GearStorm

GearStorm is a story-driven science-fiction survival game set on Apollyon, a hostile alien planet humanity hopes to colonize after the Phage virus devastates Earth’s human and animal populations. You play as an Exomarine, awakened from cold memory storage after 300 years of interstellar travel, and must establish and defend a settlement, explore the planet, trade with its inhabitants and uncover its mysteries. You can play the campaign alone or with friends, or venture out to discover new lands and start a colony. The game combines survival with role-playing elements.

The frontier of Apollyon

Apollyon has multiple procedural continents built with voxel-based terrain that can be destroyed and reshaped. You can explore NPC settlements, ancient ruins, underground caverns and dungeons, and encounter local factions that you can confront or align with. Ancient alien ruins and artifacts hold clues to the planet’s mysteries.

The planet’s wildlife ranges from peaceful creatures that feed on plants to aggressive carnivores that hunt other animals or you. You also face technologically advanced enemies, including bandits and marines from other factions. You gather resources on the surface or by digging underground, and can raid other players’ camps or those of the indigenous population to steal supplies.

The Exomarine

As an engineer, elite trooper and leader of colonists, you build a new home, secure it and defend it. You choose your character and appearance, then shape your path through RPG skills, an honor score system and experience levels. Fighting, mining and building unlock elements of the tech tree and advance your weapon and gear levels.

Build and equip your colony

You can use over 500 types of buildable objects to create a base or an entire colony, housing vehicles, equipment, workers, researchers and farmers. NPCs can guard the settlement, farm or handle other chores. Machines can operate over a wireless network to automate tasks, and vehicle factories let you manufacture vehicles that fly, float, drive or walk, along with weapons and upgrades for them.

You gather local resources and use tools to craft technology, weapons, building materials and supplies. Found items and resources can also be combined to make vehicles and machines that communicate through the wireless network. Grow vegetables and fruit, or hunt creatures for meat and prepare meals. Some plants provide medical supplies, while others can be eaten for food or first aid.

The ICA provides blueprints for mechanized combat vehicles. You can construct wheeled, hover, flying and walking vehicles, then customize their paint, weapons and upgrades. You can also craft or steal weapons, attachments, armor and other equipment.

Campaign and survival

In Campaign Mode, you wake aboard your assigned colony ship and find it deserted. As you explore, the story reveals humanity’s escape from the Phage virus, the events that led to its emergence, and the centuries-long voyage to Apollyon. After landing, you learn more about the planet and the inhabitants and settlements you encounter. You craft and upgrade equipment and vehicles for missions along the storyline.

In Survival Mode, you are dropped onto an unknown alien planet far from Earth and must stay alert to threats around you.

Multiplayer and GameMaster

You can play alone or join a server and test your survival skills against other players. When hosting a server as GameMaster, you can control vehicle and weapon performance, quests and the environment.

GameMaster Mode lets you build and spawn anything, fly, teleport and teleport other players. Multiple GameMasters can work in the same game to create worlds, cities and quests. The role also lets you change the world, non-player characters, quests, settlements, weather and other aspects of play, and create stories and experiences to share.