I’m as excited for Civilization 7 as everyone else, but I can’t help but wonder what it could be if it stepped outside the comfortable familiarity of real-world history. In Zephon, the planet as we knew it is all but dead, blasted into a nightmarish wasteland by an alien apocalypse. Rather than exploring with an intrepid gleam in your eye, this new 4X game is a desperate struggle for survival in a world where Lovecraftian horrors, unflinching automata, and ravenous beasts roam the land.
Zephon comes from developer Proxy Studios, which already has a well-established foothold in the space, having built the excellent Warhammer 40k Gladius. Taking everything it learned there and transplanting it into a new, original setting, it’s created a beautiful but horrifying world that looks set to stand tall among the year’s best 4X games. In the wake of a global conflict between the alien Acrin and the eponymous rogue AI Zephon that has resulted in a near extinction-level event, no-one is safe.
The last remnants of humanity struggle for survival, while formerly dominant alien soldiers now cower among the wreckage, desperately praying for salvation. In order to come out on top, you’ll have to start rebuilding as quickly as possible – choosing whether to adopt magical or trans-humanist methods to enhance your chances, or stick to the sheer force of will of the species. Each leader brings distinct abilities to the table, and combat takes place on the same hex-grid map in much the same manner as Civilization 6. Deploy interference against your foes, unleash missile salvos and nuclear weapons, or embrace eldritch hymns of decay.
Your path through Zephon splits down three separate potential routes – human ingenuity, cybernetics and technology, or the mysterious Voice. Depending upon your chosen faction and the decisions you make as you progress, you can go all-in on one ideology or combine them in various ways. With more than 150 technologies to research and over 50 unique units to discover, Proxy Studios has built out an incredible world that feels every bit as rich and inviting as when it was working in the long-established Warhammer universe with Gladius.
As your empire grows, you’ll have to deal with the ongoing clash between Zephon and the Acrin, negotiating with other leaders, whether computer-controlled or real players in co-op or competitive multiplayer. The art direction is also impeccable, managing to make a land covered in nightmarish horrors feel strangely beautiful to look at. Zephon is also plentiful with useful information, with tooltips and an in-game compendium delivering both the information you need to succeed and a good dose of lore to help flesh out the world.
Zephon is out now on Steam, priced at $39.99 / £34.99. You can get it right here. “Thank you so much for your amazing support throughout this journey,” Proxy Studios says as it celebrates the game’s much-anticipated launch.
Test your tactical know-how further with the best grand strategy games on PC. Or if you prefer your apocalyptic settings more pre-established and would rather take a look through the best Warhammer 40k games, we’ve picked those out as well.
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