From Press Release:
SASKATOON, CANADA – Indie game developer Stratagem Interactive is thrilled to announce HistoriCity: Florence, a mission-based survival citybuilder/colony sim that challenges players to rebuild Renaissance Florence in the aftermath of the Black Plague.
Key Features
- Relive the Renaissance
Build iconic landmarks like the Florence Cathedral, hire renowned Masters like Michelangelo, and uncover cultural relics like the Remains of Saint Zenobius, all to unlock powerful abilities and revitalize your city. Experience pivotal moments in history such as the Bonfire of the Vanities through a comprehensive and branching set of narrative missions. - Deep, Addictive Loops
Fulfill your citizens’ complex and varied needs to achieve the highest levels of housing, planning districts strategically to maximize population density and unlock the most transformative upgrades. Overcome recurring survival challenges like drought which devastates crop yields. Manage your economy and build efficient production chains to refine raw resources into valuable commodities for consumption or trade.
- Streamlined, Accessible Gameplay
Easily manage your workforce with intuitive job wheels, place structures freely, even before you have the resources to finish them, and stay immersed with a sleek minimalist UI, subtle tooltips, and clear mission objectives that gently guide you through the mechanics. - Authentic Renaissance Vibes
Enjoy a relaxing soundtrack of actual Italian Renaissance lute compositions, expertly performed by renowned Renaissance lutenist Elizabeth Pallett.
Developer Ryan Allan says the team set out to combine the fiendishly addictive gameplay of classic citybuilders with a more modern, streamlined approach to city management.
“We had one rule for our user experience: ‘no spreadsheets’”, says Allan, referring to the team’s design goal of eschewing complex, menu-heavy interfaces in favour of intuitive, in-world management tools that keep players immersed while making decisions.
“We think the best games are easy to learn and hard to master, so we focused on creating something newcomers could truly ‘pick up and play’ while still offering the layers of deeply rewarding complexity that we’ve always loved about the genre.”
Allan continues, “We’ve tried to remain true to the best parts of our favourite citybuilders, like housing that automatically upgrades when its residents’ needs are met, and leave behind some of the parts we weren’t crazy about, like random fires. And then add just a few new touches we think really elevate the experience, like being able to recruit and control famous historical figures with unique area-of-effect abilities.”
“Seeing such an incredible response from early testers has been truly humbling, and we’re thrilled to finally share it with a wider audience.”
Game Details
-Release Window: 2025 (Early Access)
-Genre: Survival Citybuilder/Colony Sim
-Platforms: Steam
-Developer: Stratagem Interactive
-Publisher: Stratagem Interactive
-Steam: https://steampowered.
-Discord: https://discord.com/
About Stratagem Interactive
Stratagem Interactive is a very small indie studio based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the Canadian prairies.
Our two-Ryan coding team first met nearly 30 years ago, and has been creating hobby games for fun together ever since. Matt and Meghan are our husband-and-wife art team who share a deep passion for gaming. Industry veteran AJ handles our audio, and Cody manages the business side.
HistoriCity: Florence will be our first commercial release.
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