A new game on Steam is currently exciting some players because it combines shooter gameplay with another genre.
What kind of game is it? Silica is a first-person shooter from Bohemia Interactive that was released in Early Access on Steam on May 3, 2023.
The shooter leads humanity to the planet Baltarus, which is characterized primarily by its desert-like landscape and insect-like aliens.
What makes this title special is that it combines shooter elements with real-time strategy (RTS). You can experience shooter action as an infantry soldier or control the action as a commander from a safe distance in RTS style. Both a single-player mode, online co-op, and PvP are available to you.
Who fights whom? At the center of Silica is the battle between humans invading an alien planet and insect-like aliens living on the planet who hunt the humans.
Consequently, you can act as a human and fend off the nasty creatures or take control of the aliens and fight against human armies with them. It’s up to you.
As a human, you have the option to control one of 11 different vehicles. Additionally, there are 5 infantry classes to choose from. As an alien, you have eight different creatures at your disposal.
“Exactly what the industry needs”
What do the players say? Many players are particularly excited about the genre mix, as it allows for collaboration with friends who usually only play shooters and no RTS games or vice versa.
On both YouTube in the comments under the announcement trailer and in the Steam reviews, the shooter receives a lot of praise.
- rkdalmar: “This is exactly what the industry needs: innovative gameplay and something new that breaks the norm (via YouTube).”
- “Can we all agree that we don’t want this game to die? THIS is what we want from games. We all have that one friend who prefers RTS above all else, we all have a few friends who only want to play FPS. We also have those friends who just want to gather resources and be the backbone of industrial progress. How many games can we all play together? None, until now (via Steam).”
- Deathtrooper199: “A game where it is possible to play either as a human or as an alien. We need more such games (via YouTube).”
- Pestilence: “Silica definitely has the potential to become a big game (via Steam).”
Despite numerous positive voices, there are also flaws mentioned in some negative reviews. For instance, players who take over the RTS part and control the commander can negatively impact the fun of the shooter players through trolling, as their actions affect the entire playing field.
Similarly, some RTS fans are dissatisfied with the strategic options of the game. However, since Silica is still in Early Access, it is quite possible that more content for RTS players will be added in the future.
If you are interested in further shooters, we have compiled a list of 7 titles that are set to be released in 2023:
7 exciting online shooters that are set to be released in 2023
