"Kaiserpunk" shines in urban planning, but fails in warfare
In a world where the First World War never ended, "Kaiserpunk" aims to interweave reconstruction and global strategy. The ambition is great, but not every system achieves the necessary depth.
Strategy games can either go in one direction or the other: Do I either focus on building a thriving metropolis with complex production chains or do I send my armies out into the world to conquer new territories? "Kaiserpunk" aims to combine both aspects in one game concept. The challenge of combining two complex genres into a coherent gaming experience is an ambitious one. But it's precisely this ambition that makes "Kaiserpunk" so appealing to me.
I'm not just building up my city with steaming industrial centres or managing population structures and optimising production lines. As emperor, I also have to make strategic decisions, forge alliances and secure my rule militarily.
The game transports me to an alternative history of the early 20th century, where the First World War never ended and city-states vie for supremacy. This premise not only offers a unique setting, but also the opportunity to play through historical "what if" scenarios.
City building - the industrial revolution in my hands
City building is by far the strongest part of "Kaiserpunk". I start with a modest settlement and have to create a flourishing industry through targeted expansion. The core mechanism is very reminiscent of "Anno", but with a clear focus on industrial efficiency and social control.
Factories, workers' dormitories, government buildings and trade centres must be strategically placed to minimise transport routes and maximise production. The road network plays a central role: a poorly planned city can quickly descend into chaos if raw materials are not transported efficiently. At the same time, I salvage and repair old remnants and ruins of the old world.
The balance between population satisfaction, efficiency and the availability of resources creates constant challenges. Visually and conceptually, the setting is reminiscent of a mix of the industrial age and alternative history with a slight diesel punk flavour - the game is very atmospheric.
Resource management - nothing works without coal
Resource management works according to classic principles: Raw materials must be mined, processed and distributed. The production chains are sensibly structured, even if they feel repetitive as the game progresses. Transporting, storing and supplying resources requires good micromanagement, which is particularly appealing to fans of building games.
The very well-functioning automation should be emphasised. As soon as I have built the buildings, I am shown whether I need anything else: a depot nearby, electricity or water. If this is the case, everything runs automatically.
Despite this, coordinating individual production lines remains a challenge. As complexity increases, it is difficult to keep track of bottlenecks and inefficiencies. The existing overviews do not provide enough clarity. Better diagrams, filter functions or a dedicated production planning tool would be helpful to make the management of large industrial complexes more intuitive.
Military - integrated as part of the city building
Before I can send units into the field, I have to create my military infrastructure as part of the city building process. The military is not created separately, but as a logical extension of my industrial base. Barracks, tank factories, aircraft factories and ammunition depots must be built and supplied via functioning production chains. Each unit requires specific resources, such as steel, fuel or explosives, which are derived from other branches of production.
The connection between economy and army forces me to plan carefully. Not only do I have to pay attention to the efficiency of my military facilities, but I also have to ensure that my civilian infrastructure is not undersupplied. As a result, building up the armed forces is like a natural extension of city building - which is quite successful and rewards strategic foresight.
On the other hand, I find the implementation of technologies that would only remain prototypes in our reality, such as war airships, particularly exciting. These elements not only lend the game authenticity, but also a touch of historical romance.
Global strategy - lots of scenery, little control
Despite the ambition to establish "Kaiserpunk" as a global strategy game, this part seems underdeveloped. On a stylised world map, I can see my sphere of influence, possible target regions and rival factions over time, but real freedom of choice remains rare. Expansion is mostly linear via military conquest, while economic or cultural influence hardly plays a role.
There is a lack of strategic depth: trade routes cannot be customised, diplomatic relations remain superficial and global events rarely have a profound impact. There is also no provision for managing multiple cities, as is familiar from classic global strategy games. Although I can build garrisons and expansions on newly conquered territories spread across the world map, I am denied a new city.
Thus, the global scale ultimately remains a backdrop that is intended to give city building a sense of grandeur without any real strategic relevance. Anyone hoping for complex interactions, long-term planning across regions or emergent geopolitical dynamics will be disappointed.
Combat system - superficial mechanics instead of tactical challenge
The military part of "Kaiserpunk" unfortunately falls short of its potential. Although I can produce units, send airships and tanks into the field and conquer territories, the combat system seems extremely simplified. Tactical depth is often sought in vain. Units can be roughly positioned, but the actual battles are automated.
In addition, there is a lack of dynamics and reaction options. Decisions in advance, such as army build-up and supply logistics, do have an influence, but I have too little control on the battlefield itself. Anyone hoping for in-depth, strategic warfare could be disappointed.
An additional point of criticism concerns the course of the battles themselves: I can't coordinate my troops in the form of larger army formations, but have to send individual battalions into battle one after the other. This not only feels cumbersome, but also inhibits tactical variety, as combined attacks or coordinated manoeuvres are hardly possible.
In particular, coordination between infantry, navy and air units would be appropriate. Also, the battles often degenerate into frustrating micromanagement. I have to wait until my units are ready again and the time limit for a new attack has expired.
Diplomacy and politics - shallow options with potential
The diplomatic system also feels superficial. Although menus suggest the possibility of trade agreements or alliances, in practice these interactions remain mostly meaningless.
In addition, the opposing AI is hardly tangible. I can neither make a meaningful assessment of how strong or weak an opponent is positioned, nor can I see troop movements or strategic plans. In this respect, the world feels static and not very lively, which considerably diminishes the feeling of real diplomatic conflict.
Interesting approaches such as intrigue or exerting influence on other factions are at most hinted at, but not consistently thought through to the end. Much more depth would be possible here to give the global strategy the necessary strategic bite.
Research & development tree - progress with hurdles
A central progression system in "Kaiserpunk" is the development tree. This is divided into various branches such as industry, military, infrastructure and society. Unlike in classic skill trees, technologies are not unlocked directly by selecting them, but I first have to collect progress points in the respective category. I can only unlock the next development level and thus new options once a certain number of points has been reached.
How exactly these points are generated, however, remains vague. Although progress can be observed, the game does not communicate transparently which actions specifically contribute to the increase in points. This makes targeted planning difficult and makes the system less tangible, although it is generally well structured.
Political alignment - decisions without real consequences
During the course of the game, I can give my city a political direction: authoritarian, technocratic or progressive - that sounds promising at first. In practice, however, these decisions remain largely cosmetic. Although individual bonuses and descriptions change with each alignment, the influence on gameplay or diplomacy is minimal.
There are no real conflicting goals or consequences for my political stance. For example, an authoritarian regime has no tangible effect on satisfaction, trade or diplomacy. A lot of potential remains unutilised here: Political ideologies could be integrated much more into the game mechanics to create dynamism and depth.
Graphics and sound design - style meets function
"Kaiserpunk" is visually stylish and atmospherically dense. The graphic style combines elements of steampunk, industrial heaviness and alternative history in a credible setting. Brick facades, smoking chimneys and huge cogwheels dominate the cityscape and create a convincing aesthetic that captures the game's theme well. The user interface is functional and visually appealing, even if it does feel cluttered in places.
Technically, the game delivers solid work: the environments are designed in detail, and the industrial complexes in particular impress with lovely animations such as steaming pipes or spinning turbines. Character models and vehicles, on the other hand, remain generic and could do with more individuality. There is also a lack of dynamism and variety in the combat animations - many battles seem visually interchangeable.
The soundtrack emphasises the atmosphere with orchestral, dramatic sounds that blend in well with the background. The music is atmospheric, but could be more varied to give longer gaming sessions more dynamism. The sound effects fulfil their purpose: machines rattle, steam hisses, gunshots crack - all solidly set to music, albeit without any acoustic surprises.
"Kaiserpunk" was provided to me by Overseer Games. The game has been available for PC since 21 March.
In a nutshell
A feast for urban planners, a tragedy for war strategists
"Kaiserpunk" is an ambitious genre mix that aims to combine industrial construction games and global strategy in an alternative historical setting - with mixed success. The great strength lies in city building: the detailed simulation of industrial production chains, paired with an atmospherically dense dieselpunk style, provides hours of building fun. The strategic dovetailing of economy and military works well and rewards foresighted planning.
However, "Kaiserpunk" is less convincing in its claim to be a comprehensive global strategy game. Diplomacy, politics and military conflicts remain superficial or too mechanical to be truly captivating. The progress and research system also seems too opaque in its implementation to enable targeted development steps. Nevertheless, anyone looking for development games with an unusual setting and who appreciates complexity, especially in the economic area, will get their money's worth here - provided you can accept compromises in terms of global scale and tactical depth.
Pro
- Detailed urban development with a strong focus on industrial efficiency
- Atmospherically dense setting with an independent diesel punk style
- Successful integration of military production into economic cycles
Contra
- Global strategy remains superficial, conquered areas pale in terms of gameplay and largely unused
- Combat system feels mechanical and offers little tactical depth
- hardly any strategic depth in diplomacy and politics - the AI acts passively and seems lifeless
Header image: Kim Muntinga
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