The creators of pandemic sim Plague Inc are back with 4X city builder After Inc: Revival

In Ndemic Creations' mobile strategy sim Plague Inc, you nurture a disease and attempt to spread it across the world. Originally launched in 2012, the game saw a morbid upsurge in popularity during the early years of Covid, as millions of people sought to model the pandemic's advance or just play out their anxieties. Perhaps seeking to wash away any lingering bad karma, Ndemic have now unveiled After Inc: Revival, a blend of city builder and miniature 4X set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. In Plague Inc, you brought the world to an end; now, you must grow it anew from the wreckage.

To be more specific, the game is set in "a beautiful post-apocalyptic United Kingdom". You'll found and develop an expanse of cosy blue rooftops, sleepy windmills and golden cornfields in the shadow of canted, overgrown city blocks. Mind the zombies, though. There are still a few of them lurking in the undergrowth, threatening to spoil the neo-rustic bonhomie. Find a rundown of key features below, air-lifted from the Steam page. The mention of "democracy or authoritarianism" makes this sound like Frostpunk's rosy-cheeked stepchild.

- Exploit the ruins of the past to scavenge / harvest resources.

- Expand your Settlement with housing, farms, lumberyards and much more.

- Shape your society and provide services to keep your people happy.

- Make difficult decisions - Are children an unaffordable luxury? Are dogs pets or a food source? Democracy or Authoritarianism?

- Exterminate zombie infestations and defend humanity.

- Explore a beautiful post-apocalyptic United Kingdom.

- Build multiple settlements in a persistent campaign and level up abilities.

- Ultra-realistic modelling of Zombie behaviour based on real-life studies... :P

- Sophisticated narrative algorithms shaped by your decisions.

- 10 unique leaders with radically different abilities.

The game's out in early access in 2025, though you can install a free-to-play mobile version right now. The early access period will bring new settlement leaders, "more levels", "expanded campaigns", new character traits and crises, expanded localisation, and clues about the origins and workings of the Necroa virus responsible for the undead outbreak.

I like After Inc's art and choice of perspective, which reminds me a little of King Of Dragon Pass. I'm also interested in, and a little worried by, the game's portrayal of aftermath, which I imagine can't help but be a commentary on feelings about the coronavirus pandemic, for all its B-movie fantasy framing (the developers play up the connection in press materials, joking a little tactlessly that "After Inc: Revival is not based on any real-world situation" and there's "no need to start worrying about a real-life zombie apocalypse yet"). I'd like to know whether After Inc echoes or challenges the benign rhetoric of a "return to normal", which disregards the fact that Covid is still very much with us and a source of considerable death and disability.