Satellite Reign | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | 5 Lives Studios |
Publisher(s) | 5 Lives Studios |
Designer(s) | Chris Conte |
Programmer(s) | Mike Diskett |
Artist(s) | Dean Ferguson Brent Waller Mitchell Clifford |
Composer(s) | Russell Shaw |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux |
Release | August 28, 2015 |
Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game, real-time tactics |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Satellite Reign is a cyberpunk real-time tactics video game developed and published by 5 Lives Studios. The game was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux in August 2015. It is a spiritual successor to the Syndicate series, which co-founder and programmer Mike Diskett had worked on. The name of the game is derived from one of the weapons featured in Syndicate Wars called "Satellite Rain". It received positive reviews from critics.
After the release of the Syndicate reboot in 2012, the Syndicate Wars producer and lead programmer, Mike Diskett, [1] expressed his displeasure over the game's lack of similarity to previous entries in the series:
"A lot of Syndicate fans, including myself, got our hopes up when we heard a new Syndicate game was in development, but in the end it turned out to be nothing like the original games." [2]
This encouraged him to create the Brisbane-based 5 Lives Studios (which included team members who had worked on other video game series such as Grand Theft Auto , L.A. Noire , and Darksiders [1] ) and develop a spiritual successor to the game he made back in 1993: [3] [4]
"I've decided to take it upon myself to deliver what the fans really wanted." [2]
Unlike the reboot, which was a first-person shooter, 5 Lives Studios tried to build upon the real-time tactics gameplay experience found in the original games by introducing a fixed camera system and character classes. [5]
On June 28, 2013, Satellite Reign was announced on crowdfunding website Kickstarter with a £350,000 (US$546,875) goal. On July 29, 2013, the project was successfully funded with £461,333 (US$720,832) raised. [6] [7]
The game was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on August 28, 2015. [8] [9] A post-launch update introducing four-player cooperative gameplay was released in July 2016. [10]
The soundtrack was composed by Russell Shaw, who worked on both Syndicate and Syndicate Wars .
Satellite Reign takes place in an unnamed fictional city referred to as "The City". A corporation named Dracogenics rises to prominence after releasing a prototype named Resurrection-Tech that is capable of providing immortality. Dracogenics turns to corporate crime and bribes politicians with immortality in exchange for control and influence. This eventually leads to the privatization of The City's services and full corporate control over The City's police force. Civil unrest arises and is suppressed by Dracogenics, but a rival corporation soon comes to light and launches anti-Dracogenics attacks. The player controls this rival corporation and must overthrow Dracogenics from The City.
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 75/100 [11] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 8/10 [12] |
GameRevolution | [13] |
GameSpot | 6/10 [14] |
GamesTM | 8/10 [15] |
PC Gamer (US) | 80/100 [16] |
Gameplanet | 9/10 [17] |
GameStar | 83/100 [18] |
Satellite Reign received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [11]
Syndicate is a series of science fiction video games created by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts. There are two main titles: Syndicate (1993) and Syndicate Wars (1996), both of which are isometric real-time tactics games. An additional first-person shooter Syndicate title was released in 2012, and a spiritual successor to the series, entitled Satellite Reign, was released in 2015.
Bullfrog Productions Limited was a British video game developer based in Guildford, England. Founded in 1987 by Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar, the company gained recognition in 1989 for their third release, Populous, and is also well known for titles such as Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Magic Carpet, Syndicate and Dungeon Keeper. Bullfrog's name was derived from an ornament in the offices of Edgar's and Molyneux's other enterprise, Taurus Impact Systems, Bullfrog's precursor where Molyneux and Edgar were developing business software. Bullfrog Productions was founded as a separate entity after Commodore mistook Taurus for a similarly named company.
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Parker, Darren Monahan, and Chris Jones.
Syndicate is an isometric real-time tactical and strategic game from Bullfrog Productions created in 1993, and released for a variety of platforms beginning with the PC and Commodore Amiga. It is the first title in the Syndicate series. Set in a dystopian future in which corporations have replaced governments, Syndicate puts the player in control of a corporation vying for global dominance.
Syndicate Wars is an isometric real-time tactical and strategic game, developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for DOS in 1996 and for the PlayStation in 1997. It is the second video game title in the Syndicate series, retaining the core gameplay and perspective of the original Syndicate, but with a setting 95 years further into the future.
A spiritual successor is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but does not explicitly continue the product line or media franchise of its predecessor, and is thus only a successor "in spirit". Spiritual successors often have similar themes and styles to their preceding material, but are generally a distinct intellectual property.
Syndicate is a 2012 cyberpunk first-person shooter video game developed by Starbreeze Studios and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 in February 2012.
Whore of the Orient is a cancelled action-adventure video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game was in development at KMM Interactive Entertainment, a subsidiary of Kennedy Miller Mitchell that comprised employees from defunct development houses Team Bondi and Krome Studios. In 2012, the game was targeting a 2015 release, but was confirmed cancelled in 2016, having not had a status update since 2013.
Pillars of Eternity is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive. It was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on March 26, 2015. The game is a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, along with Planescape: Torment. Obsidian started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for it in September 2012. The campaign raised over US$4 million, which was the highest funded video game at the time. The game uses the Unity engine.
Godus or Godus Wars is a god video game developed by 22cans and published by DeNA. The company launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds and met their funding goal on 20 December 2012. Godus was designed by Peter Molyneux, who described it as the spiritual successor to his earlier creation, Populous. While the mobile versions of the game continue to be updated, the PC edition of the game never left Steam Early Access, and is no longer available for purchase on the Steam store.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is a role-playing video game developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Techland Publishing for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is a spiritual successor to 1999's Planescape: Torment.
Armikrog is a stop-motion point-and-click adventure comedy game by Doug TenNapel in partnership with Pencil Test Studios and Versus Evil for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One. It is a spiritual successor to The Neverhood, and is developed by many members of the same team. Like The Neverhood, Armikrog uses clay animation.
The Escapists is a strategy game played from a top-down perspective. The game was developed by Mouldy Toof Studios and following a Steam Early Access release in 2014, was released in 2015 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It was released on iOS and Android in 2017. A Nintendo Switch version of the game containing all downloadable content was released in 2018. The game was launched on the Epic Games Store on 23 September 2021, with the weekly free game campaign of Epic Games. Players assume the role of an inmate and must escape from prisons of increasing difficulty.
Night in the Woods is a 2017 single-player adventure video game developed by Infinite Fall and published by Finji. The story follows a young woman named Mae Borowski, who drops out of college and returns to her hometown to find unexpected changes. The game was funded via Kickstarter, where it earned over 400% of its initial US$50,000 funding goal.
Hand of Fate is an action role-playing roguelike deck-building game developed and published by Australian studio Defiant Development for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, released via early access on 7 July 2014, and then in the full release on 17 February 2015. A PlayStation Vita version was announced but ultimately cancelled due to development issues.
Road Redemption is a vehicular combat racing video game developed by EQ-Games and Pixel Dash Studios. The game is a spiritual successor to the Road Rash series and was released for Windows PC on October 4, 2017. Console versions of Road Redemption were released on November 6, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. A mobile version of Road Redemption were released on September 28, 2022 for Android and iOS.
System Shock is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Nightdive Studios and published by Prime Matter. It is a remake of the 1994 game System Shock by Looking Glass Studios. The game is set aboard a space station in a cyberpunk vision of the year 2072. Assuming the role of a nameless security hacker, the player attempts to hinder the plans of a malevolent artificial intelligence called SHODAN.
Unsung Story is an upcoming tactical role-playing game developed by Little Orbit. The game was announced via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in early 2014 by developer Playdek, and originally marketed as being under the creative direction of Yasumi Matsuno. The game is meant to be a spiritual successor of Final Fantasy Tactics (1997), a game he directed.
Snapshot Games is a Bulgarian video game developer headquartered in Sofia. Snapshot Games was founded in 2013 by Julian Gollop and David Kaye. Gollop is recognized for creating the X-COM video game franchise in the 1990s with X-COM: UFO Defense and X-COM: Apocalypse. Gollop also is the CEO of Snapshot Games. In addition to Gollop, the company includes about eight developers who are industry veterans with years of previous experience working for Ubisoft Sofia, Crytek Black Sea, and other Bulgaria studios.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)