WorldShift

WorldShift is a science fiction tactical rpg video game released in 2008 by Crytek Black Sea, the same studio that developed Knights of Honor.

Plot
In the 21st century, a mysterious object lands on Earth ending all known civilization. WorldShift is set thousands of years after those events, when the human civilization is no more than just a fading myth. The remains of the mysterious object, known as Shard Zero, are still spreading its Plague and reshaping the Earth. The human race has developed a new culture and are now living in five shielded mega-cities, struggling to survive from day to day. The rest of the Earth is populated by what is known to be the Tribes, successors of the early humans that were affected by the Plague, and the Cult, a mysterious alien race with unknown origins.

Gameplay
In WorldShift, there are no technology trees featuring hundreds of upgrades; instead, WorldShift allows the players to discover and acquire a vast number of items and powerful relics that they can use to freely change their gameplay and preferred tactics and to attack their enemies. The players will gather items as they fight their opponents and as rewards for completing missions. There is a two-tiered unit system, with stronger officer units and then more common basic units. The official website says WorldShift will be centered around unique cooperative multiplayer gameplay.

Many units in WorldShift have power which the player can spend to perform special actions such as spells, healing, or stronger attacks. Some units also have shields able to absorb the strength of an incoming attack partly or entirely.

Factions
The Humans live in 5 independent mega-cities scattered across the Earth.

The Tribes populate the vast wastelands of what remains of the planet Earth.

When The Cult first appeared, no one knew anything about them, nor where they came from.

Humans
The basic units are Troopers, basic infantry that can throw grenades, and Rippers, robotic units with a close range attack using razor-sharp melee claws. There are also Assault Bots, armored robots that can unleash barages of rockets, and Hellfires, heavily shielded and armored walkers with a powerful attack.

The Judges are officers who are equipped with better armor and weaponry than Troopers, and are able to disrupt an enemy’s psychic ability. Assassins take the role of sniper and scout. Their attack has a large distance bonus, making them most effective at their maximum range. The Constructor is a robotic officer who specializes in repairing friendly robotic units, and Surgeons do likewise for biotic units.

Tribes
Tribes’ basic units are the Warriors, ranged units with a distance bonus similar to that of the human Assassin, and the Brutes, well-armored melee units able to draw the enemies’ attacks on themselves and stun their targets. The Tribes have a also special type of units called Underworld creatures: the Ancient Shade whose attacks ignore the target’s armor, and the Howling Horrors, a good tanking unit able to attack several targets simultaneously.

The officers of the Tribes faction include Guardians, close-range martial arts masters with magical abilities; Shamans, healers who steal life from their targets and give it to nearby allies; Sorcerers, typical offensive units; and Stone Ghosts, Underworld creatures who specialize in manipulating power and can heal other Underworld beings.

The Cult
The Cult’s forces comprise several different alien species. Their most basic units are the lightly armored and numerous Trisats and Tritechs, respectively a melee unit that slows the enemies around and a ranged unit which heals itself while shooting. The other two regular units of the Cult are the Overseers who can morph themselves to a special form to charge their allies’ power, and the Shifters which can spawn swarms of uncontrollable melee units, or Hatchlings.

Harvesters are the Cult’s heavily armored close-combat officers who can heal themselves. Arbiters have a long range and a distance bonus, as well as some crowd control abilities. Manipulators are the Cult’s healers, and Dominators are ranged officers who ignore enemy armor and can stun a group of targets.