REVIEW : Before We Leave (PC)
After all, this is a whole genre based around the notion of settling new land and establishing a vibrant community there. But Before We Go, from Dunedin-based Balancing Monkey Games, takes a different approach: instead of sending an expedition to claim disputed or “uncharted” territory, it’s all about reclaiming what was stripped from you.
Each game begins with a small group of “Peeps” emerging from a hidden bunker. Many years ago, a series of disasters drove the people underground, and now that the dust has settled on the surface, they are ready to return and regain their land, though with little knowledge of what life above ground is like. Their agricultural knowledge is confined to growing potatoes, and nearly all of their ancestors’ technical knowledge has been lost.
Before We Leave lays the groundwork for the things that motivate the settler school of city-builders: the sense of adventure as you conquer foreign territory, and the peculiar strategic challenges of growing a new settlement into a flourishing civilisation. Whereas most other games take a colonialist stance, whether directly or indirectly, whether by confrontation with other civilisations or attempting to tame the natural order of an alien world Before We Leave reframes such mechanics as a phase of decolonisation. It’s about reclaiming your land, not stealing a piece of someone else’s.
Here, new scientific advancements are discovered by excavating your Peeps’ ancestral experience from the remains of what was left behind when they were pushed underground. Rather than relying on limited natural resources, the stone and iron needed to rebuild your civilization are extracted from the ruins of pre-apocalyptic cities and ancient machinery. The role is the same as in any other civilisation-building game, but this time it is portrayed as your people reconnecting with their history and property.
This sentiment applies also to the idea of “colonising” other worlds, which is one of the more unusual aspects of Before We Leave’s architecture. Each planet is relatively small and can be fully explored in a couple of hours on its own, but the discovery of an old rocket somewhere on your first planet opens the door to space travel research, allowing you to expand your civilization to neighbouring planets, with the strategic and resource flow challenges that come with that.
Before We Leave comes from the same school of thought as it takes a nonviolent approach to a genre that often uses violence as at least part of its main loop. There are no competing cultures to battle, no lethal monsters to threaten new cities, and no animals to hunt.
The problem is that waste builds up over time, and there are no easy remedies for cleaning. If so many high-waste buildings are stacked together, no amount of trees or cleaners would be able to clean it up. Instead, Before We Leave encourages you to have this balance in mind from the start, preventing emissions from accumulating in the first place by including anti-pollutant space in every new structure and making the most of naturally occurring trees.
This environmental component, combined with the method by which Before We Leave generates its islands and planets, results in an intriguing strategic factor to town planning. In the grand scheme of things, islands are comparatively small and usually have a large number of trees taking up precious land space. Large open spaces where you can freely construct to your interests are uncommon, and although you can cut down trees when necessary, it’s best to avoid doing so as much as possible, instead of working in and around the existing natural woodlands. As a result, the game transforms each new section of the city into a puzzle of sorts, adding weight to any decision on where and how to create.
Before We Leave, in other words, isn’t drastically different from the games that influenced it, but the environmental emphasis and anti-colonialist framing give it a new, refreshing twist. This is combined with a sweet art style that is not aggressively twee, but rather warm and wholesome, to suit the game’s overall relaxed nature. That isn’t to suggest there won’t be challenges if you choose them. Micromanaging all of the various moving parts of a growing civilisation can be a complex and challenging job, particularly on higher difficulties, but it comes without undue stress.
Scenarios also add some interesting twists for those looking for more of a challenge, with each one using its own set of rules and win/lose conditions. One begins with all studied technology and a massive amount of money, but with a strict time limit to travel from one world to the next as a Space Whale bears down on you. Another has you dealing with population levels that are out of reach when new Peeps emerge all the time and must be accommodated. One especially amusing one, “The Hut-Owners Association,” places strict restrictions on where houses can be built and what other structures can occupy adjacent tiles. There are only four scenarios available at launch, but they’re all unique takes on the heart of Before We Leave. A little more variety in the game, on the other hand, would be welcome. Regardless of procedural generation, most planets are broadly similar and appear to drive you towards specific tactics with little room for experimentation in how you tackle various obstacles. There are a few different climates to choose from: tropical, desert, and snowy tundra, each with its own quirks, but none of them has a significant effect on how you play. Buildings, however magnificent they are individual, lack visual distinction when viewed through a heavily populated world, and there are few cosmetic things you can do to customise the look and feel of your towns and cities.
REVIEW : Biomutant (XBOX Series X)
