In République, players assist Hope, a desperate young woman struggling to escape from a secret, Orwellian state. Communicating using a stolen phone, Hope contacts the player and asks them to hack into the nation’s surveillance system, assume control, and guide her out of the clutches of the omnipresent Overseer. Literary works such as 1984 and Brave New World, and current geopolitical events including global surveillance and Internet censorship serve as key sources of inspiration for both the narrative and the stealth-survival gameplay. Players expand their control over surveillance cameras and other network-enabled devices, growing into an active threat to the Overseer and his grip over his shadowy nation.

République introduces Rena Strober as the voice of Hope, backed by an all-star voice talent team. Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard, Mass Effect series) plays Hope’s mentor, Mireille Prideaux, while David Hayter (Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid series) gives voice to Zager, revolutionary and ghost in the political machine. Also featured are veteran voice actors Khary Payton (Batman: Arkham Origins), and Dwight Schultz (killer7).

République: Anniversary Edition launches for PS4 & PS VR on March 10, 2022.

Rebuilt from the ground up, République VR will include all five episodes of the stealth series when it launches this winter.

République VR is highly battery efficient and utilizes single pass rendering techniques, granting performance gains of up to 30% in key areas. Coming soon to Gear VR, République VR will be compatible with Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8, and supports three unique input methods: touchpad, motion controller, and Bluetooth controller.

“We knew from the start that we weren’t going to build a conventional stealth title,” says game designer Paul Alexander. “Hope is loaded up with all different types of weapons and gear, and tons of resources. She’s a captive trying to escape. Rather than fight it out at every turn, we made a commitment to embrace it, giving République more of a “stealth survival” feel.”

“A lot of how we approached the narrative experience was borne out of developing the game episodically,” says Alexander. “We knew we wanted to build a rich world with lots of different stories happening concurrently, and lots of things to discover under the surface—all while building towards a bigger picture of what Metamorphosis is. Exactly how we chose to go about doing that evolved and changed as each episode released and we heard more from the fans about what resonated with them. Coupled with our own excitement about where to focus our attention after each episode, we ended up taking République’s story in some unique directions…but the final moments and big reveals République has in store were in our minds from day one.”

“I’m proud that we were able to tell such a sweeping and involving story, especially given its origins as a mobile game,” says Murphy. “I’d put it up against any other cautionary tale about 21st century surveillance put on film, or in literature, or in other games. It really does reward players for listening in, looking closely, and scrutinizing the details, in a way similar to how spy agency analysts scrutinize our data and private communications. We learned that these threats to privacy and democracy are much greater and encroaching more rapidly than we even imagined when we made the game,” commented lead writer Brendan Murphy.

“I think the most important thing we learned was how to work together effectively as a company,” says Messenger. “The episodic nature of République meant that in many ways we had shipped 5 games by the time the story was complete. As a new studio finding its footing, nothing we’ve done since could exist without that foundation we built by finishing an episode, getting it into the fan’s hands, and then learning from the challenges and the feedback from the community, and putting all of that experience into our next episode. By the time République was done, we had gone from a group of talented individuals into a team that knew how to get a game to the finish line,” added game designer Simon Messenger.

Key Features:

• Hacking Gameplay – Throughout the game, Hope will seek the player’s support to help her escape and protect her in the process by gaining control of any network-enabled devices and overcoming puzzle scenarios along the way. Players can hack into security cameras, power down lights, wiretap calls, summon elevators, and slam doors on Hope’s pursuers.
• Engaging Story – République is more than a stealth-action game. By creating a gameplay system that drives the symbiotic relationship between Hope and the player, players become more engaged as Hope’s protector. Aside from the main story, players can help Hope collect banned books, cassette tapes, and other unique items that will further immerse players in this futuristic dystopian world.
• Developer Pedigree – République is developed by a team of veterans in the industry who worked behind AAA games such as Metal Gear Solid, Halo, F.E.A.R., and cutting edge videos such as the Skyrim television spot and iconic iPod “silhouette” ads. Players will also be able to eavesdrop on interactive developer commentary while playing the game.