The Hivemind project resulted in the most powerful AI created by mankind. At the time we didn’t know better than letting it control all of our automated work force. A disaster waiting to happen as the AI went rogue.

In Rise of Humanity you take control of a band of odd heroes who so far have survived the onslaught that started 50 years ago. They have discovered that the robots the AI uses to do its bidding are getting weaker and this is the time to strike back.

Players build up a deck for each of their characters by defeating enemies and finding loot on a 3D tactical battlefield, as they try to determine the fate of humanity. The game combines elements from popular deckbuilding board games and turn-based strategy games.

Each hero (and enemy) is controlled by a deck of cards. This deck gives your characters actions during a mission. Each mission is played out on a hexagonal grid in a strategic turn-based manner. Missions are procedurally built so no mission is ever the same.

Destroying enemies and finishing missions gives you access to new cards for your heroes. You build their deck as you play the game! However if they die, they will lose their progress so every decision counts!

Will you be the one to save humanity and let it rise again from the ashes of this onslaught?

Oh and did we mention we have exploding bunnies in the game?

Cybernetic Walrus planned on launching a Kickstarter right after GDC to collect extra funding for polishing and to check the market fit of the game. . Without a lot of knowledge about the Kickstarter platform the company did a campaign for Antigraviator in 2017 that failed miserably. This time they felt they were more prepared and after showcasing the game at regional events, they knew there was a definite interest from players.

“After a good reception at a couple of regional events, we set the goal to showcase at GDC 2020 where we would schedule as many press meetings as possible,” says Marketing and Community Manager of Cybernetic Walrus, David Benoy. “We had already invested in a video and a social media adverting boost to up our following a bit as well. However, last week when the big guns of the industry started pulling out, press started cancelling as well. Then Friday came the news that the whole event would be postponed. After contemplating with the team earlier during the week, we decided to cancel the Kickstarter as the lack of visibility will be fatal for our campaign.”

In September 2019, Cybernetic Walrus raised half a million euro in financing. The cancellation of the Kickstarter has an impact on the company, but not to an extent that is harmful for its existence.

“We were lucky that our hotel booking had a cancelation option and that we can get refunds for our booth”, adds CEO of Cybernetic Walrus, Mike Coeck. “Our only real non-refundable costs are plane tickets and what we already invested in setting up the Kickstarter and accompanying adds.”

Rise Of Humanity is in development for PC, scheduled for Spring 2021.