Humanity has killed itself. After centuries of war, nuclear explosions erupt throughout the world and wipe the planet, the only survivors fetuses aboard a colony ship. Manned by robots, the spacecraft leaves the Solar System and makes way to the stars, eventually finding a new planet to colonise and give the infant humans a chance at survival.
That's the premise of Outpost Zero, a multiplayer survival FPS that puts you in charge of one of those aforementioned robots. Tasked with building a colony and fighting off any wildlife that poses a threat to your existence, this indie sci-fi game is a mix of Space Engineers and Osiris: New Dawn.
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Players can also build more robots to act as AI buddies, which can be customised and trained to defend your outpost, gather resources, and maintain the infrastructure. Since they have an AI and aren't just glorified toasters, you must also cater to their needs and make sure everyone is satisfied and working at peak efficiency -- "a society of happy, efficient, and powerful robot citizens", as the press release puts it.
You can also upgrade weapons and armour (both yours and theirs) to keep the place safe, which is important given the variety of wildlife present on the planet. Aside from big rhino things and creepy gigantic albino spiders, there are also raiders and space pirates to contend with, making existence in Outpost Zero far from a peaceful endeavour. If defence is not your forte, you can also go on the offensive and attack enemy strongholds, leading your AI robots with squad commands to take out enemy bosses.
If you rather build a sturdy defense, Outpost Zero claims to have a robust building system to play with, which allows you to design buildings as you see fit and provide them with defensive emplacements. In order to keep the colony functioning, you will need to set up mining outposts and supply chains across the planet, creating a thriving colony.
The game is entering early alpha soon, and you can sign-up for free tests over here at the official website. There is no release date set yet, but the game is expected later in the year.
