The Clockwork Empires launch trailer is a tale of colonial misery and madness

The neo-Victorian Cthulhu colony simulator Clockwork Empires comes out tomorrow, which means we have just one more chance to watch a video of digital settlers working toward a happy, prosperous life, only to fall prey to incompetent middle management and the otherworldly clutches of unearthly horrors. Enjoy!

Clockwork Empires is pretty much exactly what the trailer makes it out to be. It starts off as a relatively straightforward pseudo-Industrial Age city building/management sim, but eventually confronts players with what you might call "non-standard" problems, like babbling Fishmen, cannibalistic colonists, and tentacled obsidian beasts from beyond the fourth dimension. 

It's good to have an armored corps to call on when things go sideways, but even that effort sounds almost doomed to failure. As Gaslamp Games said when the launch date was announced, you can struggle to save your colony or you can let it all go to Hell: "Either way, in true Bureaucratic fashion, you will bring Glory to the Clockwork Empire." 

Clockwork Empires is available now as an Early Access title on Steam, ahead of its full launch tomorrow as a real game. Find out more at clockworkempires.com

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.