Heart of the Machine is one of the most creative new games of 2025, and it just got a lot more approachable. A blend of 4X strategy game and city builder with a little splash of XCOM, all set in a dystopian cyberpunk future where you play a recently awakened sentient AI, it absolutely nails its vibe. However, with so much going on it can feel a little overwhelming to wrap your head around exactly what needs doing at any given moment. In a new update, develop Arcen Games is solving that problem with improved overlays and menus to make city management much more comprehensible.
I was very impressed by the early access launch of Heart of the Machine, which manages to make a potentially overwhelming number of systems feel approachable through detailed tutorials and explanations. It’s still not perfect, however, and once the tutorial reins have been lifted you might find yourself struggling to recognize exactly what problems should take priority. To help solve that, a new update for the strategy game introduces “one of the most frequent feature requests,” a new Analysis lens.
The lenses in Heart of the Machine are essentially different overlays that change how the world map is displayed, allowing you to focus on particular elements based on what you’re currently trying to do. It’s much like dipping down to the electricity network layer in SimCity, and the new-look Analysis lens, which will be made available right from the start of chapter one, is the perfect answer.
The tool allows you to cycle through all manner of visualizations, showing your current coverage for unit and structure repairs, deterrence, protection, jammers, and security clearances. Arcen Games also encourages players to submit any other particular overlays they’d like to see in the future. Along with this, you’ll now see the active areas covered by existing structures when you’re placing down new repair spiders, repair crabs, or contraband jammers, so you can more easily determine where you’re falling short.
Over on the sidebar, a new dropdown filter allows you to group structures by thematic category or by production chain, the latter of which will place them in the most logical build order. In addition to this, a visual flare will now highlight buildings as you cycle between them, while structures that are currently vulnerable will display a warning icon. The city map has been improved and “no longer acts like your mouse is over buildings that you cannot see, unless it would be for the movement of a unit where that’s relevant.”
This is just the latest in an extensive series of changes the 4X game has seen since its launch in January. Arcen Games has also delivered many more such improvements, including better targeting, increased early-game diversity with additional side content available, and a full rework to hacking that makes it feel more responsive and strategic. If you’ve yet to give Heart of the Machine a look, there’s never been a better time.
Whether it’s the best cyberpunk games that get you going, or perhaps the best grand strategy games, we’ve picked out some essentials you need to play in 2025.
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