Frostpunk (Console Edition) First Impressions – PS4

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an impressions piece based on only a very few hours of the game. This is not a review.

My earliest memory of playing a city builder was Zoo Tycoon when I was a kid. I loved building up a massive zoo with exotic animals and awesome attractions. But, of course, like many a completely sane ten-year-old boys, my zoo was actually a trap to create a replica Jurassic Park. Once I reached the level in which I could purchase dinosaurs – I would block off all the exits, open the enclosures, and turn my loveable zoo into an all you can eat Long Pig buffet.

As you’ve probably rightly assumed, when I booted up Frostpunk on my Playstation 4 I immediately tried resorting to cannibalism. To my dismay, it’s remarkably hard to convince a tight-knit group of survivors to start eating each other five minutes after reaching what’s seemingly salvation… (Sigh) I guess I’ll just have to try again later.

Frostpunk is a post-apocalyptic city builder with survival elements developed and published by 11 Bit Studios. In this title you’re tasked with building up the last remaining city on earth, while fighting off not only hunger and the cruel elements but also your sadistic instincts.

Story

I’ve come to really enjoy the story of Frostpunk in the few hours I’ve played. The idea of a world freezing over and causing what’s left of civilization to migrate north is quite enticing. The easiest way to describe the setting is think Snowpiercer with less Chris Evans and more child labor. But the main difference between the two is the swapping of a gigantic life-saving train for an even more impressive coal-powered heater. 

Sadly, other than the opening sequence of mass exposition, I haven’t been given many more opportunities to learn about the world. On occasion one of my villagers will contract some terrible disease or ask me to send scouts out for their family – but that’s the extent so far. 

Gameplay

I could see how the controls and UI in Frostpunk would be at home on the PC or maybe a platform with a touch-screen. On the PlayStation 4, the menus can be unwieldy and hard to navigate. I constantly found myself accidentally exiting out of menus because of the plethora of different controls available to you. 

Luckily the overcrowded UI is completely overshadowed by the amount of fun I’ve had with the standard gameplay loop. I love having to balance not only the collection of precious resources and the needs of my people, but also watching out for what environmental hazards might be coming down the pipeline. These could be anything from low temperatures or storms that often throw my plans for a loop. 

Overall I’ve really enjoyed the six hours of Frostpunk that I’ve played. So much so that I’m eagerly awaiting my return to the game. While the story can be sparse at times and the sheer number of menus can be confusing, the gameplay loop constantly has me engaged and looking forward to the next time I can play. 

Frostpunk was provided by the game’s PR company but did not effect the opinions of this writer.