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New Cycle

Platform(s): PC
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Developer: Core Engage

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'New Cycle' Available On Steam Early Access - Trailer

by Rainier on Jan. 18, 2024 @ 10:58 a.m. PST

New Cycle is a survival/base-builder that takes place 50 years after a devastating solar flare.

New Cycle is a dieselpunk-inspired city-builder with an emphasis on survival. You are the leader of a small group of settlers seeking refuge after a catastrophic solar flare desolated the Earth. You start with only a basic settlement, a few hungry workers, and many unfulfilled needs. Over time, as your population grows, new challenges for your colony will emerge — fluctuations in morale, disease outbreaks, power losses, and resource demands will all test your capabilities as a leader. Nothing is ever certain, but each new day is another opportunity to rebuild what was lost and return humanity’s dominion over the earth.

At the start of the game, you begin a new era for humankind, a new cycle. You have a rudimentary habitat, a few citizens to aid you, and a land rich with resources for you to harvest and process. Your primary goal is to advance your settlement and establish a foundation for survival while gradually advancing your capabilities through re-discovered knowledge and research. With each new level of technological advancement, your possibilities expand. However, as you advance, you must contend with the demands and risks inherent in the challenging task of rebuilding.

A feature of New Cycle that sets itself from other base builders in this genre, is the extremely volatile seasonal cycle. With the unique crisis component around the sun and climate changes reminiscent of today’s ecological concerns, New Cycle honors the existing elements while entertaining innovation in light of the new world and circumstances. The solar flare has devastated the world resulting in unpredictable weather conditions throughout the year. As Chief, players must learn how to anticipate and quickly adapt to these changes to ensure survival of their society. 

Despite meticulous planning, raw material shortages are unavoidable as you harvest the vicinity of your town. To avoid bottlenecks that harm your complex production cycles you have to adapt quickly to such changes through the introduction of new technologies and through expeditions into unexplored regions. A continuous income of basic resources will keep your steadily growing population fed and happy. But no matter how carefully you plan your production chains, random events, and disasters can strike suddenly, including debilitating sandstorms disrupting power supplies, rampant flu outbreaks decimating your workforce, or an old warship showing up in your bay with its mysterious crew threatening your town.

In order for your city to succeed you must recognize the well-being and health of your workforce in production planning. Overworking residents leads to dissatisfaction, generally higher susceptibility to illness, and more errors while working, which can lead to fires. A dissatisfied population with low morale performs suboptimally, leading to supply and production bottlenecks over time. Ultimately, if the working conditions stay unacceptable for too long you also have to deal with residents leaving your town, so it’s best to always check on your worker's morale.

Core Engage and Daedalic Entertainment announced that New Cycle is now available through Steam Early Access.

Early Access features two different gameplay modes (campaign and sandbox), three different biomes, 54 buildings, 47 producible resources, three classes of society, eight different stages of development, and an inventory of 3D assets divided into three main eras and art style approaches.

Core Engage will continue to keep community feedback in mind through the Early Access period in the overall development progress.

Key Features:

  • Collect and Survive off the Land: Following a devastating solar flare, players will need to teach their people how to survive off the Earth’s gifts. Forage, mine, or trade to build up a resource cycle to stand up to any challenge presented by the New World. 
  • Face an Uncaring World: The eroded atmosphere of the New World presents an extremely fickle seasonal cycle. Watch out for destructive events that may bring unforeseen challenges to your settlement. 
  • Lead Your People: Not only are the citizens your primary resource, they will also be your devoted followers. Support them in any way you can, manage their morale, efficiency, and workforce size. However, don’t let the role of Chief get to your head and leave your followers in disarray. 
  • Sculpt Your Settlement: Take this second chance at life to rise from the ashes to build up to a new metropolis. Go from footpaths up to factories to create a city worthy of your capability as a leader. 
  • Move Humanity Forward: Overcome obstacles by developing forgotten technologies, and enacting unifying societal rules. Some of these advancements may be essential in propagating life on Earth as a whole. 

Currently available through Steam Early AccessNew Cycle is in development for PC (Steam).


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