We Are The Caretakers, the sci-fi turn-based tactical RPG set in an afrofuturist world from developer Heart Shaped Games, begins its mission to protect endangered species on Steam Early Access for PC on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, as revealed at Game Dev Direct. Heart Shaped Games is proud to announce that 10% of its revenues from the game will go to the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Rhino Recovery Fund.
The Planet finds itself in turmoil as aliens make first contact, and show particular interest in the Raun, a rhino-like species targeted by high-tech poachers. Step into the shoes of the Conductor, sworn protector of the people and land of Shadra, who rallies Caretakers to protect the Raun before poachers drive them to extinction.
Deploy squads of Caretakers onto real-time strategy maps with RPG turn-based combat in either the story-rich campaign or through the challenging procedurally generated Survival mode. Each squad features characters from one of 20-plus job classes utilizing some of the more than 70 abilities as they fight against poachers and other threats to the Raun, where extinction represents a catastrophic, game-ending failure for the Caretakers.
Heart Shaped Games’ first initiative will donate 10% of the game’s revenue to the Wildlife Conservation Network.
We Are The Caretakers’ afrofuturist vision combines elements of synthetic and organic sci-fi created by art director Anthony Jones (former cinematics artist at Activision Blizzard) and narrative director Xalavier Nelson Jr. (IGF nominee, narrative director for Hypnospace Outlaw). Core pillars of real-world anti-poaching guide gameplay strategy, with a soundtrack combining epic orchestras, African instrument samples, and modern hip-hop beats.
We Are The Caretakers will extend its efforts on conservation not just from awareness, but toward making a financial impact to organizations conserving Earth. Heart Shaped Games’ first initiative will donate 10% of the game’s revenue to the Wildlife Conservation Network. This organization protects wildlife all around the world, such as through the Rhino Recovery Fund, which focuses on improving the health of rhino populations while also benefiting local people.
“Our goal with We Are The Caretakers is to raise awareness about conservation in a way that would engage people with the issue,” said Scott Brodie, founder, Heart Shaped Games. “This is a science fiction story, but the issues the Conductor and The Caretakers face are present in the real world right now, and we hope it causes you to think about how we’re taking care of the world we live in.”
We Are The Caretakers joins Steam Early Access for Windows PC on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22 for $19.99 with a 20% launch discount, and support for English language text, with French, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, and more translations in development.
For more information, visit the official website, join the We Are The Caretakers Discord, and follow Heart Shaped Games on Twitter, Facebook, and Twitch. Players can wishlist now on the We Are The Caretakers Steam Page.
About Wildlife Conservation Network
Wildlife Conservation Network‘s (WCN) mission is to protect endangered species by supporting conservationists who ensure wildlife and people coexist and thrive. WCN invests technically and financially in a network of conservation partners to ensure their mission success, and provides funding via large-scale, range-wide Wildlife Funds to support the best ideas to bring wildlife back from the brink, including the Rhino Recovery Fund, which safeguards the world’s remaining wild rhinos and their landscapes. WCN is proud to send 100% of every donation directly to the field for maximum conservation impact. Wildlife Conservation Network also holds the highest possible 4-star rating with Charity Navigator and platinum status with Guidestar. Learn more about WCN’s unique approach to saving wildlife at www.wildnet.org.
