Wildlife defense strategy RPG We Are The Caretakers enters early access
Become a squad for conservation instead of destruction
If you're looking for the opposite of a 4X game, this one might just qualify. Instead of xploiting and xterminating and those other two X activities, We Are The Caretakers is a turn-based strategy game about animal conservation. The afrofuturist sci-fi setting has you forming alliances between factions and fighting tactical battles to save your planet. It's just launched into early access with a campaign and survival mode.
"Assemble an arcane team of protectors in squad-building systems inspired by Darkest Dungeon, Ogre Battle, and XCOM," say Heart Shaped Games. "Defend the endangered animals your world relies on in strategic turn-based combat. Define your approach to a global resistance by balancing your reputation, funds, research, animals and alliances."
You can catch a bit of turn-based battling and squad management up there in the early access launch trailer. Oh, and the giant fantasy creatures you're protecting too. Heart Shaped Games say you'll assemble nine squads of Caretakers in over 20 job classes with their own traits and weaknesses.
For early access launch, We Are The Caretakers includes 18 story missions and a replayable survival mode. Heart Shaped Games say they plan to spend five or six months in early access in order to add additional character classes and a complete story campaign. They're also hoping to add an additional game mode and customisable difficulty options.
We're certainly not spoiled for games with afrofuturist settings, or strategy games about conservation, so it's one worth having an eye on. It rates on RPS's list of top 10 games in April we'd been looking forward to.
We Are The Caretakers has just launched in early access on Steam. It's currently 20% discounted until May 1st for £12.39/€13.43/$15.99.
Disclosure: We Are The Caretakers narrative lead Xalavier Nelson Jr. has also been a regular RPS contributor in the past. Can't imagine what he's been busy with lately to make that a less frequent occurance!