Alt-history city builder Kaiserpunk returns with a second public playtest
Alt-history city builder Kaiserpunk returns with a second public playtest
From Tropico to Manor Lords, strategic city builders have experienced a renaissance lately. The best building games on PC range from outer-space odysseys to dystopian survival stories.
And a new contender for most visually stunning take on the genre has just shown up. Currently being developed by Overseer Games, Kaiserpunk is returning with a massive new Steam playtest.
What would we do if given the chance to rewrite modern history? That is the intriguing premise of Kaiserpunk, a city-building game that lets players change the course of the latest century. Set in an alternative 1900s world, this grand strategy city builder is all about turning a city-state into a sprawling empire – by brute force, if necessary.
In its early stages, Kaiserpunk focuses on managing logistics and production chains, with players setting up the infrastructures and factories required to ensure the growth of their population and financial resources.
As they move forward, players will unlock new and upgraded buildings – alongside new tech allowing them to beef up their military power and conquer over 100 neighboring regions. Turning their microstate into a global powerhouse calls for strategic thinking to forge opportunistic alliances and negotiate trade deals, all while navigating the penalties and bonuses that come with each region.
Wielding their economic power as a warmongering weapon, players can battle rival factions on land and sea, or take their armies into the air. However, every decision weighs heavily on the story, leading to game-changing repercussions across time.
Already quite promising on paper, Kaiserpunk is getting polished even further by the team overseeing the project. In a recent Steam blog post, devs shared their excitement for a second playtest meant to be a “true window” into the game’s final look and core gameplay.
Addressing the feedback gathered during their first Alpha playtest, which lasted two days in late July, developers announced that the game had evolved into a “feature-rich experience” boasting reworked systems and brand-new mechanics.
This extensive list of changes contains new social pillars unique to the nation’s ideological and political background. In practice, players will be able to select their heritage, picking either Germany, Russia, or Western Allies. Other key features include army specialization, advanced Tier 3 production, and a revamped combat system.
With the introduction of a diplomacy system, war won’t be the only recourse for players who’d rather subdue their enemies more subtly. Additionally, new branching narratives will mean more stories for them to explore – and more meaningful choices to make to shape the future of their logistical and militaristic powerhouse in the making.
Running until December 3rd, this second public playtest will lay the groundwork for the studio’s finishing touches on an ambitious new addition to the city-building genre. With its 1900s setting, Kaiserpunk is all set to expand the list of similarly-themed builders like Anno 1800.
The game’s aesthetics may also place it in the same category as dystopian management games like Frostpunk, reinforcing the industry’s recent hype for all things steampunk and gritty. From The Order: 1886 to Final Fantasy VI, steampunk is in fashion in the gaming medium.
Even the iGaming sector has jumped on this retro-futuristic bandwagon with software publishers like 888 developing slot machines such as Steampunk Nation. Gamers can pick and choose more free slots with no download online.
Top platforms offer thousands of options in their catalog, which require no registration. Players can enjoy a quick session on the go or explore an extensive lobby of thematically diverse games, filtering them by theme, functionalities, or popularity.
Once familiar with their mechanics, gamers can even claim promotional deals like free spins and no-deposit bonuses to switch to real-money play on mobile or PC while waiting to get their hands on the next game of strategy to sink hours into.
2025 looks packed on the city-building front. Exclusive to PC, the alternate-history city builder Kaiserpunk will take players through the tumultuous 20th century. This grand strategy title is scheduled to drop on February 27. Other exciting releases are on the horizon for city-building fans. Coming in 2025, Anno 117: Pax Romana is bringing the franchise to Ancient Rome.
Based on equally complex supply chain management, Whiskerwood will put a fresh spin on the genre by exploring the rivalry between humble mice and their cat overlords. Other titles are also worth discovering for gamers eagerly awaiting the release of Kaiserpunk, including the story-driven management game Technotopia blending Art Nouveau aesthetics with innovative deckbuilding mechanics.