Hopefully, many of you are familiar with Defiant Development, the studio responsible for cult favorite titles Hand of Fate, and its sequel, Hand of Fate 2. You may also be wondering where the studio has been over the last few years. Well, the news was not great, with the team being shuttered several years ago, while the studio was working on its next game A World In My Attic, a game that former Defiant Development developer Lee May described his love for. Now that the somber news is out of the way, things get a bit more positive, with key Defiant Development team members including lead Morgan Jaffit in Brisbane, Australia under a new banner, that of Spitfire Interactive. Spitfire’s new work, titled Capes, is “a gritty superpowered turn-based strategy RPG that will return hope to a world without heroes” according to the press release accompanying the game’s announcement.
“Return to the Golden Age where heroes saved the day for fame and glory and villains concocted schemes in glorified games of cops and robbers… until it wasn’t fun anymore. One dark day, the villains truly won, brutally wiping humanity’s protectors off the face of the planet. After nearly two decades of villains running the world and instilling a fear of superpowers, a new generation of heroes are ready to stop the filth of crime from spreading or die trying.
Take center stage in turn-based tactical battles, rescuing reluctant citizens trapped by dangerous debris, each in different situations best handled by specific units. Traverse the battlefield on foot or via teleportation to draw the attention of goons and create openings for teammates. Upgrade efficiencies and stats after each mission, before readying for the next bout.
Combine superpowers to create iconic strategies worthy of their own comic book panel, like slinging a spiky-crystal-covered powerhouse head-first into a villain’s chest. Character diversity is at the forefront of Capes throughout its modern take on classic comic tropes. Not just in powers, but in the heroes themselves to showcase a variety of ethnicities, genders, hopes, and dreams. The future is in the hands of the nascent youth as they work together to fight against the overwhelming odds of the generation before them.”
Speaking about the new studio and the new title, Jaffitt who has had a hand in titles such as Freedom Force, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and Homeworld 2, amongst many others, before forming Defiant and creating Hand Of Fate, said: “I started my career writing on Freedom Force alongside Ken Levine, so this feels like a return to where my journey began… my team and I want to explore the ‘darker side of every coin’ and we have the best people possible to do it.”
Capes has comic book-styled visuals, exaggerated antics, and tight, aesthetically pleasing gameplay, and is on track for launch in Q1 2023 for PC via Steam. Don your cape and get ready to save the world in turn-based superhero tactics, nice and soon.
