ZEPHON, a Post-Apocalyptic 4X

[Martok]

A short article regarding the game's development.  I'm definitely interested to see Proxy's ideas for improving combat and diplomacy. 


https://www.pcgamesn.com/zephon/4x-strategy-game

[Martok]

Well this is unexpected... 

Given the game doesn't have a release date beyond "late 2022" I didn't think we'd see another trailer this soon.  I'm curious if this is just their way of trying to raise the game's profile a bit, or if it indicates actual developments in the near future. 

[Steelie]

I gotta go with "raising the game's profile a bit".  Looks like a commercial to me. I mean, it's already on my wishlist, but this trailer raises my excitement/interest/anticipation not at all.

[Martok]

Okay, the quest system sounds cool.  If it's implemented the right way, it could really up the game's immersion factor. 


https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1481170/view/3100172265382517487?utm_source=discord&utm_campaign=QuestsReveal

[Martok]

A look at ZEPHON's research system: 


https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1481170/view/3350130288807815083

[Martok]

A glimpse at a some of the City Headquarters: 

Defending the heart of a city took a certain kind of grit. If you saw action while stationed here, there’d be no running. This job was for the stubborn and the stupid—those who’d rather die than lose pride in defeat.

I really hope that was a sample of the game's soundtrack as well.  If so, it could rival Gladius' for awesomeness.   

[Martok]

A look at the four Leader types.  Each has their own Headquarters type (seen in the previous video). 


https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1481170/view/3379415101021879504




I'm not hoping for too much yet -- not until we see some actual gameplay -- ZEPHON is starting to interest me with certain bits that are revealed.  The fact that that -- unlike Gladius, Proxy's previous title -- it will be a full 4x game, including diplomacy, I'm very curious to see how this turns out. 

[Martok]

First official gameplay trailer is out: 

On the flip side, Proxy Studios has pushed back the release date to 2024: 

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1481170/announcements/detail/3731840159851473634



Given how many games are already coming out this year, however, it's probably just as well.  And there is a public demo planned for August, so we should at least be able to get a taste of it in the meantime. 

[Martok]

The game's first (limited) demo will be available August 3-10: 


https://steamcommunity.com/games/1481170/announcements/detail/3662040707259618199

[Martok]

Demo 3 will be available later this week: 


https://steamcommunity.com/games/1481170/announcements/detail/3658666907119812186




I admittedly wasn't super-impressed with the 1st demo, but the 2nd one was much better -- getting rid of the turn limit helped a lot, plus it was also more fleshed out.  It's a pity this 3rd demo is only going to be available for a few days, but I'm still looking forward to it. 

While ZEPHON is obviously similar to Gladius in a lot of ways, it's still different enough -- and appears to have improved upon the previous game enough -- that I suspect I'll end up getting it once the game is out.  I can probably even forgive the 1UPT system, which is not something I say lightly. 

[Martok]

We finally have a release date -- November 8 (exactly one month from today): 

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1481170/view/4659627343436376120?l





The developers had stated earlier this summer that ZEPHON was going to come out Q4 of this year still, but I'll admit I was wondering whether that was going to hold true or not.  This game has been in development for quite a long time now, so it feels a little surreal that it's finally getting released. 

I'm trying to not get too excited for this one, but it's hard.  Even though by all rights, it shouldn't really be in my wheelhouse, I've been looking forward to ZEPHON ever since it was first announced.  It's been in my Top 10 wishlist on Steam the entirety of these past three years now.  I'm not expecting the moon or anything, but I at least hope it will be good.