Kaiserpunk (PC) Review – CGMagazine

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Kaiserpunk. The name alone doesn’t really give you a clear idea of what it’s about, and I can’t help but feel like some people just put the word “punk” on the end of anything to make it sound cooler. But thankfully, my foray into the 4X genre had primed me to dive straight into the world of Kaiserpunk, and I was pretty pleased with the excursion.

If anything, I’d argue that Kaiserpunk is a little less than punk since it doesn’t really circumvent the rules of the 4X genre, but it does possess enough of its own individual identity to stand out amongst other well-known entries. It manages to create an experience that balances strategy with a certain level of creativity that can get pretty engaging.

Like many of these types of games, Kaiserpunk doesn’t have a narrative per se, but it does have something of a story to form the underlying basis for the gameplay. Players take on the role of a former Military commander in the early 1900s, looking to escape the horrors of the battlefield and begin a new community. Now acting as Governer, players must start from humble beginnings and build their town into a thriving and industrious metropolis, destroying anyone who may threaten their new way of life.

“Where Kaiserpunk is far more interesting is in its gameplay.”

Where Kaiserpunk is far more interesting is in its gameplay. If I wanted to be glib, I’d say it was Risk by way of Cities: Skylines with a little bit of Civilization mixed in for good measure. To begin, players must actively build their city in a functional way—starting off with basic resources and manufacturing options and slowly expanding over time. What I like about this is how it emulates more of a simulation-style of gameplay, as players physically place their buildings in a strategic way to maximize the space.

This creates a unique level of design since players not only need to connect their buildings with roads but also place Supply Depots within a specific radius of their sources in order to move goods around the town. Since certain factories can’t begin production without a specific amount of resources, how and where you place things like farms, power generators, or processing plants changes how you lay out your town if you want efficient supply lines.

But the industry can’t run without people—quite literally. As players expand, they’ll need labourers, manufacturers and technicians to handle the simple and complex jobs. Much like Cities: Skylines players will need to manage the overall satisfaction of their populations, lest new townspeople refuse to immigrate and growth stagnates.

Naturally, though, the flames of war will eventually be unavoidable, and players will either need to defend themselves from invading countries or extend their influence beyond their borders. Building an army acts as an extension of the city’s creation since players must use mineral mines, factories and their population to create weapons and artillery and recruit soldiers in order to overpower their enemy’s forces. Honestly, there isn’t a ton of depth to the way battle is done, but it works in conjunction with the main form of gameplay.

Of course, like many games in the 4X genre, players will also need to utilize a level of diplomacy to form alliances and handle any potential threats that arise as the game opens up to a global scale. If you’ve played any of the Civilization games, then you’ll have a pretty good feeling of how this works—curry favour with allies, declare war on enemies; it’s fairly old-hat.

“There are so many little things to think about that really make playing Kaiserpunk a more intricate experience than your average 4X game…”

But what I like a lot about Kaisserpunk is a lot of the nuance that exists within its gameplay. I mentioned the Simulation-style gameplay multiple times now, but it’s incredibly interesting how it all weaves together into the broader game to create a lot of points of comparison. While you start off pretty simply, using materials for build and basic trade, eventually, you grow to a point where you can develop your own currency and use that as a potential bargaining chip in global disputes.

Earning money requires your population to be happy and productive, so how you build your empire will require consideration for your people. Players are able to influence this by enacting Social Pillars, which will affect their political lean to the left or right. Right-wing policies will usually garner more profit but take a greater toll on the community, and I would say it’s pretty telling that Labour Unions—which is one of the first policies you can enact—are pretty firmly on the left. 

There are so many little things to think about that really make playing Kaiserpunk a more intricate experience than your average 4X game, which is usually a more complex game of chess. With the added level of creativity and consideration for how you construct your community, there really is a lot to like about Kaiserpunk that may bring in a whole new audience of 4X fans.