Nvizzio Creations and Darewise Entertainment have announced ROKH, an online survival game set on Mars coming to Steam's Early Access program on May 16.
Here's a gameplay trailer showcasing some of the game's setting and art style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elIY8iVRQ6Y
What the trailer does really well is establishing the atmosphere of the game. Mars looks suitably barren and exceedingly strange, with some really cool fog and lighting effects breathing life into the seemingly dead planet. The game's production value also makes it stand out among its peers, as does the fact that the game is being made by the directors of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise. The team also has an industry veteran who was the creative lead for games like Half Life 2 and Dishonored.
In a post on ROKH's Steam Store Page, Darewise Entertainment explains their reasons why they've opted for the Early Access program instead of a traditional release:
As we want ROKH to be one of the most incredible online persistent experience, we can’t achieve that without the players’ input & feedback. On our side, this means strong support, fine-tuning existing features, frequent updates, and crazy upcoming features for our gameplay. It allows us also to collect the fund to finalize the development and reach our high expectations for the game.[gallery type="slideshow" ids="147977,147978,147975,147974,147973"]
Darewise is expecting the game to officially release in a "maximum" of 12 months, starting from May 16. While that's the cutoff date for version 1.0, Darewise will continue to update and add in new content to the game post-release. ROKH is currently in its alpha stage, so the version you'll be able to buy next month will have just the basics. Coming in the first major update for the game is a hacking system, a fully-developed combat system, a programming mechanic, as well as vehicles and a food growth system.
The version available on May 16 will feature the enormous Mars map, as well as some tools to facilitate exploration of the planet's surface. Players will be able to harvest materials, craft items, and build bases you can use as your headquarters.
We consider that ensuring a strong bound between players and our team is a strategic point for the game’s future. We will establish effective tools on several channels to create direct links between players, developers and community managers. Our objective is to provide a great reactivity in terms of bug report, community feedback and features optimization. We also aim for a complete integration within Steam Workshop.[gallery ids="147968,147969,147970,147971"]
One last thing: the game won't be a full-priced release, with Dareware shooting for a $30 price point once they release the game.