Descent creators launch Kickstarter for spiritual successor Overload
Not to be confused with licensed MOBA Descent: Underground.
Descent's original creators at Revival Productions have launched a Kickstarter for a spiritual successor to their six-degrees-of-freedom shooter called Overload.
But isn't Descent already getting a reboot, you ask? Well, it is, but that's by a different group of developers who acquired the series' rights, but didn't actually create the franchise.
"Descent: Underground is being created by a different group of developers (with experience in space games like Wing Commander and Star Citizen) who have licensed the name from Interplay and are creating a new game with a different focus," Revival stated in its FAQ. "We've talked to them a couple times and they seem pretty cool. Overload and Descent: Underground are completely different games from different groups of people, but we all love six-degree-of-freedom shooters."
So with that out of the way, what is Overload? Well, it's pretty much Descent in all but name. Revival is aiming to create a 15-level single-player campaign for PC, PS4, and Xbox One (with Mac and Linux ports as the first stretch goal). It will even follow the same formula as Descent where each level ends like a tribute to Return of the Jedi, in which you blow up a reactor and dash through twisty, labyrinthine zero-gravity corridors before the explosion encompasses your craft.
"The primary objective in classic 6-DOF shooters was simple: Find the reactor, destroy it, and escape. Carrying out your objective is where the true essence of the game lay, and that's what we're focusing on with Overload," the developer stated. "Each level will be full of gameplay reasons to move and look and shoot all around you, with secrets to discover, traps to trigger, power-ups to find, and cryo-frozen hostages to rescue. Along the way you'll encounter plenty of robots to battle or flee from. There will be keys to collect, shortcuts to take, and reactors to eliminate. You'll race to the exit as the timer counts down and be thrilled when you make it out just in time."
The folks at Revival haven't just worked on Descent either, as co-founder Mike Kulas also co-founded Volition, where he worked on the Red Faction series. Volition went on to develop the Saints Row saga and one of that series' artists, Chris Claflin, is on board at Revival as well.
Revival is looking for $300k to fund Overload. Having only launched its crowdfunding campaign a few hours ago, it's only raised $16,752 so far, but it has until 11th March to make the rest.
Overload is expected to launch around March 2017 and you can reserve a copy of Overload on PC, PS4 or Xbox One for $25.
