Indie developer Big Rook Games today announced their next Kickstarter and biggest project yet. Their upcoming title Hero Syndrome is a fast-paced, sci-fi third-person shooter and puzzle game blend. Lead developer Jake Jameson is hoping to raise $80,000, which will allow his team to launch the game on PC, PS4, and Xbox One toward the end of this year. If they meet their stretch goals, Big Rook Games also intends to add additional multiplayer maps and game modes while polishing the graphics.
The Story
In the year 2168, the human race has only just regained stability after a near-total environmental breakdown due to climate change. About sixty years into the hundred-year recovery period, humans founded the Ares colony on Mars. There we find our hero. The colony has been self-sufficient for some time now and operates effectively enough, though the shiny station is far from a utopia. Unfortunately, a new AI program goes rogue and, very much like 2001‘s HAL, seizes the station’s systems and droids then lashes out at the station’s occupants. By hijacking the base’s vermin extermination subroutine, this AI turns the colony’s various drones and defense systems against its occupants. Those colonists that survive the initial onslaught now face a berserk AI that lashes out at anything biological.
This story was written by Evan Skolnick, whose credits include Star Wars 1313, Days Gone, and Mafia 3. To match this, Hero Syndrome is voiced by a suite of professional actors and actresses.
okay, that construction interface DEFINITELY looks cooler than “Fortnight’s.”
The Gameplay
Hero Syndrome forces players to fight and construct walkways, fortifications, and the like while under fire. The game has both a single-player campaign and an online deathmatch option that can accommodate up to eight players. The single-player version is far more centered around puzzles and, of course, Hero Syndrome’s story as you skulk through the occupied Ares colony. In addition to the ease and simplicity of building structures, players can also utilize a rocket jump to traverse the map.
Right now, this is sounding like a mix of Quake and Fortnight, except with an intelligent and compelling story. Oh, and lasers. Don’t forget the lasers.
In addition to the Kickstarter’s launch, Big Rook Games has released a pre-alpha demo. The demo includes three levels from its single-player story, which promises to be dense with both narrative and combat. This sample of Hero Syndrome ought to spark either curiosity or outright hunger for the full title when it finally releases.
Further Reading
Should you want to find out more about Hero Syndrome, you can see their official website here. You may also want to check out their Kickstarter page here! For the ambitious and excited, you can also download the pre-alpha demo through this Google Drive link. If you want to read about Big Rook Games themselves, here is their homepage!
