It could very well be deemed the spiritual successor to the games we created at Gas Powered Games.
– Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander
Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is an in-development large-scale real-time strategy game which is being built from the ground up by a team of people aiming to capture the epic scale and strategic intensity of the iconic Supreme Commander series. Enhearten Media are a small team of RTS veteran developers who are aiming to release a game that will channel the legacy of Supreme Commander whilst introduced innovative and never-seen-before mechanics. If ever you needed proof of the credentials for the team behind Sanctuary: Shattered Sun, the above quote from the driving force behind Supreme Commander should be it.
Imagine Supreme Commander dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age. Sanctuary will feel intimately familiar to those who have played Supreme Commander, the standalone expansion, Forged Alliance or who have continued to enjoy this 2007 classic with FAF (Forged Alliance Forever), the fan-maintained multiplayer client. In fact, many of the development team at Enhearten Media cut their teeth on FAF.
The titular ‘Sanctuary’ is a Dyson Sphere. A colossal megastructure built around our sun using the resources of the entire solar system. It was constructed by humanity to harness the power of an entire star. This is a scale never seen before. Sanctuary has an approximate surface area of 282,743,338,800,000,000 square kilometres. Within this gargantuan arena players can anticipate multiple different biomes to fight over, from frozen wastelands to verdant jungles to scorching deserts. But Enhearten Media are not just going to give us epic maps to fight across. No, they’re introducing mechanics which have never been seen before such as the ability to freeze the sea allowing tanks to cross oceans and superweapons of unprecedented power which will allow you to shatter the map you’re fighting on. Terrain deformation is just one of the ways in which Sanctuary is building on the tried and tested Supreme Commander formula.
The core gameplay doesn’t stray too far from that which millions of real-time strategy gamers have experienced with SupCom. Each faction will feature the usual combination of tanks, bots, ships, subs, fighters, bombers and game-ending Experimental units. Players will be able to seamlessly shift perspectives from an intimate look at individual units to an almost god-like overview of the entire battlefield. A flow economy system is in place to power your war machine. Whereas SupCom had metal extractors, Sanctuary has alloys. Tiered energy generators will power your base. Put it this way; if you played Supreme Commander you’ll feel right at home with Sanctuary: Shattered Sun.
Sanctuary features three factions: The Chosen, the Earth Defence Alliance and the Guard.
The Chosen: A society of post-humans who have transcended their flesh-and-blood forms, the Chosen use advanced technology and precision strikes to dominate the battlefield. Their units are few but highly effective, requiring careful management to maximize their impact.
Earth Defence Alliance (EDA): A coalition fighting for humanity’s survival, the EDA relies on overwhelming force and sheer numbers. Their strength lies in powerful weaponry and the ability to deploy large armies, but they must balance their brute force with innovation to stay ahead.
The Guard: The original protectors of the Dyson Sphere, the Guard are a mechanized force driven by the need to maintain order. They excel in intelligence and reconnaissance, using their knowledge of the sphere to outmanoeuvre their enemies. The Guard’s strategy revolves around attrition, with swarms of drones supported by specialized units.
Right now, Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is in a pre-alpha stage with plans for a demo to be released soon. I’ve had some hands on time with the game and although it’s far from perfect right now, it’s looking really promising. It feels exactly like you’d expect an updated Supreme Commander to feel, but that description does the game a disservice. This isn’t just Supreme Commander for 2024/5. It’s much more than that. Enhearten Media are passionate about the project and, in my humble opinion, it has the potential to redefine the large-scale RTS experience.
The aim for the full game is a comprehensive narrative-driven campaign mode alongside skirmish mode vs AI and a full multi-player experience. The campaign will follow the struggles of each of the three factions; each with it’s own story arc which will build on the story of Sanctuary. The success of this relies on the game to be fully funded. There are plans for a Kickstarter to help fund development. Additionally, Sanctuary will be released, initially, into Early Access on Steam.
There are ambitious plans for the game post-launch with the future , including multiplayer seasons, ranked matches, and ongoing balance updates driven by player feedback. One thing which is really important to Enhearten Media is full modding support for Sanctuary, allowing the community to create new maps, units, factions, and game modes. Whilst FAF has kept the spirit of Supreme Commander alive, Sanctuary: Shattered Sun will take the ideas behind SupCom into the future.
Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is the future of real-time strategy gaming. It blends classic gameplay with revolutionary new mechanics that will drive the genre forward. With a team of veteran RTS developers and the backing of industry legends, it truly is, as Chris Taylor so eloquently put it, the spiritual successor to Supreme Commander.
Here at RTS HQ we will be keeping a very close eye on this one.
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