Before We Leave

Lore & Background

Before We Leave was developed by Sam Barham, who previously worked in the New Zealand software industry on educational tools. After one of his games competed in a fundraising competition run by the New Zealand Game Developers Association, it attracted funding from an investor, which Barham used to hire a team. In 2019, Barham transitioned into working on the game full time. The game was released exclusively on the Epic Game Store in May 2020, with 50,000 sales by December 2020, and later on Steam on 14 May 2021. Console releases followed: Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One in November 2021, PlayStation 4 and 5 in April 2022, and Nintendo Switch in August 2022.

The game is described as non-violent, though players pointed out that the space whales could be considered violent. Barham did not intend for the game to be a comment on violence in video games, but he wanted to use his game as a vehicle for social change. Gameplay involves maintaining happiness levels by providing for the Peeps' needs, which increases their efficiency and decreases the time required for actions. The Peeps must build up their society to launch into space and colonize other planets, contending with space whales along the way.

Reader's Guide

Before We Leave received mixed reviews on Metacritic. Ian Evenden of PC Gamer called it a 'cute little city-builder with big ambitions'. Nicole Carpenter of Polygon noted that the game was initially relaxing and fun but became increasingly stressful, for both her and the Peeps, as expansion caused pollution and unhappiness in the Peeps' society. The game's significance lies in its non-violent approach to the city-building and 4X genres, though the inclusion of space whales introduced a point of contention regarding the definition of non-violence. Its development story highlights how a small team, funded through a competition and investor interest, brought the game to multiple platforms over two years. The game's legacy is tied to its mixed reception and the discussion it sparked about what constitutes violence in video games, as well as its gradual multi-platform release strategy.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by Balancing Monkey Games and published by Team 17.
• Players control Peeps who emerge from a bunker to rebuild on the ruins of a fallen civilization.
• The ultimate goal is for Peeps to launch into space and colonize other planets while contending with space whales.

Gameplay & Core Mechanics

Before We Leave casts players as the guide for a small community of characters known as Peeps, who emerge from a protective bunker into a world shaped by the remnants of a long-gone civilization. The title blends classic city-building management with 4X strategy elements, asking players to explore the surrounding landscape, gather resources, and gradually reconstruct a thriving society atop the ruins they discover. A central pillar of the loop is the happiness system: by meeting the Peeps' basic needs and keeping morale high, players unlock faster action times, meaning a content population simply works more efficiently. The long-term narrative arc pushes beyond the surface world entirely. Once the community has grown strong enough, the Peeps must engineer a launch into space and begin colonizing distant planets. That cosmic ambition, however, is not without peril, as the game introduces space whales as a recurring obstacle the Peeps must overcome on their journey to the stars.

Development & Platform Rollout

The game was crafted by Balancing Monkey Games and brought to market through publisher Team 17. Its creator, Sam Barham, spent years in New Zealand's software sector building educational tools before a project of his entered a fundraising competition organized by the New Zealand Game Developers Association. That entry caught an investor's eye, and the resulting capital allowed Barham to assemble a development team. By 2019 he had committed to working on the title full time. The commercial rollout was staggered across multiple platforms: the game debuted exclusively on the Epic Games Store in May 2020, crossing 50,000 sales by the end of that year. A Steam launch followed on 14 May 2021, bringing the title to a broader PC audience. Console players waited a bit longer, with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One receiving the game in November 2021, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in April 2022, and the Nintendo Switch in August 2022.

Critical Reception & Player Experience

Before We Leave landed on Metacritic with a mixed critical consensus, reflecting the game's tonal shifts as players progress. Ian Evenden of PC Gamer captured the duality neatly, describing it as a "cute little city-builder with big ambitions"—a phrase that underscores how the charming surface aesthetic coexists with genuinely ambitious systemic design. Nicole Carpenter of Polygon offered a more experiential read, noting that her early sessions felt relaxing and genuinely fun, but as her Peeps' settlement expanded, the experience grew increasingly stressful. She highlighted how unchecked expansion bred pollution and a corresponding drop in the Peeps' happiness, turning what began as a gentle management loop into a source of real tension for both the player and the little characters on screen. The overall picture that emerges is one of a game that succeeds at creating a cozy, low-pressure atmosphere in its opening hours but gradually introduces systemic pressures that can rattle that calm, leaving critics divided on whether the escalation serves the design or undercuts it.

Design Philosophy & Social Intent

Although Before We Leave is broadly categorized as a non-violent city-builder, the label is not entirely clean. Players quickly noted that the space whales, which the Peeps must deal with during their spacefaring ambitions, could reasonably be interpreted as a form of violence. Developer Sam Barham acknowledged this tension but clarified that he never intended the game to be a commentary on violence in video games as a medium. Instead, his stated goal was more aspirational: he wanted the game to serve as a platform for positive social messaging, embedding a cooperative, nurturing message within the mechanics. The design philosophy thus leans toward community care, resource stewardship, and collective progress rather than conflict or conquest. The Peeps are not warriors; they are a group of people who leave a bunker, tend to each other's wellbeing, and work together toward a shared future among the stars. That emphasis on building a society rather than dominating one sits at the heart of the game's identity and distinguishes it from more aggressive strategy titles in the 4X space.

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