Neverdark is a post-apocalyptic RTS where you'll have to rebuild society—there was a global blackout, civilisation has fallen, the internet is dead—and fight gangs for control over ruined cities. Maps of Paris, New York and Tokyo serve as the battlefields, so you can visit the Louvre, soak up the art and history, and then rebrand it as a black market. Check out the announcement trailer above for a quick hit of exposition.
With its hologram cities and surveillance aesthetic, Neverdark looks more like Ingress than your typical RTS, but I'm definitely into it. That it doesn't kinda look like StarCraft is really a plus. It's unconventional beyond its style, too. Instead of commanding squads or armies to fling at your adversary's own forces, you'll have to send specialists out on missions in an attempt to expand your influence over the city.
So if you want to take over the Louvre, instead of sending a bunch of soldiers and engaging in a brisk RTS battle, you can send one of these specialists to perhaps sow dissent among the faction controlling the area, or maybe a sniper so you can perform some assassinations. A proper fight is still an option, however, but they're turn-based tactical battles, while everything else takes place in real-time.
When you take over an area, that's when you can start putting it to use, transforming it into a handy piece of post-apocalyptic infrastructure, like the aforementioned black market or maybe some rooftop gardens. It sounds like it goes further than just getting resources to fuel the war machine and ventures into management territory. Like Frostpunk, you'll need to worry about resource scarcity and even ethical dilemmas, passing laws to influence the direction of a new civilisation.
So while developer Simteract describes it as a "pausable RTS", it actually sounds a lot broader. A bit of tactical combat, faction management, politics and real-time strategy—it's quite a lot to unpack. There's a Steam store page, though it doesn't go into too many specifics. It's certainly an interesting pitch, though. It's due out later this year, so expect to read more about it soon.
