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Excellent news, citizen: developer Offworld Industries has announced a brand new co-op FPS based on the dystopian sci-fi setting of Starship Troopers, made famous by the 1997 Paul Verhoeven cult classic of the same name.
Starship Troopers: Extermination, coming early to PC in 2023, promises a 12-player co-op experience where groups of grunts take on hordes of bugs in large-scale, goal-oriented combat. Judging by the gameplay trailer, you can expect to use a wide variety of weapons and base building mechanics to protect humanity from the threat of bugs. It’s basically Fortnite, Left 4 Dead, and dastardly alien bugs all rolled into one.
The game features different classes and progression mechanics that provide perks and equipment, all of which are reminiscent of Back 4 Blood and Warhammer 40,000 Darktide.
Service guarantees citizenship
Starship Troopers is set in a bleak, dystopian future where humanity, descended into authoritarianism, has declared war on a race of insectoid aliens they creatively refer to as “the Bugs”. Popularized in the 1997 film, Starship Troopers offers a caustic satire of totalitarianism, militarization, and fascism, told from the perspective of the soldiers sent to fight humanity’s wars.
This is partly why the setting is perfect for a co-op FPS. The meat of the setting has always been in the experiences of the sad squads of soldiers who are driven to fight and die in a pointless war against the bugs. Starship Troopers offers an extremely bleak view of the future of humanity. Starship Troopers instills an entertaining sense of morbid curiosity and satirical bite, while offering plenty of opportunities for heart-pounding action.
In a one-on-one combat, an individual soldier is no match for even a single bug. In the spirit of the best co-op games, you’ll have to work together and rely on teamwork to put up a good fight. That’s why the setting lends itself so well to co-op. The critters will have a much harder time coming after you if your partner lays down some suppressive fire.
The base building is also intriguing. Against an enemy who mainly wants to cut you apart at close range, building a series of barricades and defenses to direct your enemies to kill zones seems like the right thing to do. Perhaps Extermination will become more of a thinking person’s FPS, with just as much emphasis on strategy. Even if not, it should be a great opportunity to shoot some bugs in goo.
While we don’t have many concrete details just yet, it’s exciting to see a veteran developer tackle such a rich and distinctive environment.