For games with multiple expansions, the themes the developers give each of these updates can often be as influential as the mechanics and content added within. In the case of Frostpunk 2, the game has already received 2 expansions that offer players new ways to build their city and new story content to explore. The team at 11bit Studios recently gave the release date to the game’s upcoming third update, The Surge, which will be focused on lost electric power and its uses.
To announce the release date, a trailer was put out showing off scattered crates and resources buried in the frozen land. The somber sight is juxtaposed with the next gameplay reveal of the electric power available in the expansion. An announcement made on the game’s Steam store page reveals that the American supply transport seen at the start is hiding a relic with ties to Tesla, granting whoever can tap into its secrets unprecedented power in the frozen world. This leads into the events of the expansion, which will see multiple factions struggling against one another in an attempt to secure the new power source and decide the best way to use it. The final note on the announcement offers an ominous warning that the new technology could just as easily doom humanity as save it.
The new expansion promises to greatly expand the role that energy can play when expanding a player’s city. In the trailer, the new town is shown to be filled with massive cables spreading energy to every factory. Players will also be able to turn the once deadly storms of the game into energy and resources and play through a new campaign with an emphasis on the upcoming mechanics.
In a setting where the lack of resources is one of the driving forces behind progression, the addition of a new energy source at a larger scale represents a whole new avenue of development. The Surge update for Frostpunk 2 is set to release December 14th for PC and console.