Robin Entertainment, an independent game studio founded in Poland by Ukrainian developer Markiyan Mocherad, has announced POLYSTRIKE, a competitive top-down tactical shooter. In this game, information, positioning, sound, and teamwork matter more than reaction speed. From the very beginning, the game has been designed specifically with a top-down perspective and focuses on 5-on-5 tactical battles set in its own universe, built around the conflict between Iron Will and Vanguard.

POLYSTRIKE

In POLYSTRIKE, every match is part of a larger conflict. Instead of heroes or classes, players independently choose weapons, armor, helmets, and other gear, which determines their role in battle. All equipment is displayed directly on the character, so players can assess the gear of their allies and opponents and adjust their tactics accordingly – either before the fight begins or during it.

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Sound in the game will be one of the main sources of information. Footsteps will sound different depending on the surface and speed of movement, while gunfire and ambient sounds will help you understand what’s happening beyond your field of view. Combined with dynamic fog of war and the line-of-sight system, this will give an advantage to those who know how to listen, anticipate the enemy’s actions, coordinate their team’s efforts, and control key areas.

The main objective in 5v5 mode goes beyond the usual mechanics of a static bomb-planting point. A mechanical Spider Drone moves toward a live Iron Fish, hacks its systems, and forces it to initiate self-destruction. The Iron Fish reacts to the flow of battle and can change location, so the mission objective itself becomes part of the battlefield.

Each map is a separate operation with its own visual style, atmosphere, objectives, and tactical challenges. Different characters, equipment, and deployment methods make individual matches part of a larger conflict: in one operation, players arrive by boat, while in another, they deploy alongside armored vehicles or helicopters.

POLYSTRIKE

The story of POLYSTRIKE began in 2019 with a community-created mod. The project attracted over 200,000 players in its first week, and for Markiyan Mochorad, this interest served as the impetus for a much larger goal – to create an independent game with its own world, factions, characters, and intellectual property.

The following year, Valve offered to let the project use the company’s intellectual property, which would have meant that the project would remain non-commercial and operate within the scope of Valve’s IP. But the developer chose an independent path and began creating POLYSTRIKE as a standalone project with its own world and distinctive style. The current version is the result of that decision. Robin Entertainment is developing the project as its own long-term IP. The team is currently focused on competitive PvP, but the universe is being built with new missions, locations, stories, and PvE content in mind.

POLYSTRIKE

“POLYSTRIKE has been on my mind for many years,” says Markiyan Mochera. “The original mod showed me that players are interested in tactical top-down battles, but I wanted to create something we could truly call our own. Going independent gave us the freedom to create our own factions, world, goals, and a distinctive style. This announcement is just the beginning of a much bigger project.”

POLYSTRIKE is being developed for PC. The game will be a paid title with no pay-to-win mechanics, and you can already add it to your Steam wishlist.

POLYSTRIKE