New Cycle Blends The Familiarity Of City Builders And Survival Games To Create Something New

New Cycle is a post-apocalyptic game where the world is beginning to rebuild itself. It’s still in early access, but there are a multitude of familiar and new systems to learn. The environment and weather also provide challenges that ramp up over time. This keeps the game interesting. At least while new things are being introduced. The NPCs have enough personality that it’s something to look forward to when a narrative pop-up appears.

There are the expected city builder mechanics. The extra survival gameplay adds a unique challenge. It does require a lot of micromanaging, from exactly which resources and how much to gather to where buildings are placed. Mistakes early on can become overwhelming issues. On one hand, it helps immersion because players can’t immediately turn their brain off. It can also become tedious and overly stressful if a settlement starts to fall apart.

New Cycle lets players zoom in, going so far as having a first person mode. This leads to more of an attachment than usual to the people moving around. The changing weather graphics add a touch of realism to this bleak world. There’s a sandbox mode so players can either play at their own pace, or learn the ropes before starting a campaign. This game leans heavily into the strategy side though the narrative is alright on its own.

This probably isn’t going to be a game for more casual players. New Cycle also isn’t a hardcore survival game either. If the rough patches of an early access game aren’t a deterrent, it’s worth an attempt at least. Random events can destroy buildings and tank morale but seeing a good layout and resource management payoff is extremely satisfying. Starting over is frustrating though the randomness never feels impossible to overcome. New Cycle has a good foundation set and fun enough gameplay that shows a lot of potential.