Bohemia Interactive has today announced a new real-time strategy (RTS)/shooter hybrid game titled “Silica.” This sci-fi title is being developed by Bohemia Incubator  — a new label of Bohemia Interactive aimed to help indie game makers to develop and introduce their projects to a global audience.

Silica is set on the fictional planet of Baltarus. Players will be able to choose to play either as a Commander in RTS mode, or as an infantry soldier who gets to control all units and vehicles in a more traditional first-person shooter. 

Check out the announcement trailer that also shows brief gameplay footage of both the RTS and FPS modes.

Check out the game’s features straight from the press release!

Command From Up High or Put Your Boots on the Ground

Silica is an immersive blend of first person shooter and real time strategy, each true to its respective genre. The game allows players the freedom of choice, without forcing them to play as both.

If you prefer sand-filled boots, bullets whizzing overhead, and menacing alien jaws closing in, the infantry role is for you. Not limited to merely foot-based soldiers, you can also take control of any available vehicles, including the colossal Harvester, the speedy Light Quad, or the insidious Siege Tank, just to name a few. Or, if chewing metal is your niche, then the hive-mind, insect-like aliens are your faction of choice. Shift your consciousness between creatures such as the stealthy Crab, the nimble Hunter, or the armored Goliath.

For those who’d rather command their forces from a distance, the esteemed role of Commander awaits you in the relative safety of orbit. Deploy Harvesters to silica crystal fields, hiding the valuable resources you’re after. Construct and place immense structures to produce and dispatch units that will dominate the battlefield.

Three Game Modes to Choose From

The game offers variety in terms of game modes. Strategy is the flagship game mode of Silica. In this mode, players battle for dominance by building, harvesting, and striking the enemy. Strategy mode seamlessly combines both RTS and FPS elements and is playable in any combination, up to a 3-way conflict between factions. Prospector mode acts as a tutorial for Silica. It is offered as an FPS, which can be played in single or multiplayer mode. Players start off near a landing pod and are tasked with exploring the area in search of a Balterium field. They will encounter enemy forces along the way and must complete all the objectives in order to make it out alive. The third mode – Arena – introduces a fun and crazy environment where players select their favorite unit and face off in an unbalanced FPS free-for-all.

Silica Features

• First/third-person shooter with vehicles

• 6 unique locations

• 3 engaging game modes

• Singleplayer and multiplayer options

• 5 infantry classes

• 11 distinct vehicles

• 8 alien creatures

• AI control for both commander and units

Silica was mostly developed by a single developer, Martin “Dram Melichárek, which might sound familiar to fans of Bohemia Interactive, as he was the lead developer behind Take on Mars. According to Bohemia, Silica is set to become available in Steam Early Access “soon,” and will remain in early access for 9 to 12 months (no word yet on whether we’ll see a console release).