If, like me, you also played the demo, you’ll be pleased to know that Synergy’s early access adds many more buildings, vegetation, exploration, and decorations. I was surprised to see just how big the research trees had become, with eight branches and around 60 different aspects to research, including new buildings, ways to irrigate and grow plants, and, of course, benches and lights to make your city look pretty. But more stuff doesn’t mean everything’s easier now. If anything, the increased amount of buildings and research makes looking after your citizens even more tricky, as you have to spin multiple plates at once to ensure everything works like clockwork.

Starting off with a simple storage hut with some basic necessities like food, water, and building materials, the few refugees that are under your care are exhausted from fleeing from their collapsed civilization and are starting to bake under the desert sun. After setting up camp next to a pool of dirty water, you need to act quickly to extract and clean it as well as make some shelter for your population so they don’t all die of heat stroke.