Preparations for winter – review of the game “Frostpunk: The Last Autumn”

In the beginning, there was a construction site

The Last Autumn expansion  to the survival city builder of the Polish production introduces a new scenario and an additional gameplay variant in the infinity mode.

In the “Last Autumn” scenario, instead of fighting the falling temperatures and limited resources, we have to face the challenge of building a generator from scratch. We are mankind’s last hope to survive the impending frost. But don’t be fooled by appearances – this task is not any easier than surviving the winter, only the difficulties are different.

Instead of snowdrifts and lower and lower temperatures, you have to avoid dangerous conditions on the construction site, workers’ strikes and deadlines (after all, you have to be in time before the weather deteriorates). Instead of caring for the right level of hope for the residents of the bridgehead, you have to watch out for their declining motivation to work. As in the basic version of Frostpunk , the stabilized situation can break down very quickly due to unfavorable events.

The story of the creation of one of the generators is interesting and keeps you in suspense until the very end of the game. Letters and news from the homeland as well as various events happening on the construction site also work in favor of immersion. The “Last Autumn” scenario, however, is not exceptionally revealing or surprising, being rather a background for making morally complex decisions on which the survival of mankind depends in the long term.

Apart from the new scenario, the game also features an additional variant of the infinity mode – Builders. If “Last Autumn” seems too easy for you, you can try your hand at extreme conditions, when winter has come and the generator has been destroyed and you need to build it from scratch.

Then came a workers’ strike

Although The Last Autumn is based on the same mechanisms as the basic version of the game, there are also some novelties in areas such as the Book of Laws, technologies and buildings. However, it is not worth approaching the expansion without knowing the basics of the game – the new scenario only offers tips for added mechanics.

During last fall, we must manage labor rights, take the side of one of the social classes – workers or engineers – and supervise the construction of the generator in its subsequent stages. If we do not cope with the tasks entrusted to us, we will be unscrupulously fired and replaced by someone more competent.

Working conditions and labor strikes are completely new to the game. Hazardous gases are constantly escaping from the generator shaft, which increases the risk of serious accidents. Therefore, we must limit them by taking care of the best possible working conditions. The worse they are, the greater the chance of a strike, which can significantly delay work and make it difficult to complete the task on time.

The novelties in the mechanics are perhaps not gigantic, but if someone is bored with the basic gameplay, and still wants the specific atmosphere of fighting for survival in the frostpunk world, the changes introduced should be sufficient.

And finally, there was a deadline

The Last Autumn makes a great impression at first. It offers what is bestin Frostpunk – a unique survival atmosphere, engaging story and morally ambiguous choices in a beautiful graphics and sound setting. However, upon closer inspection, some shortcomings emerge.

Although the expansion increases the replayability of the base game due to the new scenario, map and mode, the “Last Autumn” story itself is rather one-off. Of course, you can approach it a second time, but it quickly turns out that during the scenario events there are better and worse choices. It is not very profitable to take a completely different path, save for the support of a social class other than before. Nevertheless, the destruction of both the scenario and the new mode will calmly provide several hours of fun. Especially that even on the normal difficulty level, building a generator is not an easy task.

Graphically, the expansion to Frostpunk  does not differ from what we know from the basic gameplay – the visual style has been preserved, although the colors are a bit richer. The construction site of generator No. 113 is amazing and begs to use the photo mode as often as possible.

However, I was disappointed that The Last Autumn  does not include a new soundtrack adapted to the autumn atmosphere of the story. Of course, the music from the basic Frostpunk is invariably beautiful and atmospheric, but it lacks a breath of fresh air that the golden scenery of the new scenario is asking for.

Until the generator was made

Although the scenario included in this expansion does not offer much replayability, and in addition, there is no new soundtrack, The Last Autumn  is still a great production. The plot is captivating, the moral choices related to it are disturbing, and the visual side is delightful. If you liked the basic gameplay of Frostpunk , then the latest DLC should also please you. Let another, yet undisclosed addition, maintain the same level.