Survival game City 20 is The Sims set in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
I find myself increasingly turned off these days by simulations that boast of endless butterfly effects. I guess my misgivings can be boiled down to "a chain of dominoes is still a chain of dominoes even if it's 1000 metres in extent". Without some reason to care supplied by a narrative or broader question of theming and aesthetics, it all risks being admirable of execution but also like sheer technical maximalism - systems for the sake of systems. What do I care if I can make the 567th domino fall over by kicking the first? Still, I'm very interested to see more of City 20. In development since 2018, it's the work of Untold Games, a studio hitherto known for VR projects, location-based "immersive experiences" and ports of games such as Journey To The Savage Planet. As a piece of mechanics, it's a top-down sandbox survival experience with a highly reactive environment and procedural storytelling, influenced by the likes of Rimworld (and not, the developers insist, created using latter-day generative AI tools). As a story scenario, meanwhile, it's inspired by Cold War conspiracy theories about Soviet "secret cities" given over to uranium enrichment and nuclear experiments. The titular City 20 is one such burg, though not a direct recreation. As the game begins, a nuclear accident has led to a radiation spike and a partial evacuation: you play one of the poor suckers who didn't make the last bus out of town. Read more
I find myself increasingly turned off these days by simulations that boast of endless butterfly effects. I guess my misgivings can be boiled down to "a chain of dominoes is still a chain of dominoes even if it's 1000 metres in extent". Without some reason to care supplied by a narrative or broader question of theming and aesthetics, it all risks being admirable of execution but also like sheer technical maximalism - systems for the sake of systems. What do I care if I can make the 567th domino fall over by kicking the first?
Still, I'm very interested to see more of City 20. In development since 2018, it's the work of Untold Games, a studio hitherto known for VR projects, location-based "immersive experiences" and ports of games such as Journey To The Savage Planet. As a piece of mechanics, it's a top-down sandbox survival experience with a highly reactive environment and procedural storytelling, influenced by the likes of Rimworld (and not, the developers insist, created using latter-day generative AI tools). As a story scenario, meanwhile, it's inspired by Cold War conspiracy theories about Soviet "secret cities" given over to uranium enrichment and nuclear experiments. The titular City 20 is one such burg, though not a direct recreation. As the game begins, a nuclear accident has led to a radiation spike and a partial evacuation: you play one of the poor suckers who didn't make the last bus out of town.
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