Take a pinch of Jagged Alliance & Xcom, put hordes of zombies, mix well and you’ll have Urban Strife, a very promising isometric turn-based RPG.

From a couple of seasoned ex-Assassin’s Creed developers, which we interviewed a little while ago, comes a new isometric, turn-based strategy, built upon the premises of surviving in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. The trials to build safe shelter to face the onslaught of both undead and very much alive enemies and deep, disturbed storylines are bound to tickle some chords with any Walking Dead fan.

Background Story

Two years after a zombie virus pandemic almost wiped humanity out of existence, a mysterious car crash brings our hero, half dead and amnesic, in the outskirts of Urban, a small backwater town south of the Appalachian.

Rescued and brought back to life by the residents of the local Shelter, you find yourself naively trusted as a beacon of hope sent from afar, a sign of rescue to come. Because while safely fortified and protected by a river, the survivors are surrounded by death and greed, pressing down on them harder and harder each day.

You soon find out that the Shelter is cut off from the world by a gang of bloody scavengers, resources are almost gone and there’s been no word of the parties sent to find help. With only a few capable of putting up a fight, there’s hardly any hope on the horizon.

Unless you are truly their saviour. But who knows for sure? Not even you.

Gameplay details

Urban Strife is a classic isometric turn-based strategy with RPG elements that will immerse your experience into a ruthless fight for survival and domination. Rebuilding and expanding your shelter with a basic industry will allow you to upgrade your gear with custom parts, reach deeper into the vast county of Urban with your very own zombie-proof vehicle and keep the restless natives in line while you’re out trading and fighting with the new Powers To Be.

Your home base will respond to your actions, expanding into new territory, opening even more opportunities. And while exploring you will meet new characters ready to join your party, if they think you’re worth their time. Or maybe just because they think they can profit from you. You never know in Urban Strife.

Key features

Develop your physical abilities by doing things, accumulate experience and invest it to customize your characters with specialist perks.

Tactical turn-based combat, with classic Action Points, snap shots and aimed shots at specific body parts, bleeding, fire damage, infection, drugs and addiction.

Deep and intriguing stories to follow, branching main storyline with specific endings, multiple optional side quests with fun rewards.

At least 8 party members to recruit, with funny, slightly disturbed personalities, own agendas, and beliefs.

3 main factions fighting for control and a lot of smaller factions and groups fighting their proxy wars, all while the undead hordes press on.

An arsenal of most wanted firearms, from 22LR plinker guns, shotguns, handguns and assault rifles to rare army sniper rifles, with both home-made attachments and commercial expansion kits, Molotov cocktails, grenades and all melee weapons you’d want, from your fists, your rifle buttstock to a massive sledgehammer.

Bushcraft recipes while you go, develop a shelter survival industry and manufacture food, medicine, ammo and many other useful items such as moonshine or dum-dum ammo. A dynamic map to explore and conquer for the main factions, while trying to survive or talk your way out of random ambushes. Take the high roads on the crumbling highway system, use the subway tunnels or explore the twisted forest paths by foot, one thing is guaranteed – your presence and actions will change your world. The county of Urban will never feel the same twice.

About developer

White Pond Games is a small indie studio, started by two ex-Ubisoft veterans with decades of gamedev between them. Urban Strife is their first project and it has been in the making for four years. The game was voted as Steam Greenlight in 2016 (before the program was opened up) and an early version was demo-ed at Gamescom in 2017, with extremely positive feedback from the fans of the TBS genre.

Release date & platforms

Closed Alpha – August 2019, Full Release – TBA, Platforms: PC Currently in development with a Closed Alpha scheduled for August this year for PC and a free demo soon after.

Full release is to be announced. Game will be on Steam, Gog and a few other major shops. Initial release will be focused on PC market but options are open for other platforms too.