Christmas is normally a joyful time of celebration and getting together with family. In the post-apocalyptic world of Frostpunk, however, it’s just another difficult decision that will likely result in some citizens dying.
Set in an alternate 1888 with steampunk technology and planet-wide ice storms, Frostpunk has players managing a society built around a massive steam-powered generator. Players will have to manage various aspects of their society, including resource gathering and occasionally having to make decisions that pits human decency versus efficiency.
The newest update to the steampunk city builder, known as ‘The Christmas Carol’ update, is primary focused around a new storyline quest that can appear while playing in the recently added Endless Mode. It’s a pretty simple premise: Christmas is coming, and the survivors, despite living in a frozen post-apocalyptic wasteland, want to be able to celebrate it. The update post describes the quest:
In the neverending winter of the late 19th century, humanity’s last survivors are desperately trying to build the foundation of a society capable of surviving the endless deep freeze. In the darkest of times, what they truly need is a little bit of hope — a tiny piece of home in a world far away from the home they remember. The holidays draw near, and the survivors come to you, the leader of this frozen hellscape to ask for ‘A Christmas Carol’ to cheer them up.
Celebrating Christmas is always nice, but you’re always going to be strained for resources in Frostpunk, and getting ready for Christmas will require a good deal of food and wood. Successfully celebrating Christmas gives a boost to hope (one of the resources players have to manage) and a nice Christmas tree they can build in their colony. Of course, you could always tell the folks that the manpower and supplies are better focused elsewhere, but you wouldn’t be such a monster as to deny them Christmas, right?
Even if the Christmas preparations only make things worse for them in the long run.
‘The Christmas Carol’ update is free for all players. It also comes with a few additional bug fixes and lighting improvements.