We do like a good strategy game here at Gamereactor, and one that has caught our attention recently is Mechs & Mercs: Black Talons, a new RTS from indie studio Camel 101.
We wanted to know more about the title and got in touch with one of the game's creators, Bruno Cesteiro, who told us a bit about the game. It's "a futuristic real time tactics game where the player leads a company of mercenaries fighting for survival in a blockaded system," he explained.
"As the commander, the player manages the company by hiring and training troops, buying new equipment, selecting what missions to accept and obviously, leading the troops in battle. Aside from the main enemy, there are also a number of neutral factions in the system. These can end up as allies or enemies of the Black Talons."
The elevator pitch continued: "All these factions are fighting among themselves, so when the player gets a new ally, he also gets a new enemy. The faction relations depend on what missions (and targets) the player accepts. The main story is fought through 15 campaign missions. But there are also random contracts that the player can accept to support a specific faction, earn more credits and level up their troops."
It certainly sounds like there's plenty of intrigue bubbling away under the surface, and we're looking forward to finding out more when the game releases on January 9.
We asked Cesteiro why the studio decided to make it, and give us some insight into how the development has gone up to this point.
"We're strategy enthusiasts and wargamers ourselves," he told us. "And we're also sci-fi nerds. That's the perfect combination to try to do something like this. We threw around a lot of ideas during pre-production, discussing what we could do to bring something refreshing to the table. And we came up with the idea of a RTS game with persistent units and global campaign management."
It hasn't been smooth sailing for the studio, and as is the case with so many low-profile games that go to the crowd for funding, especially real-time strategy games, there have been setbacks.
"We actually started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for development, but unfortunately we weren't successful. The feedback was great, but it was really hard getting enough exposure," Cesteiro said.
"That didn't stop us, though." Good job too. "We were able to fund development through other channels, and eventually got a publisher involved to help with the release."
So, they've enlisted the help of Kasedo Games to help with the release of the game, which is just around the corner. Next up we asked what their hopes are for the title, beyond the obvious: "Well, above all we hope that the players enjoy the game. We know that this isn't the most popular genre, but that doesn't scare us. It's something that we like to do, and a lot of folks like these kinds of games too."
If it proves a success, then Cesteiro reckons there'll be more to come from the series. "We already have a lot of ideas to expand both the universe where the action takes place and the game itself, so there will probably be more Mechs & Mercs coming in the future."
Bold talk, but we're hopeful that it works out for them and they can draw a big enough community around their game. You can see it in action via the trailers attached, and if you're sold on the concept, the game is launching on Steam on January 9.
