational game – even the main theme for Civilization VI, Sogno di Volare, is about gazing into the sky and dreaming of a brighter future. But what if it all goes wrong? Well, then you have a 4X game like Punk Wars, which is due out later this year.
Punk Wars is, like the Civilization series, about competing for territory and resources in a hex-based world. This world looks quite a bit grubbier than the one you explore in Civilization – it’s already been destroyed by the short-sightedness of societies that came before, and the earth has been transformed into the kind of barren hellscape familiar to anyone who’s watched a Mad Max movie or two.
Punk Wars has heavy emphasis on combat, and your tactics will depend on which flavour of survivor civilisation you pick. There are the hopeful steampunks, the darker and mysterious dieselpunks, the disciplined and regimental steelpunks, and the technology-obsessed atompunks. Each one has its own distinct visual style, which you can pick out in the trailer below.
We like the contrast between the blasted wasteland and the bright ’60s-style sci-fi arcologies of the atompunks, in particular.
Each faction has its own idea of what a “brighter future” looks like, and you’ll pursue different approaches to scientific innovations with each one.
Punk Wars is scheduled for launch some time in 2021, but you’ll be able to try out a demo during the Steam Next Fest, which kicks off June 16.