Frostpunk

Frostpunk launched April 2018 with StreamerHouse hitting 486 viewers as 11 Bit Studios redefined city-builders with brutal survival and ethical horror. The game earned 84 on Metacritic with 92% positive Steam reviews across 100,000+ users, selling 5 million copies over six years. Critics praised the art style, crisis management gameplay, and ethical choices while noting limited replay value due to scripted scenarios. GameStar gave it 89/100, reviewers described it as "tense, gripping, often stressful" with choices that were "sometimes unthinkable." Bertz noted the ethical dilemmas "kept me awake at night wrestling with big decisions"—child labor, forced worship, organ harvesting, all justified as necessary for survival. Starkey praised how morality choices had "tangible consequences and reactions from citizens," making Frostpunk stand out from sandbox builders. Critics remarked that as a non-sandbox, replay value suffered—different choices led to same story beats. Christopher Livingston noted Frostpunk influenced games like The Wandering Village, Ixion, Aquatico, Urbek, and Floodland with its expedition mechanics and political focus. StreamerHouse grinding through ice storms in 2018 experienced a game willing to make players feel like monsters to save their people. Sometimes surviving means abandoning your humanity.