Farthest Frontier from Crate Entertainment looks to be the most ambitious city-builder so far

Farthest Frontier is the latest game from Crate Entertainment, the makers of the acclaimed action RPG Grim Dawn. It was announced just recently as a city-building and management game set in the medieval era.

While the genre has seen a resurgence recently with games like Cities: Skylines, Frostpunk, and Tropico 6, the upcoming rival aims to set itself apart in numerous ways.

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Guide your settlement to prosperity in Farthest Frontier

The reveal footage doesn't give away any gameplay systems, it's rather more of a visual showcase. However, the Steam page does shed some light on the matter.

The objective of the game is to build a town from the ground up by managing the settlers. Players must utilize the resources around them and fish, hunt, and mine for materials to sustain the townsfolk as well as set up an economy that's said to be "multi-tiered."

However, danger can strike at any moment as civilization is set up on the edge of the wilderness, meaning players can expect attacks from raiders. Therefore, players would be required to build defensive fortifications as well as arm willing members to keep the commoners as well as their crops safe.

Where Farthest Frontier goes above and beyond its peers is in terms of complexity. For example, crops will need minute attention, with aspects like soil fertility and diseases being a crucial factor. The populace also has a detailed AI routine. Players can observe each individual going about their daily tasks, from fishing and mining to fighting against bandits and delivering items across town.

There are over a dozen raw materials to craft the town of your dreams from and several dozen picks for buildings, many of them serving different purposes, like storehouses to keep grains safe. Players must strategically establish and upgrade new buildings and lay down travel and trading routes for maximum efficiency, as it is very much possible for goods to get spoiled due to delay.

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Given the dedication Crate Entertainment's team has shown towards Grim Dawn with continued updates and content to please fans, we can expect Farthest Frontier to receive similar treatment. So far, the game has only been confirmed for PC and will launch in 2022 as an Early Access game. The studio cites satisfaction via feedback as the key reason for this decision, stating:

“We appreciate receiving feedback from a wider player audience to help us determine whether we've met our design goals and are delivering the quality of experience and fun we strive to achieve."

It is planned to stay in Early Access for 4-8 months. Currently, the game features 10+ hours of content and players can go through 4 tiers of town upgrades, including defense against threats. There will be no feature changes between the current and final launch.

Although no pricing has been confirmed yet, it could be expected to cost around the same price range or perhaps a bit more than Grim Dawn, which launched for $24.99.