Indie developer Code Three Fifty One has hacked the mainframe, infiltrated gamescom’s systems, and are busy carving out their own corner of the Indie Arena Booth for their upcoming sci-fi squad tactics game Project Haven. They’re not doing it without reinforcements, either – they’re deploying the big guns, including an enhanced demo featuring a never-before-seen mission for aspiring mercs to challenge.
From August 25th and through the length of gamescom, players will be able to download the new Project Haven demo from Steam and challenge three full story missions (from a planned 45+ stage campaign) and sample the procedurally generated skirmish mode in both PvP and co-op for up to four players. Become the commander of the Steel Dragons, a mercenary crew fighting for survival (and profit) on the streets of Haven, the last city on earth.
Inspired by the squad tactics classics of yesteryear (such as the Jagged Alliance series), Project Haven offers a deep and challenging tactical sandbox to master. Explore a gridless urban battlefield using an action point-based movement system, take cover using flexible stances, and precisely aim every shot using over-the-shoulder manual targeting. Each and every bullet is ballistically modelled and capable of punching a hole clean through a body, so pick your shots carefully and keep your squad’s heads out of the firing line.
Combat in Project Haven isn’t always about overwhelming force. Disarm your enemies by shooting the gun from their hands, then close the distance for a melee attack. Use an advanced stealth system to avoid enemy lines of sight and deliver a silent takedown from the rear, or use armor-piercing rounds to punch through solid walls for the ultimate in surprise attacks. Develop your tactics, upgrade your squad and customize your arsenal to become the city’s deadliest, most efficient merc crew for hire.
Launching next year, Project Haven will deliver a massive 45+ mission campaign, a gritty sci-fi story to unravel and a cast of colorful (and mismatched) mercenary personalities to fill out your roster. Every mission is hand-crafted, with narrative design by Edwin McRae, a contributor to the likes of Lost Ember and Path Of Exile.
Features:
- Modern aesthetics married to classic squad tactics gameplay featuring action point-based movement and deep ballistic simulation
- A free-aiming system that allows you to take control of your mercs directly and manually shoot from an over-the-shoulder perspective, then pop behind the cover to protect yourself from counterattacks.
- Locational damage, letting you wing your enemies with a shot to the arm to reduce accuracy, slow their movement with a hit to the legs, or boost damage with a precise headshot.
- An advanced cover system lets you adjust the stance of each merc with just two clicks. Peeking over cover or leaning around a wall exposes yourself, but provides vital lines of sight.
- Mature storytelling. Learn the harsh realities of a seething megacity full of desperation and dark secrets. Witness the gritty lives of mercs and NPCs, and experience a story-driven campaign with fully voiced and motion-captured characters and cinematics.
- RPG character progression Command a group of mercenaries, each with their own unique personality and attitude towards other characters. Improve their attributes and unlock new skills as they gain experience and level up.
- Advanced weapon mechanics. Magazine management, chambered bullets, and different types of ammo for different situations. Calibers and ammunition types affect how far and how well projectiles penetrate and damage their target.
- Skirmish, co-op & PvP. Play through the campaign mode with 1-4 players, or skirmish in randomly generated maps, fighting against friends or AI, alone or in co-op.
Here are some new screenshots from the game:
From August 25th to the 29th, players can also visit the Indie Arena Booth’s virtual Summercamp Of Doom. Explore, discover cool indie games and collect an assortment of funky-fresh digital stickers, then swing by the Project Haven booth in the Power Plant zone. Details will be available soon on the Indie Arena Booth official site. There’ll also be a new trailer (featuring Project Haven’s first boss) debuting at gamescom studio on August 27th at 10:00 am PT / 7:00 pm CET. Make sure to check it out!
The new Project Haven demo is available from August 24th on Steam. The full game launches in 2022, and players can keep up with development on the Code Three Fifty One website.
