German developer King Art Games have announced a new dieselpunk-themed real-time strategy game, Iron Harvest 1920+.
The game is based on the alternate World War I world created by Polish artist Jakub Rozalski, and will release for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. While details are scant, the game will feature mechs and a dynamic storyline combined with open, sandbox-style levels.
Players will be able to utilize cover mechanics and chip away at the environment with its dynamic destruction system. Rozalski said the game is inspired by the Company of Heroes and Men at War series, and it will even have “a hint of XCOM.”
Here’s some in game screenshots:
Rozalski points to the 1920 Battle of Warsaw as the main inspiration for the fictional world, as well as the Polish-Soviet War that raged from 1919 to 1921.
“This battle is considered by many historians as one of the most important in the world’s history, since it changed the fate of Europe and stopped the Red Revolution,” Rozalski wrote in the project’s description. “After the first world war, the atmosphere in Europe was filled with revolutionary thoughts. Bolsheviks decided to take advantage of this situation and started to move forward to the west with a huge army.
“Poland was the first country to really be able to show them resistance. Our independence had only been restored for two years. Even that, Polish army has defeated the Bolsheviks and pushed away the specter of the communism from the Western Europe. Anyone hardly knows about this and it is a very interesting historical period.”
Here’s some concept art rife with mecha and rural European landscapes:
There will be three factions included in the game:
The Saxony Empire is one of the most influential countries in Europe, with powerful industry, developed cities, modern factories and a strong military tradition. After the unfavorable conditions of surrender in the Great War, the current mood in the Empire is bad, and proud elites and humiliated aristocrats secretly oppose the Emperor’s appeasement policies.
The Polania Republic is a large agricultural country with a long history. It is trying to maintain its status and territory, struggling with its aggressive neighbors: The Saxony Empire in the west and Rusviet in the east. Polania initiated a program to modernize its army while a large part of the country is still occupied by Rusviet forces.
Rusviet is huge, powerful, and has unmatched industrial and population potential. However, the country is tired and worn out by the long war. People are frustrated, and the power of Tsar Nikolaj weakens. Mysterious Grigori Rasputin has become an extraordinarily powerful man and revolution is in the air.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning the Iron Harvest video game takes place in the same world as the Scythe board game, which is also based on the same world created by Rozalski (thanks, Polygon).
“Both games play in the same world,” wrote King Art’s Jan Theysen. “We’re Scythe[crowdfunding] backers and we are in contact with Jamey [Stegmaier] from Stonemaier Games. But the two games have very little in common apart from the setting. Scythefocusses on production, resources and research, Iron Harvest focusses on characters & combat. So more ‘tactics’ than ‘strategy,’ more ‘battlefield’ than “world map.'”
King Art Games is launching their latest tactical game, The Dwarves, on December 1st across PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. You can read more about that game here.
