There’s something so macabrely alluring about the apocalypse – we’ve all asked ourselves the question “would we actually survive?” It’s the reason that games like Stalker and Fallout are so popular; the intrigue of the unknown, but with the safety net of knowing that these are virtual dystopias as opposed to real ones. Set in a wartorn Eastern Europe corrupted by an eerie alien crystal, Chains of Freedom plunges you into a brand-new apocalypse, and tasks you with surviving it and bringing order back to the chaos.
In Chains of Freedom you play as a group of Peacekeepers, scattered across the state after a helicopter crash. This Eastern European locale has been ravaged by the mysterious EDEN biocrystal, however, which has spawned a variety of bloodthirsty mutants and made survivors even more vicious. You’ll have to navigate your way through the streets and make weighty moral decisions in order to purge the city of its demons.
Combat plays out in a similar way to most turn-based strategy games: every character has their own unique skills that, when added to your party, help create the perfect kill squad. You’ll be able to make use of the terrain and fallen debris XCOM-style, with the option to go in guns blazing, or to use the shadows to your advantage and stealth your way around particularly difficult encounters.
Each character has their own unique loadout, which you can customize as you explore and uncover new resources. You’ll also be able to employ the various EDEN crystals you’ll uncover as you venture further into the darkness, as they’re perfect for upgrading members of the team, in turn expanding their potential.
And you’ll need the boost. In the trailer we see everything from zombie-like mutations to hulking flesh behemoths, and even what appears to be some sort of corrupted bat creature. Then, there’s the surviving humans, who aren’t exactly angels either.
Chains of Freedom is a story of betrayal and moral questions, after all, so it’s worth considering everyone’s motivations carefully. Trusting the kindness of strangers isn’t always the best idea – especially not in a world gone savage.
Nordcurrent has confirmed that the Chains of Freedom release date window is 2025, meaning we’ll be able to dive into the action sometime next year. For now, however, you can wishlist it on Steam.
In the meantime, we have a list of all the best strategy games if you love hatching battle plans and seeing them come together. Alternatively, we have a rundown of all the upcoming PC games for 2024 and beyond so that you can fill out your wishlist.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.