The next Hooded Horse title, "Heart of the Machine" is released in early access.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001070/Heart_of_the_Machine/ (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001070/Heart_of_the_Machine/)
The premise is that the player controls an AI, bent on controlling a city crawling with pesky humans.
I like pretty much everything Hooded Horse has published, so I bought right away. I have a few hours into it.
At first, I found the UI confusing, and focus of the game disorienting. Like "Terra Invicta" before it, the game is innovative and not like anything else. About 30 minutes in, I almost quit.
But I stuck with it, and am glad I did. It took a while, but eventually "the light bulb" went off for me. As advertised it is part RPG, part city-builder, part-tactical combat, part-strategy game.
The game offers you interesting choices down your path to take-over. Strategies like just killing the humans since they are 'not worth talking to,' trying to be nice to them to manipulate them, or going down a path somewhere in-between.
I still need to play it much more, but I am really starting to like it now.
If the theme interests you, or you generally like Hooded Horse's stuff, try it out.
Much like Heart, Chris is a machine and has already shared the first patch. It's so lengthy that the full patch is found in the Heart of the Machine wiki, linked inside.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2001070/view/532089070251148225?l=english
I have about decided that I should just save up money for HH games first, and then if I have any left over spend it on books, food, and other games. Not necessarily in that order.
I am attracted to the idea, but I am struggling with the UI and gameflow. It is intriguing enough that I will stick with it for now.