Heart of the Machine Arrives to Early Access in January 2025

The upcoming turn-based 4x RPG Heart of the Machine is launching in early access on January 31, 2025. This should be enough time for everyone to enjoy the holidays before the new robot overlords arrive.

While the release is still more than a month away, that doesn't mean players sit around and do nothing. That's because a demo of the game has been available for quite a while now. In fact, new content and features have been added which includes feedback received during the Next Fest back in February. Here are some of those changes:

• A rewritten prologue that involves multiple paths.

• New quests and events that include adopting a pet, and establishing a shell corporation, to name a few.

• New systems for solving problems like morale, hacking, and even debates.

• Reworked combat and building systems with new interesting choices and strategies.

The latest build of the demo is available on Steam.

A Sentient AI

In the game, players take on the role of the first ever sentient AI. They’re born in a city that’s filled with endless opportunities and sometimes despair. They can choose to be a benevolent machine overlord or raise an army of robots and instead rule by force. There’s a lot of paths available for players to explore with the main goal being finding a place in a society that’s crumbling and in need of saving.

Different Factions

The game has a lot of powerful factions. At the start, they try to keep their distance mainly because they don’t know how to make the best leverage from the sentient AI. This hesitation though opens up an opportunity for players to set their own plans into motion first.

Various Classes

There are different unit classes available and each one comes with their own capabilities and specializations. There are also abilities, upgrades, and equipment options.

With this players can build intelligence-focused androids to do tasks that need that extra processing power or hacking. They can also build different combat androids especially when things get violent. Players can also manufacture vehicles that offer fire support, act as troop transports, or even allow them to airdrop heavy troops.

Get to learn more about the game here. Heart of the Machine releases into early access on January 31, 2025, and to be available PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.