As video games continue to evolve, many indie developers are becoming the studios of choice for players seeking new and unique experiences. Sometimes, all it takes is one person deciding to combine established genres in a way that produces new gameplay opportunities and worlds. In the past few years, this trend has delivered excellent genre-mashing titles like Loop Hero's fantasy roguelike or Everhood's dance battle RPG.
One upcoming strategy/action game aims to deliver a unique experience that challenges players not only through resource management and strategic diplomacy, but through thrilling arcade ship combat as well. HighFleet, developed by one-man team Konstantin Koshutin and published by MicroProse Software, is a stylish and difficult strategic survival-action game that players who want something different cannot afford to miss.
HighFleet is set in the fictional Kingdom of Gerat, a place that (according to the game's Steam page) "has no memory of its past." Inside this Kingdom, the powerful House of Sayadi has sent its massive warships to the skies in hopes of taking back what humanity has lost and waging war against the citizens of Earth. This alternate reality setting has players control the commander of the Sayadi Task Force sent to pacify the Gerat Kingdom's rebellion. To do this, players will have to engage in warfare, diplomacy and all manner of strategic gameplay to ensure that the Sayadi forces reign supreme.
HighFleet blends several genres in its gameplay including survival games, resource management simulations and real-time arcade action to deliver a difficult and truly unique loop. Players are in command of a massive flagship undertaking a perilous mission. To succeed, players must navigate a massive map that features multiple stops at cities along the way. At each stop, players can refuel, talk to the natives or even make repairs. Players will have to plot routes carefully, planning out fuel supplies and the safest course to take.
All of this is done from a series of cockpit screens featuring CRT-style monitors and an intimidating set of tactile controls that must be pushed, manipulated and pulled to work the flagship's massive hulking frame forward. The various buttons, levers and controls make the ships feel delightfully low-tech and unique despite being gargantuan floating battle platforms. These systems are demonstrated in a lengthy gameplay video, and these can appear seem overwhelming to the untrained eye.
HighFleet's main mission is one of war, and gameplay changes from strategic to dynamic arcade action when battles happen. These battles are fought in real-time, and they are simpler affairs than the game's strategic elements. Players control not only the massive flagship, but its entire arsenal of bombers, fighters and frigates, all of which are customizable. Players will have to employ correct positioning and timing to take out the enemies by exploiting their weak spots with a well-timed volley of projectiles.
Ship systems need to be constantly managed, including overheating engines, fire suppression, ammunition counts and armor integrity. HighFleet delivers in its battle system, and the large number of things players must keep an eye on makes each fight a tense and busy affair. HighFleet is not a relaxing experience, but an exercise in multitasking one's way out of disaster and living on the razor's edge of rousing success or complete failure.
Even after a successful battle, HighFleet keeps the difficulty ramped up as players are subject to its survival elements as well. Something will always be broken, and fuel will always be just low enough to make players nervous. Much like the ultra-difficult roguelike space adventures of FTL, HighFleet's journey will be fraught with constant efforts to salvage what supplies and equipment can be found along the way -- and one big mistake can lead to disaster.
Visually, HighFleet bills itself not as steampunk but "dieselpunk." Its aesthetic is as unique as its gameplay systems. The world is choked by diesel smoke, and the mechanical ships that the player creates are weighty and tactile, their massive engines placing function over form.
HighFleet delivers visual flair to every menu screen. For instance, the ship creation screen is presented as a blueprint design. The various instrument screens for planning and strategy all are full of dials, levers and other practical controls, but they are presented like a submarine instrument panel rather than a sleek spaceship. HighFleet commits to its aesthetic, and this succeeds in making its world and gameplay feel immersive.
Ultimately, for those who admire a challenging and stylish mashup, HighFleet looks to be a truly unique experience. By combining roguelike elements of games like FTL with real-time strategy, survival elements and a visual aesthetic that evokes the world of MechWarrior and Steel Battalion, HighFleet creates a tense experience that is as challenging as it is gorgeous. HighFleet's dieselpunk adventure will be available later this year on Steam.
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