Before

Before for PC is a real-time strategy game focusing on survival aspects. It was developed by the Facepunch studio, popular for Garry's Mod and Rust. Bill Lowe was the main designer of the game.

Plot

Before for PC takes the player to a world resembling the Stone Age period. The player assumes the role of a tribal leader, whose mission is to ensure their people's survival primarily. It will not be an easy task however, for the virtual environment is very inhospitable and full of different threats.

Mechanics

In the game, the player has to find food and shelter each day. The members of the player-controlled tribe have to gather, hunt and protect their children as well. Predators, other tribes and forces of nature are among the deadliest threats. The game offers both a dynamic weather system and an annual cycle - these affect the playthrough to a significant degree.

As an RTS game, Before for PC requires the player to gather resources, such as animal skins, wood or stone. These are later used to construct buildings and craft items. Battles are an important part of the game as well. The scope of these is quite small, and over a dozen of cavemen at maximum take part in a given skirmish. Thus losing a single fighter brings harsh consequences and makes the survival of the entire tribe more difficult.

At the beginning, the player has only a handful of cavemen at their disposal. However, taking care about them properly results in the number of them increasing steadily. At one point, a loosely gathered group of cavemen becomes a hierarchical society creating their own culture and a system of beliefs. Their temporary shelters will be abandoned, and they will begin building a primitive village.

Last updated on August 14, 2015