It is the year 2168. After a century of humanity slowly recovering from near total environmental disaster due to climate change, things are just beginning to settle down. Meanwhile, the Martian colony Ares, founded 42 years earlier as part of one nation’s desperate ploy to make humanity a two-planet species, is in trouble.

Normally self-sufficient, the Ares colony is under siege by an emergent AI that has seized control of many of the base’s systems and most of its construction droids. A subroutine that was designed to use existing Ares tech to automatically catch and/or kill pest species — which were beginning to infest the colony — leaked into the main computer architecture. Now hundreds of surviving colonists are in mortal danger as the AI mindlessly lashes out at anything biological.

Hero Syndrome is a third-person puzzle-shooter hybrid built around an intuitive combat construction system. Build your skills against an AI uprising on Mars in the engrossing story-driven solo campaign, then in training against intelligent bots. Once ready, take the fight online; Hero Syndrome is designed for intense ranked competition, duel one-on-one or in 4v4 team battles. 

For players with a competitive edge, it packs fine-tuned arena-style multiplayer with emphasis on strategy and skill over the luck and RNG, while those in love with challenging puzzles and a good story can find themselves immersed in singleplayer campaignwritten by the writer behind Star Wars 1313, The Walking Dead and Dying Light.

Big Rook Games has launched a kickstarter campaign for Hero Syndrome, looking to raise $80,000.

Big Rook Games has a treat for those under lockdown today. While puzzle/shooter hybrid Hero Syndrome may have backed away from Kickstarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, development hasn’t slowed one bit. As well as updates to the original Story mode pre-alpha, today you can download and play a prototype of Survival mode, a wave-based endurance sandbox featuring building, crafting, mining and (of course) blowing up thousands of deadly robots.

Survival mode features the same fast-paced combat and construction elements from the main game and the upcoming competitive team-play modes, but tasks players with a long, tough fight to the Martian surface. Starting in their deep underground (and increasingly besieged) bunker, players harvest resources from enemies, build mining facilities to fuel their operations, purchase and upgrade new guns and activate defense systems to keep pesky robots out of places they’re not meant to be. Between fighting waves of enemies, players can also delve into the fully dynamic caverns of Mars and tunnel their way to riches to fuel their subterranean war machine.

Rather than deliver a throwaway one-shot experience, developer Jake Jameson has designed the Survival prototype around a persistent save file. Shortcuts opened, upgrades earned and weapons purchased will remain between playthroughs. Each run will see players better equipped for the gruelling fight ahead. Players will need every advantage they can get, and many attempts to reach the surface, giving even this early version of Survival many hours of play-time, entirely free.

Ongoing development on Survival mode (as well as Story and Arena modes) will be shaped by player feedback. Mechanized Martian warriors can congregate on the official Hero Syndrome Discord channel to share strategies and provide suggestions on the future of the game.

There’s no random loot, farming for resources or undefended spawn points in Hero Syndrome, putting player skill and knowledge first and foremost. This is a shooter by and for the competitive scene.

Don’t waste a moment in combat juggling guns. Set and save your favorite weapon loadouts, and switch between them as match conditions dictate. Special power weapons (such as deadly sniper rifles) will have to be collected from their spawn points in the level itself. Be prepared to fight for that kind of match-winning power.

Key Features:

• Single-Player Singularity - An intense solo campaign with a hard sci-fi story penned by Evan Skolnick (Star Wars 1313, Days Gone, Mafia 3), voiced by a professional cast of actors.
• Build Smart, Build Fast - No more boxing yourself in. Build quickly, aggressively, and edit your fortifications in real-time using an intuitive and fast interface. Hero Syndrome is construction combat evolved.
• Built For Balance - Hero Syndrome has been designed from the ground up for esports and competitive gaming. This is the construction shooter we want to play.
• Intense & Balanced Competition - Cutting-edge construction meets classic team deathmatch. No random loot, unpredictable spawns or farming for resources, just two teams putting their skill and knowledge of the map to the test.
• Rocket Jumping - Still the best way to get around since 1996. Master the rocket launcher and use it to blast yourself to new heights.
• Bots That Can Build - We taught bots how to build. Probably dangerous, but a great way to practice your combat construction skills before taking the fight online.

Hero Syndrome is scheduled to release for PC (Steam), Xbox One and PS4 in 2020.