Frostpunk: The Last Autumn Shows Off Revamped Mechanics In 12 Minute Dev Commentary Trailer

I was curious how 11 bit studios would manage to pull off a prequel DLC. Frostpunk is a game about making tough choices in the face of ecological oblivion. The cold is relentless and uncaring. If you fuck up, people die. If mismanage resources, people die. If you build without accounting for the needs of your furthest residents, people die. The looming specter of cold is omnipresent, and as you descend into totalitarianism/theocracy you begin to view the lives of your people as a commodity to be managed and expended. It’s a masterful take on a management simulator, giving real weight to the hard choices beyond what color ending you get. But without the cold, what is the world of Frostpunk? Why would I slide into despotism? Why would I eat my dead if there are plenty of deer still left running about?

Luckily, 11 bit studios is ready to answer these questions. In the newest trailer for The Last Autumn, Project Lead Jakub Stokalski gives us a 12 minute rundown of what new challenges players will face. With The Last Autumn, Frostpunk is seeing far more than just a visual redesign. Not content with just painting trees and grass onto the previously icy landscape, The Last Autumn introduces a whole new slew of conundrums and gameplay features to match the pre-collapse setting.

The Last Autumn tasks players with creating a generator that will serve as a lifeboat for the coming ecological catastrophe. Unfortunately, the reality of the impending doom hasn’t set in. People still believe that society will chug on, that things aren’t as bad as the scientists say they are. Sound familiar? In short, the world of The Last Autumn isn’t yet molded by the collapse of civilization. Workers expect safe working conditions, adequate pay, and comfortable living. Dying on the job is still shocking. New dilemmas come in the form of dealing with strikers and managing conflicting political/moral ideologies.

Practically, a lot of these changes take the form of new workplace safety levels you have to maintain. Machine shops will spew out toxic gas, and industrial equipment is inherently unsafe. As the player, you’ll have to weigh spending resources on making your workplaces safer and completing your ultimate objective. If you choose not to maintain safe working conditions, you’ll have to find other means to control/appease your workforce. Also at your disposal are docks, which can be used to import resources. Previously exploitable resources like deep coal and iron veins will not be available to you.

At it’s heart, Frostpunk was a game about how humanity deals with horrible situations. With The Last Autumn, we get to see a new snapshot into that world. Denial, frustration, and the eventual coming to terms with the fact that things will never be the same. If you want to check it out yourself, you can check out the DLC’s Steam store page here. It’s available as part of the Season Pass for $24.47. The Season Pass also includes The Rifts DLC, and the upcoming Project TVADGYCGJR (working title). You can also buy all DLC packs individually. Console releases will be at a later date.