The wait is over. For all strategists, tacticians, and lovers of deep, twisting narratives-get ready to welcome Heart of the Machine to Steam Early Access. After a massive development effort, Arcen Games' ambitious new game is ready for players to dive in and help shape its future.
What Awaits You in Early Access
So, what is Heart of the Machine? Imagine a genre-bending moment. It takes snippets of tactics and grand strategy and puts them together with a deeply engaging, branching narrative. It's hard to put into one box, which is partly the beauty of it. If interested in core gameplay, a publicly available demo-already published with the prologue and first chapter-can serve as your world and mechanic onboarding.
But Early Access launch really opens up Chapter Two. Chapter Two is where freedom is unleashed. With tutorial wheels off, the narrative engine kicks into overdrive, ready to go, well, into overdrive. You will be a substantial powerhouse by Chapter Three. You will be capable of manipulating information and units around and through time. Time travel shenanigans are included.
Content-Packed from Day One
Do not let "Early Access" fool you. This initial release is substantial. Get ready to explore:
- 12 Main Goal-States spanning Chapter Two and beyond, each with multiple paths to reach them.
- 2 Side Goals to add even more depth and choice.
- Estimated 15-20 hours of gameplay just to reach Chapter 3, starting from the prologue. That is before the time-bending really begins.
- Hard and Extreme Difficulty Modes for those who crave a serious challenge. These are promised to be truly demanding.
Even without cranking up the difficulty, there's a wealth of content here to sink your teeth into.
"Genre-bending from many styles, there's really no easy comparison. Independent of each other, simulations are locked to specific narratives and offer very different vibes throughout the game… I look forward to seeing your reactions to some of the wild storylines"
- T0@st, Developer of Heart of the Machine
Shaping the Future: Your Feedback Counts
Early Access isn't just about playing what's there. It's about helping to build what comes next. The developer says, quite bluntly, player feedback is the lifeblood of this game. The game will see regular updates that add even more content. More importantly, these updates will expand upon existing paths and stories rather than invalidate your current playthroughs. Your journey through Heart of the Machine will remain meaningful even as the game grows.
Even if you are not sure yet about purchasing into the game, you can contribute. Join our community, throw your ideas out there, and help mold those narratives. In fact, many of the "very awesome moments" in this launch build alone are directly from player suggestions, even those from players who haven't played yet.
A Labor of Love, Built by Many
Heart of the Machine is Arcen's "most ambitious game ever," and it shows in many ways, quips the developer. The developer wants to extend massive thanks to community support for the same. Developed over the last few years with essentially a "solo developer" at its helm, though created with contributions from "literally hundreds of people," in its making-as aptly told by the developer himself, "it takes a village."
Time to be a robot lord and bend time to thy whim. Now on Steam as Early Access, get Heart of the Machine and let the revolution begin.
.jpg)