Kalypso Entertainment Announces Urban Empire

The folks behind the Tropico games, which put you in the shoes of a dictator of a tropical paradise, have finally decided to move on to brighter shores… or, more specifically, darker, grimier shores. Kalypso Entertainment proudly announces: Urban Empire!

Changing the backdrop from tropical dictatorship to ‘seedy mayor of an industrial-revolution era city’, you're tasked with either bringing prosperity and freedom to your people, or ruling over them with an iron, uncompromising fist. From the press release:

Beginning in the 1820s, establish your city through five different eras, each with its own threats and opportunities. Master the challenges of the centuries, face political struggles, experience world-changing events and pioneering inventions, and create your own unique Urban Empire!

Urban Empire is a ‘City Ruler’, pioneering a new breed of strategy game that combines city builder features with political scheming and adds profound social and historical events into the mix, creating a whole new gameplay experience where players must employ strategic planning and political savvy to successfully grow their cities in their role as Mayor.

It looks pretty neat, and speaking of a fan of the Industrial Revolution-style aesthetic (God knows I’d never want to live there) I can say I’ll be keeping a fairly close tab on this one. There’s a steam page up for the game right now, but you cannot pre-order the game, and it only lists the release date as Autumn 2016, so, we’ll get our hands on it later this year, at least!