With new games for the Fallout and BioShock series seemingly still some way off, we've got to look elsewhere for our dystopian, apocalypse-adjacent thrills.
Sure, you could just go ahead and mod your PC copy of Fallout 4 to turn it into another game entirely, but once you've explored Boston a dozen or more times, it does start to wear a little thin.
Fortunately, there are some great alternatives out there, from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Shadow of Chornobyl to Atomfall, all of which scratch that proverbial itch. In even better news, more games are emerging all the time, and it looks like a new contender is about to emerge that has all the right ingredients to be genuinely impressive.
War Mechanic is, in developer Chronospace's own words, "an open-world action-adventure that puts you in the shoes of Jack Wallace, a mercenary sent to Nordhook Island to reopen an abandoned military base. Craft, explore, and combat your way through dangers in a search for answers".
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The game asks the interesting hypothetical "What if WW2 never ended," with former allies taking each other on after the defeat of Nazi Germany. Set in a fictional location known as Nordhook Island, the setting is defined by the fact that it is contested territory, where military structures and facilities are the norm.
In this world, the USA and USSR picked up right where they were supposed to leave off and attacked each other, with characters inspired by real historical figures like General Patton.
The game features a base-building system similar to the one we get to use in Fallout 4, where you'll be able to go round collecting scrap to use as resources to upgrade your safe haven.
Whilst you're out and about, there will be plenty of enemies to take on, from standard human soldiers to frightening automatons. Equally, the whole thing is wrapped in a visual aesthetic that is very reminiscent of Bethesda's series, with retro-future features throughout.
It even has some cool advantages over the aforementioned games, like the ability to drive vehicles to navigate the landscape more easily, and a much deeper automation system, so your base can run very efficiently, even when you aren't there.
No release date has been confirmed for War Mechanic just yet, with the developer tight lipped on how far along they are. There has now been a gameplay reveal on 8 September, so things are still ticking along nicely.
Topics: Fallout, Indie Games, PC, Steam, Bioshock