Developer: 5 Lives Studios
Platform: PC
Price: 29.99 Steam, Humble Store (Steam Key and DRM free) , GoG
Genre: Real time squad tactics
Release Date: August 28, 2015
Satellite Reign is a real time strategy game focusing on controlling a squad of 4 in a cyberpunk city drenched in rain and neon. The game, outside of the tutorial is largely open world allowing you to explore and approach missions however you want. Load up a minigun for the frontal assault, or sneak your way in, it's up to you. You'll start off pretty bare bones but quickly unlock a variety of gear and abilities to tailor to your play style. There's also some puzzle elements as you'll often need to hack doors and figure out how to get your entire crew where they need to be. In addition to combat skills there's a variety of other ways to interact with the world so you can specialize your agents. For instance, the tutorial features a moment with a zipline. Unskilled agents can still use a zipline if you force them to, but they can fail (in this case, going splat) while someone with the skill will be fine.
Satellite Reign became known to most when it launched its' Kickstarter back in June 2013. It then launched on Steam Early Access in December 2014, with a stream of regular updates, including optional "nightly builds." On August 28th it graduates to 1.0, though it has been content complete for a few weeks now. The devs have been very active in the community and seem committed to a good deal of post launch support. Their goal, if it is is not obvious, was to make a game in the Syndicate mold (no, not that FPS from EA, the other ones) while giving their own take on the genre and updating it for modern audiences.
Videos:
Launch Trailer
Cool Ghosts posted a detailed overview video of Satellite Reign.
Reviews (to be updated as they come in):
Kotaku- YES
I’d been led to believe that Satellite Reign was a modern-day Syndicate. Turns out it isn’t. Phew.
I mean, I love Syndicate as much as the next person who loves Syndicate, in that I grew up thinking it was one of the best games of all time. I still find its filthy, cyberpunk art style to be among the best in video games, regardless of its age.
...So a game that that’s “Like Syndicate, only prettier” is not something I would have enjoyed. I have, however, been thoroughly enjoying Satellite Reign.
PC Gamer- 80
It’s like Blade Runner if Ridley Scott had filmed it with a tilt-shift lens.
...These are issues that haunt every moment of play, but otherwise, Satellite Reign is one of the most enjoyable small-squad strategy games I’ve played in a long time. I love how it blends tactical combat with an open-world structure and Deus Ex-inspired freedom.
Gamesplanet - 9/10
While the influence of Syndicate is obvious, Satellite Reign is a far more expansive and rewarding experience. There is nuance and a breadth that only really becomes apparent as you progress through its sprawling metropolis
Edge - 5/10 (no digital review)
What made Syndicate special was how it harnessed two key sensations: transgression and power. It was about The Man, looking down from your airship as you crushed nations. It was about the sociopathy of distance, mixed with the ability to squish anyone under your thumb at any time. Satellite Reign never taps into that sense, nor finds something to replace it. Instead, this is a world where you can hijack brains and turn people into meat-sleeves for your squad, only to have to cut scientists a cheque to work for you. A world where being bad never feels particularly good. By the point by Syndicate and Syndicate Wars had embedded themselves in gaming history and started dangling their most exciting toys on a string, Satellite Reign has long worn out its momentum its structure demands. It’s not a bad game, but nor is it ever more than a shell of a great one – it’s crying out for a soul behind the screen that both Syndicate fans and its own systems deserve.
Entertainment Focus - 9/10
It’s been almost nine months since I last checked out the game in Early Access. What was there was impressive but there were still many elements missing. Firing up the release version of the game it’s immediately clear that a lot of effort has gone into it since the first Early Access builds. - See more at: http://www.entertainment-focus.com/...itter&utm_source=twitter#sthash.pEdAEtF4.dpuf
PCInvasion - 8/10
The game in its current state already feels like the contemporary take on Syndicate promised by the initial Kickstarter campaign. The amount of freedom afforded to the player in planning and executing your corporate heists is laudable; and slightly ironic, given the oppressive nature of the cyberpunk city’s densely policed districts. In all, Satellite Reign’s deft combination of Syndicate-inspired mechanics and smart new ideas make it a swaggering boardroom successor.