Frostpunk, which launched to much acclaim in 2018, is a fascinating, if decidedly gruelling, experience. It’s a sort of narrative-rich blend of survival sim and city builder, challenging players to stay alive and, as much as is possible in Frostpunk’s desolate sub-zero world, thrive. That’s done by establishing a settlement with a vast generator at its centre, a precariously fuel-hungry device intended to provide some degree of warmth for your population as, at your command, they set about scavenging the land for supplies needed to expand their new home. Unfortunately, the post-apocalyptic climate will grow ever-more severe and you’ll ultimately need to make some tough moral decisions - maybe you’ll put the children to work, or kill the sick - in order to keep your fledging civilisation from meeting an untimely end. “Frostpunk is spellbinding,” wrote Eurogamer’s Robert Purchase in his Recommended review back in 2018, “a breathless battle against the odds, oozing dark charisma and exquisite quality. The underpinning of survival and ever decreasing odds breathe so much drama into the formula as to make other city builders dull by comparison.” If you think you’ve got what it takes to shepherd your population through the long, hard winter, Frostpunk is free to add to your Epic Games Store library until next Thursday, 10th June.
