New Cycle

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,687 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
New Cycle Game Cover
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"New Cycle" is a city-building survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world. After solar flares devastate human society, players must establish and develop a settlement, starting from humble beginnings and advancing to an industrial metropolis. Challenges include natural disasters, resource shortages, and societal issues such as refugee crises and disease outbreaks. Free-form or grid-based design allows for creativity in building and expanding the settlement.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,687 reviews
gameplay159 positive mentions
stability38 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique blend of city-building and survival gameplay, reminiscent of Frostpunk and Banished.
  • Graphics and sound design are impressive, creating an immersive atmosphere.
  • The gameplay mechanics are engaging, with a focus on resource management and strategic decision-making.
  • The game suffers from pacing issues, with slow population growth and a lack of meaningful choices in the early game.
  • There are several bugs and technical issues, including problems with saving and loading, as well as UI inconsistencies.
  • The tech tree feels linear and unbalanced, leading to frustration in managing resources and production chains.
  • gameplay445 mentions

    The gameplay of "New Cycle" offers a blend of city-building and survival mechanics, drawing comparisons to titles like Frostpunk and Anno, but it currently suffers from early access issues such as unclear mechanics and a lack of depth in production systems. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and addictive, players have noted that the game can feel clunky and overwhelming at times, with a steep learning curve and insufficient guidance for new players. Despite these challenges, the game shows promise with its immersive world and potential for future updates to enhance gameplay complexity and variety.

    • “The depth and micromanagement involved will reward players who take the time to understand and master its mechanics.”
    • “The game impresses with polished gameplay, engaging resource management, and stunning graphics that enhance the realistic decision-making experience.”
    • “The dynamic weather conditions and crises add depth to the gameplay, making each decision crucial.”
    • “The game is not good at explaining how many of its mechanics work; you often have to beat your head against something for a while to figure it out.”
    • “A significant portion of the game's mechanics and symbols are introduced without sufficient explanation, potentially overwhelming new players.”
    • “The simplest way I could put it is long, boring, and uninteresting choices really didn't matter in my gameplay, and it was pretty bug-ridden for me.”
  • graphics323 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed and immersive visuals that enhance the gameplay experience, while others point out issues such as inconsistent textures, occasional glitches, and a predominance of dull color palettes. Despite these criticisms, the overall aesthetic is often described as beautiful and atmospheric, contributing positively to the game's appeal, especially for fans of the city-building genre. Some players note that while the graphics are impressive, they may not be groundbreaking, and optimization is needed for smoother performance.

    • “The graphics are stunning, bringing the world to life with intricate details and smooth animations.”
    • “The game impresses with polished gameplay, engaging resource management, and stunning graphics that enhance the realistic decision-making experience.”
    • “With its stunning graphics and seamless performance, even in its early access phase, it sets a high standard in the genre.”
    • “This game right now should be called the brown cycle owing to its 400 shades of brown used in its art style, seemingly exclusively.”
    • “Even with maximum graphics settings, the game remains visually unappealing.”
    • “The graphics make the whole city look the same and it was difficult to remember which building was what function.”
  • story182 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative and world-building, while others criticize its pacing and lack of meaningful choices. The storyline is often described as interesting but slow, with quests that can feel overwhelming and disconnected from the player's current progress. Overall, while the potential for a rich narrative exists, many reviewers express a desire for more depth, clearer storytelling, and impactful decision-making as the game continues to develop.

    • “The storyline, woven through missions and discoveries, keeps me hooked with its blend of urgency and mystery.”
    • “As you delve deeper into the world, uncovering its secrets and interacting with its inhabitants, you become increasingly invested in the unfolding story.”
    • “The intricate world-building and dynamic gameplay keep you engaged, while the captivating storylines drive a sense of purpose.”
    • “The story seems rushed, with little to no events.”
    • “The story (as of first release) isn't a reason to play.”
    • “Weak story line, choices that kind of do something, but don't really change the game.”
  • music108 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beautiful and immersive qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere, creating a calming and nostalgic experience. However, some players find the soundtrack to be repetitive and overly melancholic, which can detract from the gameplay. Overall, while the audio design is generally well-received, there are calls for more variety and liveliness in the music to better match the game's environment.

    • “The audio design is awesome and the music makes me feel like I am deep in thought; I found myself vibing to the music a lot of the time.”
    • “Its inviting atmosphere is significantly enhanced by soothing background music, creating a peaceful environment that makes city planning and management a truly enjoyable endeavor.”
    • “The soundtrack sets an exhilarating tone right from the start, which pairs well with the broad selection of options available to the player.”
    • “The music is sad and it's like there's no life in the game.”
    • “That said, I do not like the constantly sad, dreary music.”
    • “The music can get repetitive after a while, which is one of the only things that really makes this feel early access.”
  • optimization54 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and minimal bugs, there are notable issues during mid-game, particularly with population and tech tree progression, leading to occasional slowdowns and texture pop-ins. Some users experienced performance dips in later stages, especially during era and season changes, indicating room for improvement. However, the game is praised for its stunning graphics and generally solid performance, even on older machines.

    • “With its stunning graphics and seamless performance, even in its early access phase, it sets a high standard in the genre.”
    • “The game seems extremely well optimized and I've encountered no bugs personally.”
    • “This smooth performance really lets you immerse yourself in the game without any distractions.”
    • “Optimization could be a lot better though.”
    • “Encountering texture pop-ins and occasional lag highlighted the need for graphical optimization.”
    • “The performance does dip in the later stages of the game when more is built; this is to be expected, but it could also do with some optimization.”
  • atmosphere51 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is a blend of bleakness and coziness, featuring stunning weather effects and detailed graphics that create an immersive experience. While some players appreciate the somber and moody aesthetic, others find it calming and inviting, enhanced by a soothing soundtrack. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its depth and visual appeal, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its post-apocalyptic themes.

    • “The game captures a Frostpunk-like atmosphere with impressive weather effects and deep gameplay mechanics.”
    • “Its inviting atmosphere is significantly enhanced by soothing background music, creating a peaceful environment that makes city planning and management a truly enjoyable endeavor.”
    • “The game's immersive atmosphere is further enhanced by high-quality menus and music that work together to create a captivating environment.”
    • “The atmosphere is rather bleak and somber, which might not appeal to everyone.”
    • “The main problem of this game is that the resources are just magically transported everywhere; the people that you see walking around are just for the atmosphere.”
    • “It copies a lot of the formats that front punk has, but it's missing the challenges and atmosphere.”
  • stability40 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability in early access is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance with minimal crashes and no significant bugs, others encounter various glitches, particularly with specific systems like the conveyor. Most agree that despite these issues, the game remains playable and enjoyable, suggesting that it has potential for improvement as development continues. Players are generally optimistic about future updates addressing the current bugs and enhancing the overall experience.

    • “For a beta version of a game that is not yet released, there were almost no glitches, and the game ran smoothly.”
    • “The conveyor system, while cool, is super buggy.”
    • “At the time I wrote this review (2024, January), the game was still quite unbalanced and buggy.”
    • “At early access, this game is buggy as hell.”
  • grinding32 mentions

    The reviews highlight that while the game offers enjoyable city-building and survival mechanics, it suffers from repetitive and tedious tasks that can lead to frustration during extended play sessions. Players note a lack of quality-of-life features, making micromanagement cumbersome and detracting from the overall experience. Although some find the game fun in short bursts, many express a desire for less grinding and more engaging gameplay elements.

    • “A notable issue is the repetitive tasks assigned by NPCs, which, after some time, can become tedious.”
    • “The game is sorely lacking quality of life features; give the players the tools to succeed, because the game is complicated, but unnecessarily tedious and difficult because of the lack of these tools.”
    • “I keep restarting so I can enjoy the initial stages, but once it gets tedious, I find myself just wanting to reinstall Banished instead.”
  • replayability11 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find substantial value in replaying different maps and modes, others feel that the lack of storyline variation diminishes the overall experience. Despite its depth, there are concerns about its long-term replay potential, particularly for those seeking a more engaging narrative.

    • “The game offers substantial replay value.”
    • “Overall, the game feels deep and replayable.”
    • “Replay value seems a little diminished without much storyline variation.”
    • “Some of us want to go through and just get the story while building everything, and we'd do replay value one each map just on easy mode.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being misleading, resembling typical mobile game ads that promise a rich building experience but deliver a simplistic and deceptive gameplay. Players feel that the game is a cash grab, exacerbated by poor communication with the developers, leading to frustration and disappointment.

    • “It really seems like a cash grab, especially after my messages with the devs. This review is all over the place because as I was writing it, I was messaging with the devs. In the early part of my review, I was not angry, but now I am after being lied to.”
    • “You know those mobile game ads that make it look like it's a proper city/settlement builder, only to trick you into some stupid thing where you don't actually build anything? It's the biggest bait and switch.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Reviewers feel that the game falls short in delivering emotional depth compared to titles like Frostpunk, suggesting that it lacks meaningful storytelling and impactful stakes. They emphasize the need for better metrics and progression if the focus is on resource management, or a more compelling narrative if addressing a population in crisis.

    • “If the goal is to be a game about resource management, present better metrics and progression; if the goal is to be a game about a population in crisis, craft a story with meaningful problems, stakes, and emotional impact.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

14hMedian play time
37hAverage play time
10-60hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 27 analyzed playthroughs

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