Republique - (by Camouflaj + Logan) [Universal]

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You receive a desperate phone call from Hope, a young woman trapped within a shadowy totalitarian state. Using a stolen phone, she calls and begs you to hack into the nation’s surveillance system, assume control, and help her escape from the clutches of the omnipresent Overseer.

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Developed by industry veterans behind AAA games like Metal Gear Solid, Halo, F.E.A.R., Kinect, and cutting edge videos like the Skyrim television spot and the iconic iPod “silhouette” ads, République represents a strategic alliance between Camouflaj and Logan to make an epic action game designed specifically for touch-based devices.

On October 31, Logan founder, Alexei Tylevich, and I wrestled with feedback we received from industry colleagues who told us that our ambitions were too big. They suggested we do something simple and small like so many other games on iOS... Alexei and I spent hours reviewing the production and financial risks. We discussed our belief that gamers will embrace iOS when more games are made for them. By sunset, we were even more committed to doing something different, big, and risky.

Here are the goals we outlined with the teams:

• Design a game and write a story for touch-based devices
• Create an intense action game without a focus on killing
• Feature a believable, non-sexualized female lead
• Explore heavy topics, say something meaningful
• Push cutting-edge graphics on mobile

Trailer:

On Halloween night 2011, République was born...​

We immediately went to work on developing a gameplay system that drives the symbiotic relationship between Hope and the player. Our internal design pillar is “Hope is Alive,” meaning Hope is not a marionette for the player to manipulate, but rather a smart, believable, and empathic hero.

Books like 1984 have served as key sources of inspiration not only for the narrative, but also the core gameplay. In République, players become Big Brother: Hope’s protector and growing threat to the Overseer’s grip over his secret nation as players gain control of any network-enabled devices, introducing really cool puzzle scenarios. With the tap of a finger, players can power down lights, wiretap calls, summon elevators and – like a good big brother – protect Hope by slamming doors on her pursuers.

Here are the specs Camouflaj and Logan are building to:

• 4-6 hour campaign
• "Stealth Survival" hybrid genre
• Metroidvania exploration 3D map mode
• Branching, gripping, pull-no-punches story
• Full voiceovers
• Real-time cinematics

More Information can be found at Kickstarter:

• Republique by Camouflaj + Logan Kickstarter Page...

Homepage:

• Follow the Overseer...

 

A highly novel idea - saw your article on Joystiq and was very impressed - hope it goes well!

 

Amazing!

This game should really help unity reach a higher status in the community!

 

no android release ???

 

This game is scarily similar to ours, except ours is made by 4 students, and yours is 10x more awesome....

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/129131-Jade-s-Ransom-Unity3D-Mobile-Project-Final-Uni-Piece

 

Great work but I only own Android devices, don't leave us out in the cold! Android games need more push, it's lagging behind iOS on that front even though the hardware is more than capable on many devices.

 

Looks great! I wish you guys the best of luck! I'll give a few $$ to your campaign. This will be the first project I think is worth my hard earned cash.

I totally connect with your issue; how people assume great games are limited to PC and other home platforms. I am also making many mobile games, A few of them are aimed to look realistic!

Anyways, good luck!

Thanks,

Scott.

 

Quick note guys - Republique's been announced for PC and Mac - and it'll probably come out for Android phones.

Camouflage -- nngh -- CAMOFLAJ needs somewhere near 325,000 within the next 11 days.

And I'm going to support them. I'm going to throw 'em some hard-earned cash and...

HERE'S WHY NOT:

1) Stupid F***ing name doesn't tell you anything about the game (unlike, for example, Takedown...*sigh*).

2) No recognizable IP or team members. Sure, there's an art team who've done some of the most attractive target renders in the industry, some designers from Metal Gear Solid and Halo, but... no real brand recognition. There IS Ryan Peyton who seems like an awfully nice, brave guy (liquidated his life savings to make this pitch) who's dedicated to making games which are engaging and thought-provoking but... outside of some hardcore MGS4 fans (me included) I don't know anyone that'd know who this guy is.

3) Awful narrative pitch - Vague references to 1984 and trite concerns that our society is beginning to resemble the world of that book. No attempt is made to provide an interesting twist on these tropes... and as for an arresting character to draw you in? Her name is 'Ho-- *yawn* Sorry. 'Hope'. They describe her as "...a believable, non-sexualized female lead". Compelling, no? "a smart, believable, and empathic hero". It's like they've never heard of "show, don't tell." So far the narrative has been sold as one cliché piled on another - perhaps there's a worthwhile story in there, but they haven't bothered to tease it.

4) I'm unsure that I'd be willing to play a game like this on my iPhone. I've bought both Infinity Blade and Dark Meadow. Infinity Blade's a minor diversion, but hardly something that I'm meant to sink myself into for a long period of time. I'd enjoy Dark Meadow a lot more on a larger monitor, where it would have room to breathe and where I'm not being jostled by commuters - and the same goes with a lot of the longer iPhone games. The iOS interface is lovely (the most intuitive yet), but the screen is cramped and covered in fingers. Surely a Mac or PC version would be more comfortable to use (especially with a larger screen and therefore a more comfortable FOV)? Which leads to...

5) ...the embarrassing Kickstarter reboot - watch the Mac PC version announcement on their page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/486250632/republique-by-camouflaj-logan) and try telling me these folks don't look like they've been force fed their own broken hearts, having abandoned iOS exclusivity. Compared to the Serellan/Takedown reboot (no great shakes, but effective), it's a joke - there's no sense of reinvigoration, doubling down, of vision... it's just a video announcing grudging acquiescence.

6) Presently, Camoflaj are wayyy off their Kickstarter target, with only 11 days left... so why contribute? It's a psychological barrier for potential backers... but remember, Kickstarter only takes your money if the target is met... otherwise, you risk nothing. Hence this isn't really a reason not to back the campaign... =)

I've got more, but they pale in comparison with...

HERE'S WHY:

1) Let's start with the reason I'm posting it on this forum - they're doin' it in Unity. And it looks. F***ing. Gorgeous. If the finished product is good, it helps establish the engine as a development tool that can handle highly-polished, serious narrative content (on multiple platforms). And that kind of attention is good for everyone on this forum. Synergy, baby.

2) They've got the game up and running with gameplay vids. Go to their Kickstarter page - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/486250632/republique-by-camouflaj-logan - and check out how it plays. How many Kickstarter projects give you that opportunity?

3) Intriguing gameplay proposition - you've hacked into Totalitarian Regime #385's security system and now you can guide and aid (...*sigh*) Hope around the facility she was trapped inside, turning off security cameras, setting off alarms to attract guards from posts... At the same time, the AI-controlled Hope interprets your actions and does her best to make her escape, room by room. THIS SOUNDS LIKE FUN.

4) Yes, it also sounds a bit like Lifeline on the Dreamcast and Experience 112 on the PC. But neither of those teams have the experience and dev muscle Camofla(*sigh*)j bring to the table. Those games executed a great idea in a substandard way. But if you take a look at Camoflaj's CV - these are people who know how to ship games (a key element in a Kickstarter pitch) and craft a fun, visually appealing experience with a solid stealth system. Republi(*sigh*)que could give the idea the treatment it deserves.

5) At first the game was intended as an iPhone and iPad-only game... which meant that you would communicate with Hope in the same manner your CHARACTER was intended to communicate with her - by PHONE (or pad). Dude! That's a great idea!

6) It's also a TERRIBLE idea - closing off potential backers on Kickstarter who prefer one system over another (especially when you're building on Unity!). With the announcement of the PC and Mac versions, Camoflaj have promised to alter the interface significantly to suit keyboard and mouse - giving us access to multiple video windows, text/command-based hacking and more. The same dedication and attention to detail they've put on the iOS systems, they're turning onto the PC. That thoughtful response bodes well for the game as a whole.

7) I like static camera angles in games. I haven't seen 'em post Resi 4. So sue me.

8) My GOODNESS, look at those physical rewards.

Well, I'm about to send in my pledge (remember, you don't get billed unless the campaign is successful).

I thought I ought to make a case for the game here, flawed though the Kickstarter campaign might be. Games that look this good in Unity are few and far between (Shadowgun? Fray? Insterstellar Marines? Pirates of New Horizons and...?) - and games that mesh such an unusual control system so neatly with narrative are even more rare and deserve to be supported.

I'd love to see another ground-breaking Unity game - Republique could be it.

Again: Synergy, baby. Let's do it right.

--Rev

 

This looks utterly amazing.

Well done!

 

In a syllable:

"Woot".

--Rev

 

Damn. That looks brilliant. Nice job on reaching funding goals, by the way.