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Here's the first look at the gameplay of expansionist, sci-fi RTS Chaotic Era

Here's the first look at the gameplay of expansionist, sci-fi RTS Chaotic Era
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iOS
| Chaotic Era

If the numbing capitalist thrumming of Ad Astra or charming anachronisms of 80s Sci-Fi appeals to you then universe-sweeping real-time strategy game Chaotic Era from Bobby will be of interest to you.

That said, while the jarring flicker filters are added on, some of the design choices here are almost entirely necessary - Chaotic Era simulates the orbits within, and the growth of, the expanding universe, and the effects that the shifting space has on your continued expansion and exploitation of it.

We've finally been able to see a little bit more than the original teaser gave us. You might have seen it when it did the rounds - it showed a pipping beacon on a map, what looked like a station floating in space and what resembled a massive artificial creation, many times the size of a city. Needless to say, it didn't give us much to speculate on, but even then the poignant black-and-white visuals and echoey, ethereal soundtrack stood out. 

Below is the first shown gameplay for Chaotic Era.

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It's certainly quite hard to understand without knowing a little about the game. Chaotic Era is, as I said before, a real-time strategy game, however, it certainly seems much more like an ambitious expansionist-empire simulation. You'll pick planets out of the sky using the extremely smart looking lens system, and then send ships to them ahead of repurposing the surface for production-based growth. There are risks, but with an absence of conventional foes, these are categorised as incidents; offering opportunities or danger rather than some resource-draining interspecies conflict.

If you're interested in what you've heard so far, the developers have done a great job in explaining the ideas behind the game over on their blog, where they touch on design choices and have started discussing space acquisition for growing your population, as well as early allusions to the garage where you'll design your ships. You can also sign up for the beta there.

Chaotic Era is currently listed as targeting a 2020 release on iOS, we'll be sure to keep you updated on it as it approaches launch.

Head to the Pocket Gamer LaunchPad hub to find all of our exclusive announcements from our three-day event.
Dann Sullivan
Dann Sullivan
A job in retail resulted in a sidestep into games writing back in 2011. Since then Dann has run or operated several indie game focused websites. They're currently the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket Gamer Brands, and are determined to help the site celebrate the latest and greatest games coming to mobile.