The Tomorrow Children is probably one of the strangest games that MeinMMO author Maik Schneider has ever looked forward to. The Communist Minecraft lasted for just under 6 months after its Free2Play release in 2016 on PS4. Now it is set to return as a paid title.
The Tomorrow Children … where should I begin? The game was heavily and aggressively promoted in the PlayStation Store in 2016. I played a lot of Minecraft back then, the game went Free2Play and it somehow had that Minecraft vibe that instantly convinced me.
My expectations were not overly high, I hoped for a surprise. But in the end, I spent only a few hours in the game, understood only half of it, got stuck in a bug, and then turned it off disappointed.
For 6 months, The Tomorrow Children ran but always had problems with monetization. The concept did not work because the Free2Play game could not attract enough players at launch. It was shut down in 2017 when not even the server costs could be covered (via gamesindustry.com).
Here you can find more about MMOs that died in 2017:
However, the gameplay concept is actually quite cool. In a dystopian world, all “workers” live in a Soviet-influenced world order. Together as a community, we rebuild cities, provide the necessary energy, and experience small adventures to gather resources and settle people.
All decisions, such as the construction of a factory, are made indirectly together. If I don’t like the location of a factory, I won’t bring resources there. At least, that was the concept back then.
With The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition, a new attempt is being made to establish a communist order. This time, however, as a Pay2Play title with the option to play offline.
The first trailer for the re-launch already shows many core elements and a certain similarity to Minecraft:
- Mining, chopping trees, processing (Minute 00:20)
- Free placement in the open world (Minute 00:28)
- Creation of villagers (Minute 00:33)
- Exploration of interesting places (Minute 00:41)
In contrast to Minecraft, the world is a bit more rigid; you cannot mine and terraform everything according to your wishes. But The Tomorrow Children aims to offer a similar experience, encourage your creativity, and reward cooperative play.
For more about the changes compared to the original version and the content of the Phoenix Edition, check out the PlayStation blog. We have taken over a corresponding feature list. Open the spoiler box for more info:
Changes & Features
- In the new, detailed tutorial, you will learn how to become a model citizen.
- Discover over 40 islands, including several brand new designs.
- All original islands have been updated with new elements.
- Use monoliths to transform islands and unlock hidden secrets.
- The Comrade AI now assists you in single-player offline mode.
- Instruct the Comrade AI to support your city growth during offline or online play.
- Assign priorities to the Comrade AI to repair, gather resources, or defend your city.
- Each player is now responsible for one city.
- Invite friends to your city using party codes.
- Reach new heights with the grappling hook.
- Discover several new villager designs.
- Charge vehicles at the new charging station.
- Play with new light and color settings.
- Use the new Void Powers to move instantly and easily through treacherous areas.
- Unlock new costumes and bags to stand out from the crowd.
- VoidKa machines now appear at bus stops.
- Saved resources are now viewable above the item in your inventory.
- Earn new trophies.
- Work together more easily and with better player visibility.
- Thank other players by swiping up on the touchpad.
- Leave gifts for other players in their homes, even when they are offline.
- Build a camp and share the respawn point of your tent with other players.
- Nesting dolls now cry to help you find their location.
- Many more hints, tips, and assistance to accompany you on your journey!
- Comprehensive balancing of all game elements and increased standard usage of all tools.
- Cities can now be permanently developed, and more awards are given for population milestones.
- Islands now have individual names.
- New house designs that you can build for the residents of your city.
At the end of the trailer, the game gives a glimpse of what you can experience here (Minute 01:20). A monster approaches a city, houses are burning, rockets are flying towards the creature. So it is also necessary to defend and rebuild your home if needed.
I am interested in your opinion on The Tomorrow Children. Do you see a potential hit here, or are you already put off by the Soviet music?
If you are looking for more games related to Minecraft, check this out: 250,000 people are already celebrating Minecraft Legends – What is it anyway?
