ZEPHON

ZEPHON is a turn-based strategy game for single player and multiplayer, set in a near-future apocalypse of alien origin. Earth has been devastated, with mutated animals, damaged military robots and stranded alien soldiers occupying the ruins. Players control human survivors and choose between three asymmetric paths: Human, Voice and Cyber. These paths can also be combined. The game blends city management, tactical combat, research, diplomacy and branching narrative quests.

Combat takes place on the main map, without a separate battle mode or auto-resolve. Players can command more than 50 units, each with its own graphics, voice overs, weapon systems, traits and abilities. Tactical operations include interference protocols, hymns of decay and nuclear weapons. Cities are grown by constructing buildings on tiles, and each building requires space. The economy uses 11 tiered resources, which allows cities to specialise according to their location. Three architecture styles correspond to the chosen path, and defences can be built at strategic points.

The game offers more than 150 technologies across 10 tiers, covering units, buildings, operations, weapons, abilities and passive bonuses. Unit upgrades are shown on the models, and tooltips and an in-game compendium list exact modifier values. The world features dozens of terrain features and phenomena across 6 climates, including flesh trees, microchip factories, sandstorms and volcanoes, and world generation can be tuned. Players can clear packs of mutated animals to collect rewards and capture outposts. AI opponents have individual likes and dislikes and take part in diplomatic encounters covering peace, trade and alliances. The non-player factions ZEPHON, Acrin and Reaver are present in the world. Multistage, branching events occur during play, and each leader has a unique quest chain that unlocks a permanent reward on completion. Resolving the prophecy that brought the Acrin to Earth unlocks new game modifiers.