Frostpunk was released back in 2018 and it was one of the best games on PC for 2018. It introduced a brand new level of challenges in city-builders and survival sims. Very few games have been able to pull this off before Frostpunk. Due to its sheer success and public demand, the game was also released on consoles and we reviewed the Xbox One version of Frostpunk previously. Keeping their promise in check, 11 bit studios has been releasing post-launch content for the game and their latest expansion is The Last Autumn. This is our review of Frostpunk: The Last Autumn and it was made on Steam.
The Last Autumn is set before the events of Frostpunk and you get to experience the last few days before the winter arrived and wiped everything off the planet. You arrive at a distant shore at Site 113 where you have to build a generator from scratch. This might sound really easy on the paper but now we will know how hard was it for the people to build the huge generators that served as the main hub of survival in the normal Frostpunk game. You will notice plenty of new mechanics into play when you fire up the brand new scenario.
One thing is for sure that you cannot jump right into the expansion if you’ve not played the game. This is a very difficult scenario and you have to learn the ropes of the game before you jump into the expansion or else you will not last very long in the game. The very first difference you will notice is that the Hope has been replaced by Motivation. The game is not all about survival at this point so Hope is not in effect yet. Instead, you will find Motivation of your community which must be kept high or the people will kick you out. Discontent returns from the main game.
You start off with the task of setting up a brand new structure called Docks in the game. Since winters have not arrived yet so transportation via seas is active. Build the Docks and you will be able to receive resources from the docks. A single dock will allow you to call in a single type of resource so it could be Wood, Coal or Steel. You can build multiple Docks to receive all types of resources. Docks are extremely crucial for your survival in The Last Autumn because the resources in your vicinity will eventually run out and Docks will then be your only source of certain resources.
Docks require a really large of workers to operate as well. Another new structure introduced is the Telegraph Station. The Telegraph Station will allow you to call-in ships from the mainlands with more workers, engineers and Steam Cores. These are vital resources for your game and there is no other way of obtaining these resources in the game. Apart from this, you can also send out Forager parties for raw food and setup Fishing Camps for raw fish as well. The open waters provide a whole new aspect for you to exploit and use to your advantage as much as you can.
Open seas mean that communication with the world outside is not yet out completely. Every worker or engineer at your site still has loved ones back in the main city. This means a new set of challenges. I had to let go of a worker just because his daughter was sick and I could not afford to increase the Discontent. Another time, a worker received a naughty picture of his wife and I allowed him to keep the picture only to find out later that that sparked a fight and people got injured just to see a naughty picture of a worker’s wife. You will need to work around such challenges this time around as some will reduce motivation and some will increase discontent among the people.
The main goal of Frostpunk: The Last Autumn is to build the generator in the middle of the site. Site 113 was one of the sites dedicated to building a generator that will allow humanity to cope with the unforgiving winter right at their doorstep. After you are done settling in, your main target begins which is the construction of the generator. This is one of the hardest tasks in the entire game and comprises of four separate phases. Each phase requires a lot of time, resources and workforce.
Your whole construction site revolves around the construction of this generator so once you are done with the main buildings, your whole focus shifts on the construction of the generator. You are then given the deadline for the first phase for which you must immediately begin research, resource collection, and workforce requests. The hectic construction is strictly limited to time frames that have to be met at all costs or you are instantly fired. During the entirety of the construction, you must focus on the smooth construction of the generator as well as ensuring that the construction site has enough food and resources for the survival of the community.
The whole micro-managing aspect where you must look out for your community, as well as the construction of the generator, is very hectic and challenging. The build-site itself is extremely toxic and dangerous to work in so you will have plenty of injured workers every now and then. As the progress continues on the construction of the generator, these accidents will only continue to increase unless you look out after your workforce and provide a safe work environment to them. To cater to your workers, a new Book of Laws is now in effect.
One of the biggest addition to the game is the addition of Labor Laws. This new Book of Laws will only make your life even more miserable in the game. The workers in Frostpunk: The Last Autumn are already really fragile and with a new Book of Laws just for them, your hands will be even more tied when it comes to managing them. The new Book of Law will ensure that your workers get their fair share and you cannot exploit them. You will eventually need to form Labor Unions to complete the generator on time. You will need to trickle out of labor strikes by signing laws in favor of the workers.
The Last Autumn builds on the whole formula of Frostpunk and makes it even more challenging by adding brand new mechanics in the mix. It might sound like the game would be a lot easier if there is no winter or cold to worry about but the base game actually feels easier after you complete The Last Autumn and go back to the normal Scenarios of the game. It took me at least 3 attempts before I was able to complete the scenario with my first one ending even before I completed the very first task of settling in. You need to keep everything in check right from the start of the game as every task has a dedicated time or you will end up failing a task and ruining the whole scenario.
Final Verdict:
The Last Autumn is a brand new way to experience Frostpunk. It is essentially Frostpunk but the pre-winter setting introduces tons of new game mechanics and challenges into play. You don’t have to worry about the winter this time around, at least for the time-being, but tons of other challenges with the biggest one being time limit of building the generator ensures that you are on your toes always. The Last Autumn is a must-play for every Frostpunk fan. It is brutal, unforgiving and if you are not micro-managing the construction process of the generator along with the survival of your people, you cannot expect to reach the end of this brand new scenario in Frostpunk. New buildings, new mechanics and new challenges ensure that only the best survive in this brutal new expansion for Frostpunk.
Final Score: 9.5/10
