Guns of Icarus is an Indie turret-based co-op shooter game set in a post-apocalyptic Steampunk world, developed by Muse Games and released on PC in 2009.
You are Gabriel, a travelling merchant, captain of the zeppelin Icarus. Your task is to deliver your cargo safely to its destination without being blown out of the air by the Sky Pirates that will chase you every step of the way. There's an element of time management involved—you've got to strike a balance between repairing damaged parts of your ship and manning the guns to shoot down the bad guys.
Visit the official website, with a demo version of the game, here
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A Pv P sequel, Guns of Icarus Online, was released in 2012. An expansion to the Pv P game — which includes co-operative play against AI opponents and a persistent strategic map for factions of players to fight over — was successfully funded through Kickstarter in the spring of 2013, and released in 2017.
Guns of Icarus contains examples of:
- Co-Op Multiplayer: Up to four players can play together online.
- Critical Existence Failure: If the health meter for either the zeppelin or the rigging reaches zero, the Icarus will be destroyed, but aside from some fire graphics, there won't be any effect until then.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: If you fall off the Icarus, you respawn, but it does waste precious time. And if you fail a mission, you have unlimited tries.
- Difficult, but Awesome: It takes some practice to get used to the timing of the cannon shots, but if you get good at Leading the Target, you'll have a very powerful turret with a much longer range than the gatling guns.
- Do Not Go Gentle: "Into the Breach" is Gabriel's defiant last stand; he flies deep into the pirate-infested skies and takes out as many as he can before finally being shot down. In the sequel, we find out that his final sacrifice was an inspiration to future generations.
- Endless Game: "Into The Breach", where you hold out as long as you can until you inevitably die.
- Enemy-Detecting Radar: Absolutely vital for tracking the position of enemies, since your vision will be obscured by clouds and weather conditions, and you'll be attacked from all sides. If you don't watch the radar, expect to die.
- Game Level: The "Lattice" variant. When selecting the next mission, you pick from multiple paths to make your way across the world map.
- The Hero Dies: The final mission is unwinnable. You keep going until you're dead.
- Hold the Line: Each mission has a distance countdown marking how much farther you have to travel to reach your destination; you have to survive and protect your cargo until the Icarus makes it to the finish line. There is a twist—enemies will attack your engines, which makes you slow down and, if they reach critical condition, stop completely, so you've got to keep them repaired. The final stage, Into the Breach, averts it by counting up instead of down for a survival mode.
- Stock Costume Traits: Standard pilot outfit with goggles, scarf, and jacket.
- Subsystem Damage: Enemies can target different parts of your zeppelin. If your rigging or balloon gets destroyed, it causes a Critical Existence Failure. If your cargo bay is destroyed, it affects the rewards you earn for beating the level. And damage to your engines causes you to slow down and eventually stop. Part of the strategy of the game is prioritizing which sections to repair and how long to wait before repairing them.
