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Clockwork Empires Leaving Early Access This Month

Lovecraftian building

Dungeons of Dredmor devs Gaslamp Games are almost ready to launch their next game, Clockwork Empires [official site]. I see you turn to your pal and tap your temple in a crude "the old dear's off her nut" gesture, because you remember it came out years ago, but nah that's all been 'earliest access' then early access. Come October 26th, it'll be properly out, ready for all to start building a steampunk colony on a frontier teeming with Lovecraftian nfluences. Enjoy watching your little townsfolk fend off fishmen, form cults, lose their minds, and maybe turn to cannibalism. Still, survival's survival?

Clockwork Empires sends players as an agent of Victorian empire steampunk... thing to a new land, to oversee a new colony. As you often will in town-builders, you slowly build up and tech up, working the land and trying to survive while improving your settlement and keeping its residents happy. There's a touch of The Sims in that, a bit of Dwarf Fortress (though less complex, obvs), with people having their own personalities, interests, and mental state. All of which may be adversely affected by the eldritch powers in this strange land.

Fishmen already inhabit the land and might be none too pleased to see you, your townsfolk may join cults and spread their dark influence, and hey, if you run out of food, there's always long pig.

We've not had a good look at Clockwork Empires since 2014 so I'm curious to see how it turns out. Here's a trailer showing off bits in May's beta build:

Cover image for YouTube video

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Clockwork Empires

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Alice O'Connor avatar

Alice O'Connor

Associate Editor

Alice has been playing video games since SkiFree and writing about them since 2009, with nine years at RPS. She enjoys immersive sims, roguelikelikes, chunky revolvers, weird little spooky indies, mods, walking simulators, and finding joy in details. Alice lives, swims, and cycles in Scotland.

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