Recently released by Gentlymad Studios, Endzone: A World Apart is a simulation city builder focused on the aftermath of a nuclear war. This simulation features the commonly known things like building, resource gathering but now you need to ration supplies to stay ahead of the different weathers and environmental issues. Let’s dive into my review of Endzone – A World Apart.
I have always had an affinity for simulation builders. I can remember as far back as Sim City, I loved nothing more than to build the city, try new layouts, and just see where things would go. The opportunity presented itself in the form of Endzone. I have been so laser-focused on MMO’s, I felt it was time for a change. This seemed like the perfect time to revisit a genre from my past. Immediately, I felt a sense of nostalgia. It was reliving a moment of my past but with a modern twist.
Typically, I will try to skip the tutorial modes and dive right in. This time however I decided to learn as much about the game as I could. The tutorial is extensive and does take a bit of time to complete. This is purely to explain the different mechanics and teach the player how to start balancing resources from materials gathered and even your people. The beginning of Endzone focuses on building up your initial resources to be self-sustaining. The saying “Easier said than done” comes to mind with this one. Not only do you need to obtain resources, but you must also balance them during droughts and even rolling radiation due to weather. Having radiation, you must also prep your people with protective clothing and gear. This is another resource that is required to be maintained to ensure survival.
Unlike most sim builders where the settlement layout is a cosmetic role at best, Endzone requires placement of various buildings to be selective and strategic. To make the most out of your resources and time, it is best to build accordingly. This mechanic can indeed make or break your scenario. I found it more efficient to place buildings like water collection to be as close to the source. This shortened distance seemed to increase overall yields.
Resource collection is of course one of the key components to survival. During gameplay, players must collect different materials to continue building and expanding resources. One of the primary resources is scrap. This is found all over the map and can be farmed in various ways. One of those is to assign orders to “Collect” and tag the area. Once this has been set, unassigned people will be tasked with that until assigned elsewhere. This plays into resource monitoring, players much keep a close eye on usage to meet supply and demand. Another way is to find treasure by exploring different ruins and locations abandoned during the wars. This does cost resources to explore and can yield more materials or be a bust depending on what is around and what is found.
Finding materials is only part of the equation. Once you have the scrap material, you will need to use refineries to make different items such as cloth, metal, or others. Once you have these materials saved up, they can be used for other projects and or for your people. Again, this goes back to resource management.
I found Endzone visually appealing. This title featured detailed landscapes, sharp sprites, and environmental particles that contributed to playing as if we are in a post-apocalyptic time. Attention to details is where most tiles tend to lose momentum. Endzone does not have a fixed camera angle. This means that players can pan and rotate views. This is important to think about as with this is in mind the developer had to fully develop the graphics and visual elements. Coupled with the wonderful audio I found myself excited and in deep relaxation during gameplay. This allowed me to keep my interest and continue playing. Many times, did I restart my campaign so I could try again and each time I found myself wanting to try different ideas and try to balance my resources to give me the edge. Endzone keeps players guessing with multiple environments that are dynamically simulated and unique on each gameplay.
This review was completed with a game code from PR.
