City 20 is a new sandbox game that seemingly puts The Sims and Fallout together to bring an innovative take on the survival genre.
On the surface, the new title is seen to be a dystopian sandbox game set in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster. City 20 was once a thriving research center for new technologies until an explosive accident left the site in ruins. Its people were forced to quarantine inside its decaying walls under armed guard.
City 20 Brings a Unique Take to the Survival Genre
(Photo : Untold Games / Screenshot taken from Steam)
Since the unfortunate mishap, factions have gradually formed and there is a small, makeshift economy that is driven by homegrown food and simple trading. However, every single person wants to get out, and it is the player's job to devise and execute their own escape from the research center.
The game so far sounds similar to Fallout or the many other survival and colony titles that can be found on Steam. However, what sets City 20 apart is that every single NPC within the game has a highly detailed, reactive, and organic personality, according to PCGamesN.
This means that other characters in the game will not follow scripts and will not react to players' actions in the same way every time. The rules that govern the player's behavior and interactivity are the exact same ones that underpin the rest of the virtual population. If it is something that players can do, the NPCs can do it too.
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One example is when a player decides to steal some supplies from a rival faction. Because all of the NPCs in the game need to eat, sleep, and survive, some of them have chosen to build a makeshift home inside the building that contains the supplies.
Later on, one of them catches the player stealing from the food cache, who approaches to protest their action, When the player threatens the NPC, they back away, but a few days later, guards accost the player after being told off by the NPC. None of these interactions were scripted.
An Intricate Relationship System With NPCs
City 20 has been in development since 2018 and is a title brought by Untold Games, the studio that is known for VR projects, location-based "immersive experiences," and ports of games such as Journey To The Savage Planet, said Rock Paper Shotgun.
The game allows relationships between characters to dictate how they behave. One example is a merchant who does not really know the player might not show them their entire inventory or tell them everything that is useful about the local area.
Players can naturally improve other people's opinions of them by doing favors, which could also cause one of their enemies to lose respect for them. If a fight starts, bystanders may choose to join or run away based on how they feel about the ones who are actually fighting.
City 20's intricate social system is wrapped up in an equally punishing survival system where players have to contend with the changing seasons and harsh elements while gathering food and resources. They will have to farm and forage for seasonal goods, hunt animals, and steadily build their home in order to survive, according to GamingBible.
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