I rule over my own Soviet nation in "Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic"

Welcome, comrades: After five years of Early Access, the construction simulation "Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic" went into full release on 20 June 2024. Having already spent over 60 hours playing the game in the Early Access phase, I'm taking a look at how the finished product turned out. The reviews on Steam make me feel confident - 91.7 per cent of the total of 16,195 user reviews are positive, which corresponds to an overall rating of "very positive".

What can you expect in "Workers & Resources"?

In "Workers & Resources" you take control of a small Soviet republic in the 1960s. Your goal is to develop it into a powerful industrialised nation. You have to plan and manage everything: from the extraction of raw materials to the production of goods and the prosperity of your citizens. You must also utilise international trade to import goods that your republic cannot produce itself.

Complex economic system

The centrepiece of "Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic" is the complex economic system. Every single resource must be mined, transported and processed in order to produce goods. The production chains are interlinked and require careful planning. The game is therefore not for impatient players. The economy is merciless. Mistakes can quickly lead to bottlenecks and unrest within your population. If you are looking for a challenge and want to immerse yourself in complex systems, you will get your money's worth here

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I still remember my beginnings very well. Without help, I was completely lost in the game at first. The depth and complexity challenged me because there was so much to consider and learn. I quickly became frustrated by my own mistakes. At the same time, the learning curve is very steep. It's so satisfying to build a large production system. And it's even more fun to keep expanding it.

The important thing is that you don't have to play the "realistic mode". You can switch individual aspects and challenges on and off: Activate infinite money, simplify electricity, have houses built directly or dispense with the transport of goods to the shops. Individual requirements can also be weakened. Ultimately, it's up to you how you play the game and how you like it.

This helped me at the beginning to get more and more involved in the game, to get to know and master other aspects of the game.

Example of recycling - disposing of waste, recovering raw materials

An example of the complexity is recycling: Inhabited buildings fill their rubbish bins with mixed waste. I have to deploy rubbish trucks, create a depot for them and a place to dispose of their collections. Strategically, it is advisable to set up central waste bins at various locations and later build a transfer station to centralise waste collection. I can still expand this system through research.

For example, at one of three different university types, I unlock a depot that sifts through the waste to extract valuable building materials. The more I research, the more facilities are unlocked to process the rest and recover various materials. The same applies to waste separation.

In my opinion, these are points that inexperienced players don't necessarily need to tackle straight away. For me, however, they are part of the complete game experience in a way.

Tutorial and campaign

At the beginning of the year, "Workers & Resources" received a major update before the final release. With the patch, the development studio introduced two first missions of the campaign. They also serve as a playful tutorial. You can also learn individual mechanics as normal in the tutorials.

I played this campaign again at release to get back into the game. And I have to admit that it showed me a few tricks that I didn't know before. While the first campaign is still very basic and shows you how to build a city, research and the first industries and how to distribute your goods, the second campaign goes into much more depth. It is only unlocked once you have completed the first campaign. I can only recommend this campaign to you as a newcomer and even as a refresher. I really enjoyed it. I wanted something like this back in Early Access

Improvements compared to Early Access

According to the developer, the highlights of the full release version include graphical and quality-of-life improvements, new fitness and entertainment buildings and a revised education system. The connection points in the factories have also been improved to make the transport of resources along the production chains more efficient.

I also noticed numerous improvements from the previous months and years. I have already described the waste system in more detail. Water management was also added last year. As already mentioned, the campaign is also part of this. An active Community continues to offer a nice bonus with helpful mods. I have added numerous buildings and wagons to my game.

Nervous factor: the placement of roads

Unfortunately, the developers have not yet revised one thing: Placing roads and paths is and remains an annoying fiddle. Infrastructure plays a central role in "Workers & Resources". A well-designed road and path network is essential for the smooth transport of goods and resources.

On the one hand, the system offers great freedom. You can create curved, diagonal or parallel roads and thus customise your cities. Different road types allow you to adapt to the traffic load and the surface. However, I was often frustrated by the lack of precision when placing the roads. The game often has problems recognising junctions and intersections, which can lead to unsightly edges and illogical road layouts. Some roads cannot be placed at all. No snap points are displayed and I sometimes have to demolish and reposition buildings. Or plan roads completely differently.

The "Biomes" DLC: New maps for the game

Parallel to the release of the full version, a first DLC with the title "Biomes" was also released. It adds three new biomes to the main game: Desert, Tundra and Tropics. Each of these biomes will come with its own challenges and opportunities.

In the desert, you face limited access to wood and other resources. You need to be prepared for long-distance transport from distant oases and foreign trade. In the tundra, you must prepare for longer and harsher winters, which will affect your agriculture and heat supply. In the tropics, heavy rainfall makes traffic and transport difficult for your nation. You will therefore need to find alternative routes and become inventive.

I've already had a quick look at the maps. They look interesting at first glance. You can select them either with small villages and towns or completely undeveloped. In my opinion, the undeveloped map is more interesting, allowing you to let off steam.

I found the desert map boring and dull. It doesn't appeal to me. The other two maps are more interesting. The tropical Asia map and the Siberia map are characterised by a complex topography. There is little building land for your cities and industries. Instead, you have a mountainous landscape and lots of water on both maps. I found the many small river arms on the Asia map particularly interesting: creative solutions are required here. Shipping is a good option here.

On the Siberia map, I quickly had problems with heating and completely underestimated this issue. Temperatures of -40 to -50 degrees Celsius were not uncommon. You need a good heating infrastructure. I had to reload and go back once myself to fix this bug, as almost my entire population died. Ashes on my head.

"Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic" is available on Steam, GOG and in the Epic Games Store.