A colony sim, a broader kind of city builder mechanically speaking where the individuals in said colony matter more than just stats, can be a game of war and strategy if the base defence phases are expanded upon. And indie developers Vitar Games did just that with their upcoming game, Dig In.
Dig In is a colony sim set in World War I and it makes so much sense. You’ll need to prepare for the upcoming wave of attackers so you must plan and build your defences, and that includes digging trenches (hence, the name). This isn’t an RTS, Dig In focuses more on you having to manage the logistics when you expand your trench network, the various needs of the soldier (like food, sleep, and warmth) to ensure morale is high. Though you’re also not defending the line to stop enemies from breaking through and destroy your beautiful city/colony.
The battles in Dig In is also more elaborate and deadly. Artillery strikes can be fired, and they don’t discriminate, so you might end up with unnecessary collateral damage if you’re not planning properly. Every action in Dig In has lead-up time as it requires a soldier to go do that thing physically.
Dig In will launch first into Early Access this year. The Early Access build allows players to play as France, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Imperial Germany, with more factions to be added throughout Early Access. Full mod support will be available for Dig In.
It’s a brilliant idea to expand on the tower defence-ish gameplay that some colony and settlement builders have adopted like Farthest Frontier, without going full RTS. Dig In has a good thing going here on paper.
If you’re ready to dig in into Dig In, the game will launch in Early Access via PC (Steam) sometime later this year.