Written by Tanner Banks, 5/9/2016
In space no one can hear you scream. That doesn’t change the fact that I am screaming with anticipation for the latest title to be featured on our Kick Ass Kickstarter series: InSomnia. The Russian game company Studio Mono is creating a game that shows just how far independent game production has come. InSomnia is a set in a dismal dieselpunk world and taking place in a semi-deserted space metropolis; InSomnia has plenty of style to it.
But don’t mistake this game for just a pretty face, the gameplay looks fantastic already, using real-time RPG mechanics and a story that focuses heavily on a non-linear plot. In this open world you’ll be sure to face a multitude of enemies where you’ll need to think before your act with Studio Mono promising “realistic combat mechanics.”
Taking place on the massive space vessel the Object 6, the inhabitants have been traveling for centuries to The Evacuation Point in hopes for starting anew. As you play the game as #KZ0012 you’ll have the chance to do a lot of exploring through this behemoth of a ship. As #KZ0012 you’re assigned to Sector D where “a series of mysterious circumstances pulls the hero into a large-scale game, where the fate of all the inhabitants of the space metropolis is at stake.”
This is the kind of game that sounds like EA, Blizzard, or Bethesda would be working on when you look at the size, scope, and polish on the game. The maps are massive, the artwork is beautiful and fleshed out, and the gameplay is solid as an armor clad boulder with a giant ax at its side. The fact that this game is so near completion and looks so good already is truly mind-blowing, and a testament to the talent and hard work of Studio Mono.
First lets go over the look and feel of the game. Built on the Unreal Engine 4, this game is straight up pretty. It’s dark, grungy, and somber, but it’s pretty. Like that girl in History class who always wore plaid and eye shadow. Lots of games go for a steampunk or dieselpunk trying to emulate the success of games like Dishonored, Bioshock: Infinite, and the Fallout series. Studio Mono said screw that noise and made their own feel to dieselpunk.
Some aspects do seem similar, but when I look at some of the character models and see a mixture of Roman centurions, mixed with a retro-futuristic armor all I think is, “Holy shit, that looks sweet.” This game manages to take a familiar concept and create a distinct style.
Next is how the game plays. This game feels like something that the world has been missing. A straight up RPG with combat that looks and feels like the real thing. With companions that react like a living being, instead of a mindless drone you really feel the tension of battle when they’re too scared to follow orders.
The skill trees allow you to choose how you’re going to play through the game. Will you snipe everyone with the rifle skill? Or blow it all away to kingdom-come by investing in explosives? Will you keep yourself alive with the survival skills? Or will you keep your mind sharp as a razor using the rhetoric skill? In addition to the skills you can level up, you can also gain characteristics that you gain through character creation and by fulfilling particular requirements though out the game. These characteristics also provide you with substantial perks and bonuses.
InSomnia looks like it could be something special. Actually, it already does look special. This Kickstarter is more about adding polish and the finishing touches to the game before release. They’ve already had a successful campaign for the studio when the game was nothing more than an idea.
Now that this has reached the home stretch of the design, it looks ready to be the next big indie hit. If you’ve got the coin to drop on the Saphor tier you’ll get a sweet set of hand forged armor built like from the game.
General info
• Plaforms: PC, Mac, Linux
• Release date: Q4 2016
• Developer: Studio Mono, based in Samara, Russia
• Press contact: dan@prhound.co.uk
• Social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Steam
Features
• multi-layered role playing game
• dark retro-futuristic setting
• hardcore gameplay
• non-linear story
• colossal space metropolis to explore
• realistic combat system
• generated quests and events
• atmospheric ambient soundtrack
Go and support their Kickstarter to help make a great game possible, or try the prologue. Let us know what you think in the comments.