This is the third week in a row that the Epic Games Store has given away a mystery game for fans to claim, with the first one being NBA 2K21, followed by Among Us. This week's title is a survival, city-building strategy game called Frostpunk, which has enjoyed quite a lot of success since its initial release back in 2018.
The fact that the Epic Games Store is offering free mystery games is a strategy adopted to have players hyped, or at least curious, about the upcoming title, sparking discussions and speculation about it, and having players check the store more often. For now, this approach seems like one that's reaping the desired results, and with largely appreciated games the caliber of NBA 2K21, Among Us, and Frostpunk, it is plausible that Epic will have similar titles up in the future. Frostpunk is a complex game, however, and the strategic aspect is very deep, which makes for a unique experience while playing.
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Frostpunk was developed by 11 Bit Studios, the same developers who worked on the critically acclaimed This War of Mine. The premise of Frostpunk is that gamers play as a character called the Captain, who leads a limited group of survivors mainly comprising engineers, workers, and children. The game has a peculiar setting, which is an alternate history starting in 1886, after the eruption of a few volcanos combined with other significant events have started a global winter, and now generators are the most important resource mankind has.
Players can harvest supplies and materials to maintain warm temperatures in their city, considering the heat and cold baseline temperatures are the main things to balance in the game for successful Frostpunk runs. Some buildings cannot function properly if their temperatures drop, and some will fare better if placed near the center of the city, which is the coal-based generator. Common threats players will have to face are political issues caused by not being able to achieve survival goals, general illness or outbreaks, the delicate balance of implementing laws, the risk of coups, and forsaking common human values to follow a specific purpose.
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As a matter of fact, one of the most unique and intriguing aspects of Frostpunk is that it explores the boundaries of survival from a moral and psychological standpoint. Players will have to choose whether or not to have children work, for example, or if they should impose heavy laws to punish those who are discontent with the management of things, or even publicly execute thieves, for example. This adds an extra challenge to the survival genre, as there are many possible endings in Frostpunk, with "good" ones being those during which mankind doesn't cross the line in order to survive the harsh, deep winter.
Players can create religions, and they are encouraged to find means to give the people of the last city on Earth hope for the future and for their lives. Despite the setting, the technological advancement players can achieve is unparalleled, with automatons doing the work for humans and airships patrolling the sky. While resource management is as important here as it is in similar games, the influence of This War of Mine shows in Frostpunk, which is a great title to grab for free.
Frostpunk is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.