Zephon

Zephon is a turn-based survival strategy game set on an Earth devastated by an alien apocalypse. You control humanity’s survivors as they navigate a ruined world of mutated wildlife, damaged military robots and stranded alien soldiers. Choose between the Voice’s indifferent abominations and ZEPHON’s uncaring automata, while managing cities, fighting tactical battles, researching strange technologies, negotiating with factions and making choices in branching quests.

A ruined Earth

Settlements, forests, seas and mountains have been transformed. Across six climates, you encounter terrain features and phenomena including flesh trees, microchip factories, traveling sandstorms and erupting volcanoes. You can adjust the generation of each new world, with cliffsides, ruins and deformed woodland occupied by violent wildlife and expanding NPCs pursuing their own agendas. Hunt packs of mutated animals for reward caches, capture outposts and extend your reach one turn at a time.

Build your empire

You establish and grow cities by placing buildings on tiles, where each structure needs space. Manage an empire-wide economy of 11 tiered resources and specialize cities according to their locations. Three architectural styles reflect your chosen path, and you can fortify strategic positions to guard them from enemy attacks.

Fight on the map

Combat is turn-based and takes place directly on the main map, without switching modes or relying on automatic battle resolution. You can command over 50 distinct units, each with its own graphics, voice overs, weapon systems, traits and abilities. Plan build orders across three asymmetric paths—Human, Voice and Cyber—or combine them. Tactical operations include interference protocols, otherworldly hymns of decay and nuclear weapons. In multiplayer, you can use leaders’ distinctive abilities with or against other players.

Research new powers

More than 150 technologies across 10 tiers unlock units, buildings, operations, weapons, abilities and passive bonuses. Research progresses from post-apocalyptic survivalism through a blend of magic and cyberpunk aesthetics towards transhuman transcendence. Unit upgrades appear on their models; regular, large and titanic units can gain equipment such as cruise missiles, tunneling nails and deflector shields. Tooltips and an in-game compendium provide exact modifier numbers.

Negotiate with factions

Diplomatic encounters let you deal with AI-controlled opponents, whose likes and dislikes depend on their characters. You can establish peace, trade agreements and alliances, or use your influence to turn opponents against each other. The ZEPHON, Acrin and Reaver non-player factions also occupy the world and must be contended with.

Shape humanity’s fate

Your leader and chosen path affect who survives as the clash between ZEPHON and the Acrin continues. Multistage branching events include nightmares, calls for help and economic crashes. Each leader has a backstory quest chain that grants a permanent reward when completed. Your decisions help determine whether humanity, machines or horrors prevail, and resolving the prophecy that brought the Acrin to Earth unlocks new game modifiers.