Metal Gear, Halo veterans announce Republique Kickstarter

A new start-up studio staffed by Metal Gear Solid 4, Halo and Infamous developers has launched a Kickstarter for an ambitious new iOS stealth action game titled Republique.

It will tell the story of a woman called Hope attempting to escape from an oppressive totalitarian state. Rather than step into her shoes, you'll control the environment's surveillance system, helping her out by hacking into computers, disabling lights and alarms, locking down doors and summoning elevators.

"iOS is becoming a great gaming platform, but where are the games for people who love intense action and story-driven experiences?" read former Kojima Production staffer Ryan Paton's blurb.

"Where are the AAA games designed specifically for touch-based devices? As someone who loathes virtual joysticks, I have great respect for what Chair Entertainment did with Infinity Blade: they built an action game specifically for touch devices. We aim to do the same."

Paton promises a four to six hour-long campaign "Metroidvania exploration", "branching, gripping, pull-no-punches story", full voiceovers and real-time cinematics.

Its core design principles are laid out as follows:

• Design a game and write a story for touch-based devices
• Create an intense action game without a focus on killing
• Feature a believable, non-sexualised female lead
• Explore heavy topics, say something meaningful
• Push cutting-edge graphics on mobile

See the full proof-of-concept trailer and Kickstarer pitch below.

The project is the brainchild of Paton's new Camouflaj studio and California-based production outfit Logan, headed up by Alexei Tylevich.

They want $500,000 to help fund the project, towards its anticipated $1 million budget. Camouflaj claims to already have convinced investors to pony up the other $500k but only on the condition that it proves, via Kickstarter, that there's a demand for such a title.

At the time of writing, the page had hit $23,270 from 362 backers.