In 2021, a group of terrorists blew up nuclear power plants around the globe and plunged the world into chaos. Only a few were able to escape into underground facilities called "Endzones". 150 years later, mankind returns to the surface - under your command. In an extremely hostile environment full of radioactivity, contaminated rain, extreme climate change, and people dreaming of a better life, you’ll have to prove your worth as a leader. Dedicate yourself to great ideas and guide your people into a period of prosperity and new inventions...

Thrive in this post-apocalyptic world building game

Endzone: A World Apart is a post-apocalyptic world building game. Those who love world building sims will be right at home here. It can be as deep a game as you want it to be with numerous variables at your disposal to ensure you've always got something to keep an eye on.

The best place to start is the long and indepth tutorial. This in itself is like a full game in its own right. There are so many things you need to do to keep your society alive that the tutorial really is a must starting point. Sure, you can jump straight into a game if you thing you can work it out... but you're more likely than not to get lost fairly quickly.

Keeping your residents busy, happy and safe is a constant balancing act... and everything can come tumbling down if a sandstorm blows into town and you haven't been keeping on top of the building repairs.

Build a settlement on the hostile surface of the earth

You set out to build a settlement on the hostile surface of the earth with more than 90 different buildings. Gather and refine a vast number of different resources and manage your economy by building an efficient infrastructure from food and water supply, electricity through to streets and trading posts. Every ground cell in the game has its own humidity and radiation values. Survive in a world of constant threats including radioactively contaminated ground, droughts, toxic rain, sandstorms and raiders. Send expeditions to forgotten places and make meaningful decisions that change the fate of your people. Experience a living settlement and fulfil over 90 side missions rich in variety to cater for your settlers needs. A variety of challenging scenarios with specific winning conditions and a distinct storyline will put your survival skills to the test.

There were a few issues I had that could be easily rectified, and hopefully will, on future patches. Firstly, given the fact this is a PS5 game I was surprised that the game wouldn't allow the camera to zoom in a lot closer on the buildings so that you could really marvel at the detail. Another problem is that you'll be constructing so many buildings, and all over the place, that finding them is not overly easy. A simple way to rectify this would be if the building's designation was displayed on the screen as your cursor passes over it. Instead you have to click on the building to see what it is and then cancel the request if it's not the building you're looking for.

A variety of challenging scenarios will put your survival skills to the test

Another issue is that while for the most part the tutorial is helpful and easy to follow, I did have an issue with wiring up the buildings to the electricity. I built the solar power structure and then erected the electric poles (which once built showed power lines going from the poles to the buildings in the designated vicinity) but it kept telling me they weren't connected to the electricity supply. So I had to search online for the solution.

Also, watch out that you don't accidentally hit pause on the game. It's really easy to do when you're playing and you'll wonder why that building is taking a long time to construct.

To be honest, these aren't game breaking issues, just little tweaks that could do with a little attention, and for the most part they won't spoil your enjoyment of the game.

I've already sunk many hours into this game and I can see many, many more hours been lost to it. An engaging and wonderfully entertaining game.

8

Darren Rea