Satellite Reign
Overview -
The 'Syndicate' series began in 1993, when Bullfrog Productions (creators of 'Dungeon Keeper') released the first game on Amiga and DOS. It was an isometric game that featured a squad of cybernetic agents employed by a megacorp with the stated goal of taking down all of the other megacorps in a cyberpunk setting. This was done through assassination, infiltration, theft, mind control, and other assorted devious methods. In 1996 Bullfrog released a sequel, 'Syndicate Wars'. Despite its strong reception, the series kind of faded away, until EA published a first-person shooter reboot in 2012, also called 'Syndicate'. It retained some story elements from the original and had decent reviews, but sales were poor, and longtime series fans were left wondering if there would ever be another 'Syndicate' set in the classic mold.
The following year, the director of 'Syndicate Wars', Mike Diskett, announced a Kickstarter for a spiritual successor to the old series, called 'Satellite Reign'. They collected a respectable £461,333, enough to tack on a few stretch goals.
Video Review
Another Unity Engine game, 'Satellite Reign' looks good but not great. The art design is rich - the city might as well have been plucked out of 'Blade Runner', with how committed it is to the cyberpunk motif. There are neon lights galore, back alley homeless dens, glitzy strip clubs, and seedy markets. The map is a bit intimidating at first, but it is very detailed and I would not have been able to navigate the labyrinthine streets without it. There are a few issues that crop up during play, like string errors and a long loading time when the game starts.
Audio Review
One of the Kickstarter’s stretch goals was the hiring of Russell Shaw, a composer and longtime Peter Molyneux collaborator. He’s currently working on the score for the upcoming 'Fable Legends', but managed to come through with an amazing soundtrack for 'Satellite Reign'. It is a baritone, electronic, foreboding delight, and does almost as much for the ambiance as the art design.
Final Thoughts
'Satellite Reign' truly embodies the phrase "spiritual successor". It is very much a modern adaptation of an older title. That is not to say that it is without innovation or not a good game - far from it. 'Satellite Reign' takes the best parts of its source material and expands upon them with modern tech, creating an intoxicating, thickly cyberpunk strategy experience. The degree of freedom available invokes that special kind of PC game that is all-too infrequent these days.