Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles

Anyone familiar with the concept of kitbashing is already halfway to understanding what Tomas Sala’s open-world builder is all about. 

For those who aren’t, it’s the practice of combining pieces from separate model kits to create something unique – such as the way Industrial Light & Magic’s model-makers took pieces from car, plane and train kits and combined them with everyday objects to create some of Star Wars’ most distinctive ship designs. It’s a form of model-making that prioritises experimentation, in other words, and it’s easy to see how this practice inspired the design of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles. As a city-builder, this is a game about combining pieces from different factions to create one bustling whole – a process that results in visually spectacular settlements.

Set in the same universe as 2020’s The Falconeer, Bulwark sees you explore The Great Ursee, an oceanic planet shattered by war. Abandoned houses cling to cliff edges, statues loom from the waters below, and fragments of civilisation struggle to survive amid the vast oceans. It’s a disquieting setting, but one that also invites exploration. The haunting beauty of its ruins offers a source of inspiration when building: the dome of an abandoned naval base, for instance, might prove a useful foundation for a towering fortress.