Become a sci-fi superhero fighting for corrupt corporate overlords in this new ARPG

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Have you ever wanted to be a superhero battling valiantly for the future of humanity, but also beholden to omnipotent corporate overlords whose whims dictate your every decision? Superfuse, an upcoming hack-and-slash APRG from Stitch Heads and publisher Raw Fury, might be just what you're after.

It's a tale as old as time: Having exhausted the resources of Earth at some point in the (hopefully) distant future, humanity has fled to neighboring planets in the solar system, an exodus enabled by the ultra-wealthy corporate elite. But we apparently didn't learn anything from the destruction of our only home: As the years passed and humanity continued to spread, the billionaires who saved themselves—that is, us—expanded their wealth and power beyond measure, fashioning themselves into virtual gods, while most of humanity struggled simply to survive.

But don't think too much about that, because holy cow, out of nowhere comes the Corruption: Putrid, shambling monstrosities who threaten all of human civilization! The ultra-elite once again intercede on our behalf, this time by granting superpowers to a select group of everyday folks—the Enforcers—who patrol the solar system and "do whatever is needed to maintain order and ensure humanity's future."

Based on the announcement trailer, Superfuse looks like a cross between Diablo and Borderlands, and gameplay sounds familiar: Players can create and customize characters as they like using "a staggering number of possible skill combinations," and earn plentiful loot including weapons, armor, and boosters in a solo campaign and four-player co-op mode.

Superfuse skill tree — (Image credit: Stitch Heads)

But even if the gameplay isn't exactly revolutionary, the campaign could turn out to be legitimately interesting. "When humanity needs hope, be the hero!" is the explicit angle on Steam and the Superfuse website, but there's no mistaking the sinistrous undertones of a story about the underclass being granted a portion of their overlords' power to enforce order at all costs. Some of the imagery in the trailer seems a bit on-the-nose in that regard too, and the features breakdown hints that there's more going on than meets the eye: "Uncover a hidden conspiracy among the echelons of humanity and an alien menace on a dark comic book adventure packed with twists and turns."

How much Superfuse will actually lean into that element of "Capitalism, Corruption, and You" remains to be seen, but hopefully it'll go deep enough to keep things interesting. We'll find out when Superfuse goes into Early Access on Steam later this year.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.