Before We Leave: Non-violent Kiwi game releases on Steam

Before We Leave is a bit of an oddity when it comes to civilization building games. Instead of pursuing gold, god and glory to conquer and beat rival nations into submission, there is no violence. Instead, you grow, gather and manage resources to help your settlements thrive and to share goods between the hexagonal lands and planets around you.

For those unfamiliar with Before We Leave's story, you take control of an abandoned civilization that has spent eons underground. The inhabitants, or “Peeps” as they are called, miss the caress of the sun on their skin, and the squelch of soil between their toes, and decide to have another go at making things work on the planet’s surface. You have to help them thrive again by building shelter, growing food (mainly potatoes) and expanding your colony to other planets. On the way you will need to discover ancient technology and steer your civilization away from disaster.

All of this is done without weapons and without battling neighbours, but that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. There are a host of catastrophes waiting to befall colonies that are not being managed well, including ancient world guardians that will challenge your settlements. You can also be gobbled up by Space Whales that graze on your planet… and although that seems quite brutal, funnily enough it doesn't seem to count as game violence.

The game which is the creation of New Zealand publisher, Balancing Monkey Games, was released on the Epic Games Store back in 2020. Now it makes a return to Steam after being delisted from Early Access before a full launch. It also includes a series of updates, including changes to four of the game's scenarios.

Here’s a list of some of the updates included in the Steam release:

• New weather including rain, snow, heat, dust and wind that will affect how islands and ships operate.
• New airships that work just like ships and can reach inner tiles of an island. The Passenger Airship can transport passengers automatically for a holiday or to transport Peeps to a new island.
• Updates to four scenarios – two of which introduce changes to normal games, and the other two create shorter experiences with larger changes and new end-goals.

Players on the Epic Games Store will also be pleased to know that these updates will apply to their copy of the game too. Here's the new trailer.