The Great Pyramids, The Great Wall, The Eiffel Tower, The Three Gorges Dam; as impressive as the many physical testaments to human ingenuity and perseverance are, they will all be lost to time one day. But you know who both beat us to the game of building and will possibly outlive our Ozymandian structures? Beavers. They’ve been re-routing entire rivers with dams of sticks and mud for millions of years before we were around, seemingly for no reason other than instinct. And though their dams aren’t eternal, they still might be building them long after us. And if you’re curious what that fuzzy future would look like; the indie city-builder Timberborn seeks to answer that question. It’s been in early-access for four long years, and as of today, it’s finally hit 1.0.
Timberborn, sort of like Frostpunk, is not a traditional city-builder. In the game’s world, it is the post apocalypse after all, and there are far graver concerns than budget and tax rates. The primary focus and selling point of the game is its water physics, which shapes everything about how your playthrough turns out. You are tasked with guiding your chosen faction of beavers through the harsh and inhospitable climate of the wasteland with the power of hydro-engineering, and must bend the little water left in the world to your will to survive. Construct pumps and wells, exploit naturally occurring springs and aquifers, and direct that water to generate energy, water your crops, and sustain your buck-toothed population. Earth still hasn’t fully recovered from what the humans did to it, so be prepared to face the consequences of her still gaping wounds in the form of withering droughts and toxic floods. Aside from the do-or-die resource management of Timberborn, there’s also plenty of chill sandbox-style gameplay to enjoy. Your beavers need rest, entertainment, and a nice place to live in, same as anyone else, and you can supply that with various buildings. The 1.0 version of the game also launches with a whole new complex automation system that industrious players can implement in their saves, along with a gamut of miscellaneous improvements, items, achievements, better mod support, and more.
Timberborn is developer Mechanistry’s debut title, but there’s little doubt that it will do well. The game has had glowing reviews on Steam since its earliest days on the platform, and now that there’s even more of it to enjoy, that probably won’t change. With as grim as the world is these days, Timberborn looks to serve as an excellent reminder that every end marks a new beginning, especially for beavers.