Before

Mechanics

In the game, the player has to find food and shelter each day. The of the player-controlled tribe have to gather, hunt and protect their children as well. Predators, other tribes and forces of nature are among the deadliest threats. The game offers both a dynamic weather system and an annual cycle - these affect the playthrough to a significant degree.

As an RTS game, Before for PC requires the player to gather resources, such as animal skins, wood or stone. These are later used to construct buildings and craft items. Battles are an important part of the game as well. The scope of these is quite small, and over a dozen of cavemen at maximum take part in a given skirmish. Thus losing a single fighter brings harsh consequences and makes the survival of the entire tribe more difficult.

At the beginning, the player has only a handful of cavemen at their disposal. However, taking care about them properly results in the number of them increasing steadily. At one point, a loosely gathered group of cavemen becomes a hierarchical society creating their own culture and a system of beliefs. Their temporary shelters will be abandoned, and they will begin building a primitive village.