In celebration of the impending release of Frostpunk (due April 24), indie devs 11 bit studios are letting you play their last hit – 2014’s harrowing This War of Mine – for free on Steam until Sunday.
This War of Mine should probably be on our list of the best indie games on PC. I’d better see someone about that.
Inspired by the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian war, This War of Mine casts you as a group of civilians trying to survive. You’ll need to gather resources – but only at night, for fear of snipers – and make heart-wrenching decisions about how to allocate those resources to keep your people alive. It sounds like Frostpunk will be similarly harrowing, but within the city builder genre and in a more fantastical setting.
This War of Mine is randomised with every playthrough, to keep things interesting if you want to try again. It’s rated overwhelmingly positive (95%) on Steam and recently passed 2.5 million copies sold. Affirming 11 bit’s commitment to alleviating the very real tragedies their game depicts, funds raised through DLC sales are donated to the War Child children’s charity.
If you’re interested – and you should be – head to the Steam page. It’s a quick and easy download, and (did we mention?) free until Sunday, April 8 – perfect for the weekend. If you’d like to keep it, its usual price of £14.99 ($19.99) has a huge 70% discount until April 9.