In a press release from studio Chair Entertainment Group regarding the upcoming Live Arcade game, [i]Undertow[/i], the company is billing said game as an "Aquatic action-shooter for up to 16 players that combines the multiplayer of [i]Battlefield[/i] with the control and mayhem of [i]Geometry Wars[/i]."
Core Gameplay Elements:
Relentless high-speed combat with simple and intuitive controls
Incredible next-gen graphics with a vibrant underwater visual style
First to feature 16 player multiplayer battles and 2 player co-op with Team Conquest and Deathmatch modes
3 different playable races, each with 4 unique upgradeable units
15 level single player / co-op campaign with maps ranging from Atlantis to frozen arctic labyrinths to the steam powered cities of Captain Nemo
200 achievement points for completing various objectives
Planned expansions will offer new playable races, units, single and multiplayer maps, gamer picks, and additional achievement points.
Gameplay Overview:
[i]Undertow[/i] features a 15 level campaign for single-player or co-op and
two robust multiplayer modes for up to 16 players. While many of the maps
have level-specific goals, the core gameplay of Undertow centers on this
maxim: Kill as many enemies as you can – and stay alive for as long as
possible!
Players select their race (Iron Marine, Nemoidian, or Atlantian) and unit
type and are then launched into battle. Each of the three races features
four unique, upgradeable unit types ranging in ability from the fast and
agile to the large and powerful. Players have the ability to unlock and
purchase unit upgrades as they acquire points. Each unit type has three
levels of permanent upgrades.
Through conquest-style battles, players obtain points by killing enemies,
accomplishing team goals, and taking check points. Points and a variety of
power-ups can be used to further upgrade unit abilities. In addition to the
core game, additional expansions will introduce new races, unit types, maps,
and bonus achievement points.
Story Synopsis:
An aquatic alien race secretly launches a devastating attack on Earth which
melts the polar ice caps. Water covers the planet. Humanity is all but
wiped out by this onslaught, but some of the remaining humans band together
to take the planet back from the brink of chaos. Using existing technology,
the Iron Marines take to the seas as they struggle to survive in this wet
new world.
For over one hundred years, Captain Nemo and his followers have been living
peacefully and quietly at the bottom of the ocean, sharing an uneasy truce
with the highest officials in the British and American governments. In
their secret utopia the Nemoidians have isolated themselves from the world
and lived in peace – until now. Nemo is enraged at the disturbance to his
oceans.
As the ice caps melted, the ancient city of Atlantis began to thaw. Trapped
by the last ice age, this mighty civilization disappeared at the height of
its power. Now free, the Atlantians will stop at nothing to reclaim the
planet they once owned. Having escaped from their cruel overlords, the
fanatic Elect put their hope in the Ark – a massive city-sized space craft
that could deliver their dying race to a new world. The fuel supply of the
Ark had been nearly depleted when the aliens finally discovered Earth, a
planet perfect for transformation into a new, oceanic home for the aliens…
