Cyberpunk. One of the few fictional genres where life is much, much, much worse than the here and now, fans say, "Oh, neon," and sigh wistfully at the cuteness of raindrops splattered on a cyborg geisha's glowing ad.

The latest trailer for Nivalis, a life-sim from the studio that brought us Cloudpunk, gives us a glimpse into the story that leads the protagonist to start his own company in the depths of this seedy city.

In Cloudpunk, Ion Lands' previous title, the player was flying between skyscrapers while performing his job as a courier company driver, but if you looked a little closer, you could see small citizens scattered all over the place. The team expanded the lives of these little people into a business sim. But Nivalis offers more than just monitoring income and expenses.

The story trailer unveiled at the PC Gaming Show showcases an unnamed artificial intelligence that assists you in your new business, whether it's a food cart, a noodle shop, or a bar. Clerks can earn more money by working late shifts. There's more to this game than uncovering the next big conspiracy or shooting and hacking your way to the top," studio head Marco Diekmann said at the time of last year's release. 'It's about millions of ordinary people living ordinary lives. For us, that's an exciting premise."

You can customize and decorate your own apartment or splurge and buy a brand-new one, and thanks to Ion Lands' striking voxel art style and dazzling lighting, the view from every window is to die for.

There is a cast of characters to meet as well as the day-to-day operations of business; as the AI points out, all relationships are essentially the product of saying the right thing at the right time, with different outcomes depending on how the player treats their peers.

Call me cynical, but perhaps AI does not have our best interests at the center of its steamroller. Perhaps it is about how we can pass on the fact that there is an android serial killer roaming the streets. When we go fishing to get away from the daily grind, let's watch our step.