June 19, 2024
Hardwired Studios, a solo game development studio from Finland is thrilled to unveil Neural Shock, a 2D sci-fi pixel-art Tower Defense / ARPG hybrid with a growling metal soundtrack that makes your head bang. Neural Shock is available worldwide on PC via Steam today - witness the game that promises to supercharge the whole genre.
In Neural Shock, players must cleanse the world of horrid and bloodthirsty clones by bringing their arsenal of turrets, traps, wits and weapons into action. The player has a controllable main character to aid their automated turrets in battle - pick from different class choices with distinct play styles and over 20 different deadly and unique weapons.
Combining the classic Tower Defense gameplay, graphic pixel-art violence and elements of character-building action RPGs and set within a dark, futuristic sci-fi world, Neural Shock brings an engaging experience which caters both to short and long play sessions to experience at the players’ own pace. Get ready to blast mutated specimens in this thrilling new pixel-perfect action game.
Key Features:
Engaging Tower Defense Puzzles: Unique tower defense missions in an engaging, dark and futuristic world, complemented with captivating side objectives that require razor-sharp senses and wits to complete in the most optimal ways. Find the deadliest combinations from a fine selection of over 20+ different turrets and traps. Turn up the heat with intriguing difficulty modifiers to create all the more insane mayhem.
Class-based Character and Team Building: Pick your favorite class, delve into the monster-filled world and exterminate the horrid creatures to level up and create your optimal build by specializing in different weapon, turret and trap masteries and selecting the best supporting abilities for your playstyle. Along with building and improving your turrets, you are able to control your main character and aid the turrets in killing the enemies. Currently playable classes in the full release are Sniper and Engineer - the Sniper class is aimed towards players seeking more action and maneuvering, while the Engineer's talent tree serves a more traditional Tower Defense type of gameplay.
Visceral Pixel-Art Violence: Tens of different ways for each monster to meet their maker, ranging from getting shredded, electrocuted, burnt to a crisp, melted to a pile of goo, and many others, visualized and animated with crunchy pixel art graphics that don't hide any ounce of blood or drop of gore. Let your creativity run wild as you discover new ways to eradicate the murderous cretins that run amok in this vicious world.
Storyline:
In 2304, CyTech, a scientific research corporation and defense manufacturer revolutionized warfare after discovering ways to integrate artificial neural networks into humans, allowing soldiers to rapidly develop extraordinary abilities that would far exceed the opposition. However, after multiple generations had been tested in combat with great success, one generation found a way to surpass all other generations by multitudes by altering the genetic composition of the subjects. The subjects started experiencing mutations in their bodies, and over time were found to have experienced a rapid evolution into completely different beings.
This generation was found to be much more aggressive and hostile even to the creators than previous generations, and quickly the specimen, viewing themself as a completely different and superhuman race, started to revolt against humanity and create clones of themselves to achieve superiority and control of the Earth.
In the year 2325, you as part of mercenaries from Armorion, a private military contractor, were tasked to infiltrate the main research facility of CyTech, to eliminate the rebelling specimens and end the production of new clones. The defense systems of the facility were dismantled and stripped down by the specimens, but the defense network is still connected and you are able to rearm the defenses by building turrets and traps into the existing defense pods. You will need to clear out the facility's sectors one by one and ensure the defenses are able to hold out any hostile specimens.
Content Rating:
Mature content advisory: Violence, blood and gore in pixel-art form
Links:
Website - https://hardwiredgamestudios.com/
Steam Store Page - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2862970/Neural_Shock/
Release Date Trailer: https://youtu.be/I4v2NwgtC4k