The robotic overlords of strategy-RPG Heart Of The Machine have graced us with a release date

rockpapershotgun.com:

We don't know yet if the AI revolution of our reality will go full Skynet or simply end with the robots unceremoniously dumping us like a sad Joaquin Phoenix. But at least video games can help us speculate. Heart Of The Machine is a cyberpunk 4X strategy game that will let players choose how a newly awakened AI sentience might behave once set loose upon a big future city. Developers Arcen Games call it a "turn-based sci-fi 4X RPG", which is a lot of genres fighting for supremacy in one small phrase. It was announced last year, but today it gets a release date and an updated demo.

It's due out January 31st, say the devs, and will be an early access release. The game takes place in a grim future civilisation where "despite its technological advances and dreams of a bright future, centuries of rot have taken hold". Sounds familiar. From the video, it does look very 4X-ish, with a lot of detailed menus and building sidebars. The city will feature "genetics labs, factories, nuclear silos, military complexes, and much more", we're told. You can build robot manufacturing plants to make android fighters, and tap into the city's electricity grid to power your processor-heavy scheming. Although it all depends what sort of AI big boss you want to be, say the creators.

"Raise an army of robots to rule by force, become a benevolent machine overlord, or explore a constellation of alternative paths as you strive to find your place amidst a crumbling society in desperate need of saving (from itself)."

To that end, it looks like there'll be some classic moralistic decision-making. One prompt in the above trailer shows a robot meeting a bunch of slum cats. You get the choice to befriend the cats (correct choice) or liquidate them for "samples" (evil, bad, unforgivable choice - do not pick, do not harm the cats, I am warning you). There will also be different factions who can serve as allies or rivals, like the "corrupt corporate executives that run the city" who you might tap for