Artificial Disasters studio reaches the broad waters with its first title: maintained in a quaint pixel-art style, reversed city-builder Flooded. This game is a race not only against forces of nature, but also against the clock, and it seems that time flies even faster when you have to work under pressure. What’s worse – the water keeps flooding the shore of the island, leaving less and less space to place buildings. Players’ goal will be to optimize production, build an ark and sail to dry land. The element, however, is unforgiving; one wrong move and there will be no opportunity to escape.
Flooded’s gameplay is rapid and the timer keeps on ticking. After another wave, the shore disappears underwater in a blink of an eye. Players have to place their buildings wisely, otherwise, they will be washed off with the next tide. Upgrades that speed up production are crucial, and so do structures that delay the inflow of water. The flood had hit the region out of the blue, so there was no specific way to prevent the cataclysm, especially since all islands are generated procedurally. This encourages individual approach and planning with every playthrough. There are various methods to save structures and people, however, they can’t be applied to every situation – the strategy you came up with the last time didn’t work, but maybe it will do the trick in your next session.
The game won’t throw you alone into the deep end of the pool, despite the approaching disaster. Players will be accompanied by one of the commanders specialized in their own field; every one of them has a unique passive skill and a starting bonus, which will definitely help manage the shrinking island. Get to know some of them: hilarious inventor Thomas, hardworking builder Ellen, Henry, the golden-hearted protector, and smart strategist Miles. With time (and experience) you will get to use mysterious relics that will make surviving in a small area and escaping from a sinking land easier. Remember that miners are not the only survivors of the flood and sadly, not all of them are peaceful people. Place defensive turrets set traps, and prepare your own fleet in order to fend off waves of enemies.
Flooded was developed as a game jam project. Its success motivated the author to expand it and implement new ideas and mechanics. The solo developer worked for almost two years, keeping the idea of creating something fresh and authentic in mind. Artificial Disasters studio wants to start its gamedev adventure with a title that was missing from the market; something that its creator would like to play himself. That’s how the idea of a reverse city-builder was born.
Flooded will launch this year, on March 15th.
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
