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Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis

A Narrative-Driven Steampunk-Cyberpunk RPG

Noa and the Automaton Urbis

Between two worlds, one will rise.

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The Fracture

What is the Great Fracture?

Answer: The Great Fracture is the war that split Ezekiel's world in two. Roughly forty years before the game begins, humanity turned on created machines. The conflict ended with a fortified wall dividing Humanópolis, held by humans, from Automaton Urbis, ruled by machines. Noa's story begins in the uneasy silence after that war.

The Fracture still shapes daily life. Humanópolis is a salvage-built human city where distrust of machines is part of the inherited history. The Neutral Zone is a fortified wasteland outside either side's law, and Automaton Urbis is a living machine metropolis. Noa's route crosses three spaces to find Tris, turning the historical divide into a personal rescue mission. The moral AI system connects his choices to relationships, faction standings, mission availability, and story outcomes, so the border is both setting and consequence.

Forty years of silence. Forty years of fear.

Until a father's desperation becomes the spark that could reunite, or forever divide, two worlds.

TPS-RPG / Steampunk-Cyberpunk

What is Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis?

Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis is a narrative-driven steampunk-cyberpunk third-person shooter RPG developed by NC Gaming in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. Players follow Noa, a father rescuing his kidnapped daughter Tris across the militarized border between Humanópolis and Automaton Urbis. It is a single-player game with a moral AI system that changes relationships, faction standings, and mission availability.

PC via Steam is the lead platform; PlayStation and Xbox are planned, and the release date is TBA. Ezekiel is the first installment of a planned five-game saga spanning more than 100 years of in-game history. The universe has been in creative development for over 30 years, and the press kit lists current game facts, media assets, and external coverage. These project boundaries distinguish confirmed design from future platform and release plans. The founder's background in music, opera, and theatre shapes the project.

Moral AI System

Ezekiel's moral AI system lets player choices shape the narrative, NPC relationships, and mission availability

Dynamic Story

Ezekiel's branching story changes as every decision ripples through the world, creating a unique journey

Two Worlds

Ezekiel's world includes Humanópolis and Automaton Urbis, each with unique culture and dangers

What are the key facts about Ezekiel?

Genre

Steampunk-Cyberpunk Third-Person Shooter RPG

Developer

NC Gaming (Funchal, Portugal)

Platforms

PC (Steam), planned PlayStation & Xbox

Players

Single-player

Release

TBA

Series

First of a five-game saga spanning 100+ years

What are Ezekiel's key features?

  1. Moral AI System. Ezekiel's central mechanic is a moral AI system that tracks the player's choices. Decisions made by Noa reshape NPC relationships, faction standings, and which story outcomes become available.
  2. Dynamic branching narrative. The story branches in response to player choice. Each decision ripples across later missions and character arcs, so no two playthroughs unfold the same way.
  3. Two distinct civilizations. Players explore Humanópolis, the human city, and Automaton Urbis, the machine city. Each has its own culture, architecture, and dangers, divided by the militarized Neutral Zone.
  4. Seven factions revealed. Seven factions revealed so far, including Nexus Umbra, Aurora Nexus, the Orphans of Ana, the Shadow Network, the New Dawn, Automaton Urbis, and the enigmatic Dux Umbra, vie for control of the divided world. The player can align with or oppose each, opening and closing different story paths.
  5. Thirty years of world-building. The Ezekiel universe was developed over three decades by founder Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz, and the game is the first chapter of a planned five-game saga spanning more than 100 years of in-game history.

Inspired by the moral choices of Mass Effect, the world design of Dishonored, and the visual style of Arcane.

What is the world of Ezekiel?

Three spaces define the divided world

The world of Ezekiel is divided by the Great Fracture, a war that severed humanity from the machines it created. Humanópolis is the human-held city, rebuilt from salvage and governed by fear of another machine uprising. Automaton Urbis is the machine city, where mechanical consciousness evolved beyond its creators' intent. Between them lies the Neutral Zone, a fortified wasteland outside either law. Noa begins in Humanópolis and must cross that contested border to find Tris in Automaton Urbis. The setting turns a conflict about identity, consciousness, and human-machine coexistence into a playable route through three distinct spaces. Each location has its own culture, architecture, dangers, and factions, while the Great Fracture remains the shared history neither civilization can escape.

Humanópolis

Where humanity rebuilds from the ashes

Humanópolis is the human-held city of Ezekiel, a sprawling metropolis rebuilt from salvage after the Great Fracture. Towering structures of reclaimed steel and glass rise alongside makeshift markets and underground sanctuaries. Its people are distrustful of machines, fiercely independent, and haunted by what they lost. Noa lives here, and Tris is taken here before the rescue begins. Nexus Umbra rules the city, while Aurora Nexus resists that order. The Great Fracture guide explains the city's role and inherited distrust.

The Neutral Zone

The lawless frontier between two civilizations

The Neutral Zone is the contested no-man's-land between Humanópolis and Automaton Urbis, a fortified wasteland where neither human nor machine law applies. Rusting titans from the Great Fracture stand as monuments to a war neither side won. Smugglers, exiles, and people who belong to neither world survive in the ruins. The Shadow Network moves people, goods, and information through hidden routes. Noa must cross the Zone to reach the machine city and find Tris. The world guide keeps its route, lawless status, and faction links distinct.

Automaton Urbis

Where machine consciousness seeks its own meaning

Automaton Urbis is the machine city of Ezekiel, a living metropolis that breathes and grows. Crystalline towers pulse with data, mechanical gardens bloom with wire and light, and ancient cores contemplate existence. The machines evolved beyond anything their creators imagined. Automaton Urbis is Noa's destination and the setting's machine civilization, where the New Dawn work toward a reunited world. Its named faction remains less defined than the city itself; the world guide records that boundary.

Who are the main characters in Ezekiel?

Three characters carry the rescue story

Noa - protagonist of Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis

Noa

The Father

Noa is a scavenger and mechanic born in the shadow of the Fracture. When his daughter Tris is taken by the machines, Noa crosses the Neutral Zone and ventures into Automaton Urbis. He is a father and reluctant hero, not a distant ruler or soldier. His route tests the beliefs inherited from Humanópolis. Player choices can change relationships, faction standings, mission availability, and story outcomes. Read the character guide for the bounded first-party profile.

Tris - playable character in Ezekiel demo, daughter of Noa

Tris

The Daughter

Tris is twelve years old and has an inexplicable connection to machines. Her disappearance sends Noa from Humanópolis across the Neutral Zone toward Automaton Urbis. The current record confirms her age, connection, and role in the rescue premise, but does not resolve the cause or meaning of her gift. The character guide keeps those facts separate from future reveals and explains how Tris connects the human and machine worlds.

Pip - automaton companion in Ezekiel game

Pip

The Companion

Pip is a small automaton of uncertain origin, discovered by Tris in Humanópolis. Pip shows loyalty and emotional depth despite being a machine. That behavior makes the wider consciousness question personal: the public record asks whether Pip feels or simulates feeling, without providing a fixed answer. The character guide records Pip's companion role, uncertain origin, and connection to Tris's machine story.

Which factions are revealed in Ezekiel?

Nexus Umbra faction in Ezekiel

Nexus Umbra

The Authoritarian Order

Nexus Umbra is the ruling regime of Humanópolis. Its enforcers maintain control through patrols, fear, and force, making the faction an architect of the divide between the two cities. The current profile establishes its city, method, and role in the post-Fracture order without naming every office or promising a final outcome. The faction guide records Nexus Umbra alongside the other six factions revealed so far, while the moral AI system lets player decisions affect standing and available story paths.

Aurora Nexus faction in Ezekiel

Aurora Nexus

The Rebellion

Aurora Nexus is an underground resistance seeking to restore balance between the worlds. Its members oppose Nexus Umbra and work toward reunification. The faction guide describes its goal and opposition without inventing a command structure, membership list, or guaranteed result. Aurora Nexus connects Humanópolis politics to the wider human-machine relationship. Player choices can change faction standing and story paths, while reunification remains the group's stated aim rather than a promised ending.

Orphans of Ana faction in Ezekiel

Orphans of Ana

The Hidden Generation

The Orphans of Ana are children orphaned by the conflict, now grown into a network of survivors. They roam between the two worlds, helping those in need and answering to no faction but their own. Their movement through Humanópolis, the Neutral Zone, and Automaton Urbis gives the group a position outside the main regimes. The current record establishes their origin, survivor network, and independence without naming a leader or assigning a final political purpose. Player choices can affect their standing and the routes that remain available.

The Shadow Network faction in Ezekiel

The Shadow Network

Border Smugglers

The Shadow Network operates hidden routes through the Neutral Zone. Its members move people, goods, and information across the divide for anyone who can pay, loyal to no cause but their own trade. The Neutral Zone is a fortified wasteland where neither human nor machine law applies, so the Network's role connects geography to access. Its public profile establishes trade, hidden routes, and independence without publishing a fixed map, leader, or final allegiance. Player choices can change standings and available paths.

The New Dawn faction in Ezekiel

The New Dawn

Visionaries of Automaton Urbis

The New Dawn are automata who refuse the war. They build the future their creators abandoned, holding the machine city together while working in silence toward a reunited world. Their direction differs from the force that created the Great Fracture and from the human regime that maintains the divide. The current profile names their refusal, setting, and work toward reunification without specifying every project, rank, or final result. The moral AI system leaves the effect of player choices on their standing and story paths open.

Automaton Urbis faction in Ezekiel

Automaton Urbis

The Machine City

Automaton Urbis is both the machine city and a power that rules from within the steam and gears. Its members, motives, and methods remain unseen. What is known is only what the machine city permits to be known, and it permits very little. The current public record separates the visible city from the unnamed power within it, preserving the boundary between established setting and speculation. The faction guide does not invent a hierarchy, allegiance, or hidden explanation for the limited information.

Dux Umbra faction in Ezekiel

Dux Umbra

Allegiance Unknown

Dux Umbra is a presence embedded in every faction and every city. Whether one agent or many, the result is the same: the balance of power can shift in any direction at any moment. No one knows the true purpose, and that is exactly how it stays. The public profile establishes reach and unknown purpose without naming an allegiance, leader, or end state. Dux Umbra is therefore a defined mystery in the current record, while player choices interact with the wider faction system without resolving that mystery here.

Which Faction Claims You?

Ten questions. Seven possible destinies.

Question 1 of 10

What does Ezekiel's concept art show?

A glimpse into the visual development of Ezekiel's world

Ezekiel concept art - Prison Ship design
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Ezekiel concept art - Oblivion Ark blueprint
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Ezekiel concept art - Oblivion Ark schematic
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Ezekiel concept art - Ship mechanical details
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Ezekiel concept art - Underground passage environment
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Ezekiel concept art - Nexus environment design
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Ezekiel concept art - Automaton character design
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Ezekiel concept art - Character design
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Ezekiel concept art - Civilian character design
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Ezekiel concept art - Noa MetaHuman in-engine character render
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Work In Progress

What does Ezekiel's current build show?

In-engine screenshots from our current build

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis?

Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis is a steampunk-cyberpunk third-person shooter RPG developed by NC Gaming. Players follow Noa, a father on a desperate mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter, crossing the militarized border between Humanópolis and Automaton Urbis. The game features a moral AI system where player choices shape the narrative, NPC relationships, and mission availability across two distinct civilizations.

When does Ezekiel release?

The release date for Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis is TBA. The game is currently in active development by NC Gaming. Follow us on Discord or sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates on release timing and demo availability.

Who do you play as in Ezekiel?

You play as Noa, a humble father turned reluctant hero. When his daughter Tris and her companion Pip are kidnapped, Noa is forced to cross the Neutral Zone and venture into the heart of Automaton Urbis to uncover a conspiracy tied to the mysterious inventor Ezekiel. Your moral choices throughout the journey shape how the story unfolds and determine your relationships with the game's factions (7 are revealed for now).

What platforms is Ezekiel on?

Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis will launch on PC via Steam, with potential console releases planned for PlayStation and Xbox. The game is being developed with PC as the lead platform to ensure the best possible experience at launch.

Who is making Ezekiel?

Ezekiel is being developed by NC Gaming, an independent game studio founded in 2024 by Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. The Ezekiel universe has been in development for over 30 years, drawing from the founder's background in music, opera, and theatre. The team is supported by Yacooba Labs and Fourt.io and is part of the eGames Lab consortium, through which the game has been showcased at Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show. The About page explains the studio, founder, partners, and company information; the press kit lists the game's current platforms, release status, media assets, and external coverage. The legal entity is Norberto Cruz GAMING Lda; PocketGamer.biz is external reporting, while the press kit remains the first-party source for current project facts. The public record separates partner support and consortium showcases from ownership or release commitments.

What makes Ezekiel unique?

Ezekiel features a moral AI system where every decision ripples through the world, affecting NPC relationships, faction standings, and mission availability. The game blends steampunk and cyberpunk aesthetics in a universe that has been developed over 30 years. Inspired by the moral choices of Mass Effect, the immersive world design of Dishonored, and the visual style of Arcane, Ezekiel delivers a deeply personal story set within a richly detailed world divided between human and machine civilizations.

How many factions are in Ezekiel?

Ezekiel features multiple factions (7 are revealed for now) that players will encounter and interact with throughout the game: Nexus Umbra (the authoritarian order ruling Humanópolis), Aurora Nexus (the underground rebellion), Orphans of Ana (the hidden generation of survivors), The Shadow Network (border smugglers), The New Dawn (visionaries of Automaton Urbis), Automaton Urbis (the machine city itself), and Dux Umbra (allegiance unknown). Your moral choices determine your standing with each faction, opening and closing different story paths.

Is Ezekiel part of a series?

Yes. Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis is the first installment of a planned five-game saga set in the Ezekiel universe. The saga spans more than 100 years of in-game history and follows the evolving conflict and relationship between human and machine civilizations. Each game is planned to tell a self-contained story while contributing to a larger narrative arc. The first story centers on Noa's attempt to rescue his daughter Tris across the Neutral Zone and into Automaton Urbis. Its moral AI system connects player decisions to NPC relationships, faction standings, and story outcomes. NC Gaming has not announced a release date for the first game; the current press-kit status is TBA.

What inspired Ezekiel's world?

The Ezekiel universe draws inspiration from multiple sources. The moral choice systems are inspired by Mass Effect, the world design and stealth mechanics by Dishonored, and the visual aesthetic by Arcane. The founder's background in music, opera, and theatre heavily influences the game's narrative structure and atmospheric design. The steampunk-cyberpunk setting emerged from over 30 years of creative development, blending themes of human nature, technological evolution, and the meaning of consciousness.

Where has Ezekiel been shown publicly?

Ezekiel has been showcased at major international events including Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show through the eGames Lab consortium. NC Gaming has received coverage from industry publications including PocketGamer.biz, which featured an in-depth interview about the game's 30-year development history and five-game saga vision.

Is Ezekiel multiplayer?

Ezekiel: Noa and the Automaton Urbis is a single-player experience. The game focuses on delivering a deeply personal, narrative-driven journey through its steampunk-cyberpunk world. The moral AI system and branching story are designed around individual player choices, ensuring each playthrough feels unique to the decisions you make.

Will Ezekiel have a soundtrack?

Music is a central element of Ezekiel's identity. The game's founder, Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz, has a professional background in music, opera, and theatre, which directly influences the game's atmospheric score. The soundtrack blends orchestral and electronic elements to reflect the contrast between Humanópolis and Automaton Urbis.

How can I follow Ezekiel's development?

You can follow Ezekiel's development by joining the official Discord community, signing up for the newsletter on this site, or following NC Gaming on social media. The Discord is the most active community hub where the development team shares updates, concept art, and behind-the-scenes content.

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