Further research into post-apocalyptic management games lead me to look at Surviving the Aftermath, developed by Iceflake Studios and published by Paradox Interactive. The game is a colony-building survival simulation that requires players to manage resources, navigate crises, and make difficult moral decisions to ensure the survival of their people. I was browsing the Playstation Plus collection and found this gem, how lucky was that?

Overview

Surviving the Aftermath is set in a post-collapse world, where players must rebuild civilization from the ruins of the past. It features resource management, colony expansion, and decision-making mechanics, while also dealing with external threats like bandits, environmental hazards, and disasters. The game encourages long-term survival strategies while forcing players to adapt to unpredictable challenges.

The first thing that struck me about this game was how complex everrything was, you could adjust the diffculty for just about every aspect of the game. My first playthrough sat at a 50% difficulty overall and as I’m writing this my save is at 7 hours of playtime.

Key Design Elements and Their Relevance

1. Resource Management and Scarcity

The foundation of Surviving the Aftermath is its deep resource management system, where players must gather food, water, materials, and energy to keep their settlement running. Different resources have different acquisition methods, and players must balance short-term survival with long-term sustainability.

Application to Those Left Behind:

• Those Left Behind will feature a simplified but impactful resource management system rather than excessive micromanagement.
• Resources will be obtained by assigning survivors to different tasks, much like in Surviving the Aftermath, but with a more intuitive drag-and-drop system.
• Moral dilemmas will be tied to resource delegation, such as whether to invest in one NPCs needs or another.

2. Threats from Other Survivors

Surviving the Aftermath includes threats from bandits and rival factions, who attempt to raid settlements and steal resources. Players must build defenses and maintain a militia to fend off attacks, adding a layer of security management.

Application to Those Left Behind:

• The threat of outsiders will be present, but rather than focusing on direct combat, the game will emphasise resources, if a player has enough security bandits will not affect them as much as not any.
• Unlike the strategic combat system in Surviving the Aftermath, Those Left Behind will handle combat as a narrative event rather than engaging in traditional RTS-style battles.

3. Morality and Leadership Decisions

In Surviving the Aftermath, players must make difficult moral decisions, such as deciding whether to accept desperate refugees or ration food supplies. These choices impact colony morale and long-term survival.

Application to Those Left Behind:

• The core of Those Left Behind is morality-driven gameplay, where choice has narrative weight and can change the course of the story.
• The game will emphasise player responsibility, making the consequences of their decisions personal and emotional rather than purely strategic.
• Rather than governing a large colony, players will oversee a small group of survivors who are also family, making each decision more intimate and impactful.

Conclusion and Review

I was originally skeptical of Surviving the Aftermath since I had never played a colony sim before, but I got so hooked. The game works over days, with its own time system that can be sped up or paused, everything is constantly moving and so should you as the player. While the aesthetics and concept are the same, the gameplay varies a lot in terms of it being in 3D and working at a much bigger scale than TLB. One thing this game really excels at is resource management, however, TLB will prioritise narrative depth over large-scale strategy.

By learning from Surviving the Aftermath’s strengths while refining its mechanics for a more (short) story-driven experience, Those Left Behind can offer a unique and emotionally engaging take on the post-apocalyptic survival genre.

I knew the environment artist also has PS Plus so I ran to let her know to try the game out, it’s good research and a lot of fun too.