Frostpunk, the latest effort from This War of Mine developer 11 bit Studios, has a brutal new cinematic trailer and release date.

The trailer, ironically titled ‘Serenity’, provides details about Frostpunk‘s violent society and frosty steampunk architecture, all sound-tracked by some moody folk music. The survival/city-builder will launch on PC April 26 for USD$29.99, with the retail version coming in the form of a special ‘Victorian Edition’ for USD$34.99. The special edition includes the New London – The Art of Frostpunk hardcover book, complete with iced-out concept art and designs.

Frostpunk looks to breathe fresh life into the city-builder genre by providing a title that is thematically different to its predecessors, with much of its aesthetic allure coming from the contrast between the game’s steamy, industrial cities and the harsh arctic deserts that the cities inhabit. The art style looks to be a cross between steampunk and utilitarianism, all underpinned by an awareness of the cruelty necessary for man’s evolution and survival in extreme climates.

Grzegorz Miechowski, the managing director at 11 bit Studios, said: “[The team] wanted to make it before end of Q1, but […] ended up slightly moving the release further. The reason is simple – we needed this time for the final polishing required to deliver a game that, we believe, is the best 11 bit title so far. For us, production value is always the most important thing and a bug-free, carefully-balanced game is crucial to offer gamers the experience we want them to have. This War of Mine was a unique game about moral choices, and with Frostpunk, we are bringing this to a whole new level.”

Frostpunk is not a total departure from This War of Mine—the developer’s runaway success—as the project has taken inspiration from the previous title’s humanisation of its secondary and tertiary characters. City-builders are not known for their stories, but Frostpunk is an attempt to reconcile the gameplay of the genre with the emotional depth of more narrative-focused genres. Players can expect to make harsh decisions and feel completely terrible about their choices afterwards.

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