Before We Leave (Xbox One) Review
Release Date: November 22, 2021 (prior release on PC, May 13th)
Publisher/Developer: Team17/Balancing Monkey Games
Platform: Xbox One (Reviewed), PC
Price: $19.99, currently included with Game Pass
In a post-apocalyptic world, humanity comes crawling back out of the bunkers to begin populating the world anew. Instead of mowing down rad-roaches or defending against other terrible irradiated monsters, this world has had time to heal. Outside of the occasional ruined building or strange device to find that will convert material, humanity is starting out from square one.
Before we Leave is a hex-based world building “4X” game with a positive spin. There’s no real dangers (outside of one that isn’t really actively “after you”), and the whole goal is to maintain and grow your community, eventually even reaching the stars to colonize other planets. It’s overall positive, with no real way to lose progress. At most, your “peeps” become unhappy, and it slows down production. This allows you to change focus and do something to boost moods before pressing forward to the stars again.
The game’s focus on different needs gives a fresh take on the genre. Instead of constant clamor for resources or defenses, your main focus is on learning new technologies and keeping your colony happy. Each individual peep has their own general name and personality quirks that you can micromanage as well. There’s a day/night cycle to follow, and as you populate the globe you can follow the light cycle around.
Before we Leave is very eco-friendly: a lot of mood boosts come from cleaning up pollution, forests are sustainable when properly tended for lumber, and resources are harvested from broken down buildings when you demolish them. It brings about a childhood whimsy, with the goals of rebuilding a boat to explore the world all the way to heading to the stars to populate new worlds. If you enjoy exploration-style games but don’t want to deal with combat or lost resources, Before we Leave offers a fun, rewarding, and relaxing take on the genre.
Pros:
-A very positive post-apocalyptic game
-No real direct enemies or loss of progress means a calmer experience
Cons:
-Games like this do work better overall on keyboard/mouse instead of controller
Special thanks to Team17/Balancing Monkey Games for providing a code for review!