Paradox Development Studio is no stranger to grand strategy, having built a reputation with games such as Crusader Kings III and Hearts of Iron IV. With Afterworld, however, the studio is moving away from established historical settings and into a post-apocalyptic future. That alone makes the game an intriguing prospect, especially as it attempts to combine the survival and settlement-building mechanics associated with the genre with the sprawling systems that Paradox’s strategy games are known for. Afterworld is still some way from release, but an early look at the PC version suggests that there is already an ambitious foundation in place.
What we know
Afterworld is a grand strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic version of North America, where the remnants of humanity are attempting to rebuild civilisation after a catastrophic collapse. Rather than immediately placing players in control of a powerful nation, the game starts at a much more intimate level. Players guide a small band of survivors as they search for food, water, fuel and a suitable place to establish their first settlement. From there, that modest community can gradually grow into a larger society and eventually a continent-spanning empire.
The game offers several different Origins that determine the circumstances and character of a starting group. These range from survivors emerging from failing nuclear shelters to religious zealots searching for their goddess, with different starting groups encouraging different approaches to survival and expansion. Early decisions can also establish the values, traditions and customs of a band, giving the resulting society a distinct identity. As the game progresses, those foundations can have wider consequences as different groups within the same society develop their own beliefs and expectations.
Exploration is an important part of the experience, with a procedurally generated version of North America providing a different strategic landscape from one playthrough to the next. Familiar geographical features remain recognisable, but resources, settlements, threats and other points of interest can change. Exploring the wasteland can reveal valuable resources and lost technology, while discoveries can also unlock new Ideas. Rather than presenting the entire technological progression from the outset, the Ideas system is designed to introduce new possibilities based on what the player actually encounters. Finding a river, for example, can open up new possibilities surrounding irrigation or fishing, while other discoveries can lead towards different technologies and forms of development.
Survival also extends beyond simply gathering resources. Players can establish and relocate settlements, organise supply lines, negotiate or fight with other tribes, and decide how scarce resources are distributed. Different bands can be absorbed into a growing nation, but their values may not necessarily align with those already in power. As societies become larger, players can establish governments and laws while dealing with internal disagreements, unrest and competing interests. There are also powerful Ancients, surviving figures from before the collapse who have managed to extend their lives through advanced technology and now pursue their own visions for the future.
The world is therefore designed to be both a strategic sandbox and a source of emergent stories. Players can pursue diplomacy, trade, conquest or more unusual societal paths, while powerful remnants of the old world can introduce additional threats and opportunities. Multiplayer is also planned, with both competitive and cooperative modes available. Afterworld currently has no announced release date.
What we saw
This preview is based on an early PC build of Afterworld as well as a presentation from Paradox Development Studio during Gamescom. The build was clearly still a work in progress, with several systems and elements not yet representative of a finished game, but it provided a useful look at how the opening stages are intended to work and how the survival-focused beginnings eventually feed into the larger grand-strategy framework.
What we thought
The most immediately interesting thing about Afterworld is the way it approaches a setting that has already been used extensively in games. Post-apocalyptic survival has become a familiar concept, as has the idea of rebuilding civilisation from almost nothing. Afterworld’s approach is different because it starts with those familiar survival concerns and then gradually expands them into a full grand-strategy experience. Instead of simply keeping a small group alive, the player is eventually responsible for entire populations, political structures, resources and territories. Coming from the teams behind Crusader Kings III and Hearts of Iron IV, seeing Paradox Development Studio tackle a brand-new setting is exciting in itself, but the more important question is whether that combination of scales can work without either side feeling superficial.
The early systems suggest that the transition could be one of the game’s strongest ideas. The beginning is focused on very practical concerns such as finding a suitable location, securing food and water and exploring nearby territory, making the opening considerably more approachable than the enormous information dumps associated with some grand-strategy games. The Ideas system is particularly promising in this regard. Instead of immediately being confronted with every possible mechanic, discoveries gradually introduce new concepts and options. That creates a natural connection between exploration and technological development, while also making the world itself feel like the source of progress. The ability to relocate settlements reinforces the same philosophy: survival does not necessarily mean establishing a permanent base and expanding outward from it, and sometimes moving elsewhere may be the smarter strategic decision.
Once the different bands and their values begin to matter, however, Afterworld starts to look much more like the kind of complex Paradox strategy game that players will expect. Different groups can have conflicting interests, while decisions about resources, government and laws can influence the direction of an entire society. That provides plenty of potential for emergent storytelling, particularly when disasters or political disagreements force players to choose between competing priorities. The downside is that the number of interconnected systems could still become overwhelming. Even with the attempt to introduce mechanics gradually, there is a lot happening underneath the surface, and the early build showed that some of these systems still need balancing and refinement. This is especially understandable given how early the version we saw was, but it also means the eventual pacing and accessibility will be crucial.
Visually, Afterworld has an appealing interpretation of the post-apocalyptic setting, using a recognisable North American landscape while introducing radiation, ruined settlements and the remnants of advanced technology. The zoomed-in map can provide a surprisingly detailed view of the units and environments, while the larger strategic map gives the game the scale expected from a Paradox production. The audio and presentation also help give the world a sense of identity, although the unfinished nature of the build makes it too early to judge the final audiovisual package. Controls are similarly functional at this stage, with the mouse-driven interface doing what is expected of a grand-strategy game, but the sheer number of potential menus, overlays and information panels means that usability will ultimately depend on how clearly the finished interface communicates its systems. During the demo, the focus was on the earlier stages of the game.
Afterworld is therefore an intriguing proposition rather than a finished package at this point. There is a lot to like about the idea of taking the familiar survival scenario of rebuilding after civilisation’s collapse and turning it into the starting point for a much larger strategy game. The procedural world, evolving Ideas system, competing bands and powerful Ancients all have the potential to generate stories that feel different from one playthrough to another. At the same time, the early build makes it clear that Paradox has a considerable amount of work ahead in terms of balance, presentation and ensuring that all of these mechanics work together without becoming overwhelming. With no release date announced yet, there is time for those systems to develop, and Afterworld’s unusual combination of survival and grand strategy makes it one to keep watching.