IRONHIVE: Everything We Know

One of the highlights this December was the PC gaming show, which highlighted what's in store in the PC gaming world. The show comes in right before The Game Awards, unveiling a boatload of exciting games heading to PC. 

What caught our eye was the new post-apocalyptic strategy card game by Wondernaut Studio and CRITICAL REFLEX. In a nutshell, you dictate your survival by building the strongest deck. Will you survive, or will your house of cards come crashing down? 

While details on the gameplay are still scanty, we can still add some flesh to the game's skeleton to give you an idea of what will come. Without much further ado, here's Iron Hive—Everything We Know.

What is Ironhive?

Ironhive is an upcoming deck-building strategy game that thwarts you deep into an apocalyptic adventure. It is a city-builder game with a twist where you use deck-building to restore sanity to a collapsed state. 

As the protagonist, your quest is to oversee the Iron Hive, the last establishment hosting the remnants of humanity. This position is not for the faint-hearted because you'll be forced to make tough decisions on which your city's future depends. Will you sacrifice a handful for the greater good? Or will you throw in all your cards for a chance at everyone's survival? Well, that is the essence of strategy games. You'll often stare at moral dilemmas where the lesser evil is the only way out. 

Ironhive draws inspiration from The Quiet Year, a board game where you attempt to rebuild a fallen post-apocalyptic city after a constant struggle fighting jackals. Then, you get one year of tranquility to strategize your defense in preparation for the Frost Shepherd come winter. While Ironhive isn't an exact replica, it keeps the tabletop's vibe alive by putting the weight of the world squarely on your shoulders.

Story

The game's story uncovers a lost world over ten decades ago following the “Great Collapse” that “saw the fall of humanity.” Now, humanity is attempting to re-establish itself by forming settlements known as Iron hives. Playing as the Iron Lord, you must help bring your colonies to life by “elevating housing, utility, production, defense, and social buildings.” 

You'll need plenty of resources to bring all these to life. But worry not; you can send out troops to scavenge for resources. However, be wary: the greater the resources, the greater the risk. Moreover, the game's narrative events intertwine, bringing a fresh perspective to your colonies with every card you deal. Plus, every decision you make directly affects your city, so choose wisely.

Gameplay

Ironhive is a colony survival game where you deal cards using a strategy. Your deck of cards represents the colony's materials and the citizens. Each turn reminds you of the past you've walked through, where you must carefully deal your cards or lose. Although the game provides you with stability, drawing all your cards leads to futility for your colony. If you want to keep things going, you must find a new card. 

To start off, players get a dilapidated building, which they must restore to proper working condition. Players will monitor resources based on Supply, Workforce, Order, and Devotion. Your decisions will influence the availability of these resources. For instance, Heart of the Ironhive is the entry point for new members into your colony. It presents an opportunity for fresh skills. Constructing this means you can add hive workers to your deck. 

The Council Tower is your leadership headquarters. The towers create leadership cards that influence your city's strategic direction. A Building Pavilion card brings structures to life at the expense of materials such as mineral, scrap, and organic cards. If you still need to get a resource card, you can send citizens to scavenge for them. The supply station converts your raw materials into valuable resources crucial to the survival of every citizen. 

Furthermore, as your civilization develops, they'll discover more valuable means of survival. For example, the Ironhive's builders found that reusing scraps in buildings is an alternative to mining iron ore. However, the latter is necessary for formidable structures. 

As you face this tough decision, your choice grants you three cards in return based on the option you pick. 

Development

“Ironhive, crafted by the Brazilian Studio Wondernaut and published by CRITICAL REFLEX, is the result of a journey that began in 2022 during the BIG Festival's game jam. The game garnered positive feedback, motivating the developers to bring this upcoming title to fruition. The studio was founded by Bruno Kilpel and Pablo Abraham in 2020. The two individuals' collaboration stems from a passion for creating experiences that are both entertaining and enriching to their lives.

Wondernauts' collaboration with CRITICAL FLEX is no coincidence; it's a strategic move. CRITICAL FLEX has a proven track record as an indie game publishing studio, with hits like Drowned Lake, Teleforum, and Orx under their belt. Well, what else can you expect from the studio? Nothing but the best. 

Trailer

Ready to see this beautifully crafted game in action? Wondernaut released a reveal trailer during the PC Game Show awards, and to sum it up in one word, epic. But don't take my word for it; you can be the judge. The trailer is embedded above. 

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Ironhive will be launching on PC in 2024. A precise release date has yet to be communicated by the developers. We will have to keep you posted on this one. The same goes for special editions. 

The game is now available on the wishlist. You can head on to Ironhive’s Steam page for exclusive content or add it to your wishlist to be among the first to be notified once it launches. 

If this game floats your boat, you can keep up with the devs on the official social media handle here. If anything exciting drops before launch day, we'll be sure to give you the exclusive scoop right here on gaming.net.

So there you have it. Will you pick up a copy of Ironhive once it launches on PC? What features of the game stand out the most for you? Let us know in the comments below or on our socials here.