Video Game Review - Before We Leave

Rob reviews Before We Leave on Xbox Series X...

Post-apocalyptic titles have the luxury of building their narratives. They don't have to rely on predetermined factors such as established lore, or even locations. Everything is up for interpretation as you essentially discover this new world with your character. Where titles such as Fallout on the struggles of the immediate aftermath, Before We Leave focuses on the ever after.

The world has recovered from its unknown apocalyptic state, and as such the inhabitants that survived are reaching out from the safety of their underground shelters. Whether they survive or not is up to you. You'll be the invisible force guiding these fledgling explorers as they attempt to rebuild in a world that's now unfamiliar to them. At its core Before We Leave is a city builder that takes you from a few settlers living in huts to intergalactic civilisation. 

Before We Leave constantly fills you with a great blend of relaxing gameplay and a sense of achievement. There's no enemy factions, carnivorous environments, or survival needs as your group of "peeps" rebuild their world. Their essentially a peaceful race that will end up colonising the stars, without murdering anyone. The lack of adversaries also means that you can just build everything how you see fit. There's no overarching menace threatening to burn it all down, and there's no land grab rush to stockpile resources and materials. 

While this does make the game sound pretty simple, there's a deceptive amount of depth behind it all. The classic resource management is here, and there's also the happiness of your civilisation to think about. But without any enemies, it's a pretty laid back experience. One unique thing is the way the game handles these resources. As your empire grows, you'll eventually discover islands or planets that are rich in one resource - but lack another. You'll then have to set up trade roots as the two locations work together to help both grow. There's also the prospect of pollution as increased manufacturing will result in lower happiness and a pretty awful time for your people located within the vicinity.

Regardless of how you handle this, there aren't any real repercussions if you don't. An unhappy person just means they will perform their tasks at a slower rate. 

Once your civilisation leaves their home planet, the game introduces a space creature that just floats about the universe. While it's peaceful, it does steal a few of your hard-earned resources if it gets too close to your settlements. It's a minor inconvenience but adds to the theme of exploration that the game does well to promote. 

This does mean that Before We Leave gets a little repetitive. Each new island or planet discovered will see you setting off down the same path. You'll be building the same core buildings, to then expand and repeat. It's very monotonous and it's here where the limitations of the game shine. A solar storm or natural disaster would of worked wonders to not only break this up but give your civilisation something to do. 

Away from this and Before We Leave is a gorgeous game to look at. Everything takes place in a world filled with hexagonal tiles. It's on these that you'll be placing structures and crafting roads. Each building has a unique design that makes it distinguishable from the others. The islands and worlds that make up the game offer some unique visuals and map layouts that at least attempt to keep everything feeling fresh. The game also features a dynamic day/night cycle. While this doesn't affect gameplay, it offers some pretty incredible sunrises. 

Playing Before We Leave is overall a pretty positive experience. It's an in-depth world builder that lets you expand at your own pace with little to no repercussions. To me, the game felt a lot like A Kingdom for Keflings - a game that you can easily chill out to, and lose a few hours on autopilot. Even with its simple gameplay, there's a lot here to like. Whilst enthusiasts of the genre will see nothing particularly new, it's a great stepping stone for beginners. 

Rating 8/10 

Before We Leave is out now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev