Our friends from MicroProse have announced the addition of another game to their lineup. Ground Branch is a first-person shooter with tense military action, extensive character and equipment customization, and strategy.
MicroProse was founded in 1982. Sid Meier of Civilization fame is one of the company’s co-founders. They’re known for creating groundbreaking, classic, and cult titles such as Falcon, F15 Strike Eagle, Silent Service, Gunship, Grand Prix, Civilization, B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty Eighth, and X-COM among others.
Today, MicroProse is back, remaking some of its past classics and paving the way for next-generation games on PC.
A pure tactical-strategy experience
In Ground Branch, you take on the role of the elite paramilitary arm of the CIA’s Special Activities Center/Special Operations Group (SAC/SOG) and lead other special operations forces through complex, covert operations. Ground Branch strives to be a true revival of the tactical realism genre of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with deliberate, measured, and constant gameplay.
Multiplayer and single-player modes
At its heart, Ground Branch is a multiplayer game that recognizes the value of strong PVE. The following PVP modes are already available in the game:
- Defuse
- Uplink
- Intel Retrieval
- Deathmatch
- Team
- Elimination
Terrorist Hunt is now available as a PVE mode. More are soon to come: Raid, Defense, and Hostage Rescue (both PVP and PVE).
Collaboration is important
The unforgiving gameplay of Ground Branch necessitates patient and measured coordination. Integrated VOIP with 3D positional speech and radio provides complete connectivity capabilities without the need for third-party applications. But be cautious: if your teammate can hear you, a close opponent will as well!
Prepare yourself and your plan
Gather the squad and exercise in full training environments, which have fire ranges with complex targets. Then, access the Ready Room, a physical multiplayer lobby where you can prepare your strategy, see your teammates’ loadouts, test weapon setups on a firing range, and pick insertion points together.
Unprecedented personalization
According to the developers, “what you bring to your mission is determined only by your loadout choice, with realistic consequences: With the upcoming encumbrance and stamina system, too much equipment will impact your character’s speed and performance; place a scope too forward on the rail and your sight picture will be too small; bring a long rifle into CQB and weapon collision may prove a hindrance.”
Don’t bother with microtransactions or loot boxes. Ground Branch operators get all of the necessary equipment for the job directly from the Agency.
Release date
Ground Branch is now available in Early Access on Steam with 95% favorable user reviews. In addition, MicroProse has posted a new trailer highlighting the game’s fast-paced CQB action. Check it out below!
