Roadmap

In the game: Free

Available to everyone at no cost. The free version is ad-supported.

• Horde survival. Hold the line against escalating waves across hand-built maps.
• Combined-arms roster. Riflemen, machinegunners, snipers, and grenadiers, each with a real cone of fire and a role to play.
• Terrain and tactics. Fight from elevated ground for cover, use line of sight, mix direct and indirect fire, and reposition or re-aim your units mid-battle. Pause any time to plan.
• Economy and upgrades. Earn a bounty every wave, buy reserve slots and stat upgrades, and reinforce your HQ with more health and a wider deploy radius.
• Fog of war. An optional per-map haze that hides the horde until it closes on your line.
• Daily missions and achievements. Fresh objectives every day, plus long-term milestones.
• Lifetime stats. Track your kills, waves, and progress over time.
• Global leaderboards. Browse the per-map and all-time rankings.
• A new map every month. A fresh map joins the standard rotation each month, so there is always something new to hold.

In the game: Premium

Everything in the free version, plus the following for subscribers. Cancel anytime.

• Ad-free. No between-wave interstitials.
• Head start. Begin every Horde run with a $1,000 defense fund.
• Post your scores. Climb the global leaderboards with your own runs.
• Early access. Play new units and content as they roll out.
• Exclusive map track. A subscriber-only line of maps, with a new map every 30 days.

Planned

What we are building next. Timing may shift, and items are tagged Free or Premium as they land.

Combat systems

• Elemental damage. A rock-paper-scissors matchup of damage types and resistances, so countering each threat with the right unit becomes a core tactic.
• Status effects. Burning, frozen, shocked, poisoned, and more, layered onto the elemental system.
• Placeable defenses and area denial. Barricades, minefields, and elemental hazards you set down to shape the battlefield and deny ground to the horde.

The horde

• More enemies. Distinct enemy types with their own behaviors, and a horde that evolves the deeper you push.
• Enemies that reshape terrain. Attackers that tear down walls and cover, so no defensive line is ever permanent.
• Bigger battles. Rendering and simulation tuned to push crowd sizes far higher.

Your army

• Command units. Officers and command units that strengthen and coordinate the troops around them.
• Armored and aerial units. Tanks and other armored vehicles, plus aircraft that operate above the battlefield.
• Units across the ages. An expanding roster that reaches from the distant past to the far future, alongside a JTAC and airstrike unlock progression.
• Cosmetic customization. Uniforms, colors, and more to make your force your own.

Game modes

• Campaign. A persistent army you own across a series of chapters, with a Basic Training onboarding arc and a skill tree that reshapes your units.
• Creative mode. Build, save, and play your own maps. It is being reworked and will return.
• Gauntlet. A roguelike run across a series of maps: carry your force and upgrades forward, choose from randomized rewards between battles, and a single wipe ends the run.
• Puzzle mode. Hand-crafted tactical puzzles with a fixed roster and one tough hold to crack.
• Time attack. Clear a set of waves as fast as you can, ranked on the clock.

Platforms and community

• More platforms. A Windows and Steam release, and iOS.
• Community maps. Share the maps you build with other players.

Have a request? Email administratum@systemaobscura.com.