Recently launched as an Early Access title, Eden Rising: Supremacy utilizes a curious blend of genres and a dual developer force in the shape of Nvizzio Creations and Meridian4. At heart, Supremacy is a tower defense title, but its lush, open-world action and multiplayer focus give it a fresh flavor in the face of other indie competitors. A release is tentatively slated for the end of 2018, so what we see today is Supremacy in its bawling infancy — an infancy that boasts a great deal of promise for the future.
Welcome To Eden
A title doesn’t have to blend genres to come up with something noteworthy and unique, but when one does so successfully, it’s worth writing home about. Players enter Supremacy as a displaced human being forced to make a pact with the Crucibles on this new world to survive. The Crucibles are ancient machines that suffer attacks from the local (unfriendly) wildlife, and which promise you godlike power if you successfully awaken and defend them all.
You guessed it: Crucibles are your towers, and they’ll be what you’re defending throughout. However, the tower defense face of Supremacy only activates when you’re ready. For those who enjoy exploration and resource hoarding, you’ll have plenty to do outside of the main gameplay loop.
Mushrooms, Resin, And Gorgons – Oh My!
You have a variety of ways to defend the Crucibles against waves of intruders once you initiate tower defense sequences — sequences which scale upwards in difficulty as you complete more and more of them. Collect local flora and fauna like mushrooms and resin to create armor sets, weapons, and traps to bolster your war against the angry alien critters. Smack a Gorgon around to get better at fighting (just kidding, it will absolutely murder you). Explore to find new and rare materials that may help you with constructing more dynamic and intricate defenses.
After you win a round of enemy waves, new resources will become available to you, and new ways to ward off your foes will open up. It’s a nice, clean progression system that slowly grows more complex as you grow with the game, providing both incentive and challenge. You can also simply spend time sightseeing in the world of Supremacy, which offers new Crucibles to defend, and new biomes to appreciate.
A Promising New Entry In Tower Defense
Supremacy declares itself specifically to be a multiplayer co-op title, but it is also available to players who want to go it alone. Games are played on private or public servers, with the option to change the number of players. This affects the difficulty level, naturally, and provides a welcome space for people to team up and work towards conquering Supremacy’s vibrant and dangerous landscape.
The title is still young. The tutorials need polishing and some of the combat mechanics are touch-and-go. It takes a terribly long time to load a server, and character customization at this point is minimal and probably even unnecessary. The primary biome is neat, but quickly grows tiresome due to its lack of variation. Regardless of the current flaws, the pulse of a prodigy is apparent, giving players something to truly look forward to come the latter end of 2018.
The Verdict:
Eden Rising: Supremacy is a captivating and ingenious invention in an embryonic state. Its unusual concoction of open-world action, tower defense, and resource collection makes it an innovative indie that asserts its uniqueness without even trying. While the path to greatness will be long, Supremacy has plenty of time to scale the mountain of development that’s currently looming before it.
