The Fourth of July is an important American holiday, being the day the country earned its independence and for being the date that kick-started the American Revolutionary War. Coincidentally, the first few days of July 1898 were also eventful for America, as this was when the battle at El Caney, San Juan Hill, and the later Siege at Santiago de Cuba took place. With that being said, it was time to address the game’s development once again, focusing on what the game’s new title should be.
A Symbolic Name for a War Nearly Forgotten
When developing this game, it became clear that the setting was unusual. The Spanish American War is often overshadowed by its Civil War and World War 1 counterparts. Many Americans tend to forget about the war, remembering only the few infamous battles (such as the one on San Juan Hill) and the unfortunate motive of “imperialism” circling the country’s politics at the time. However, the Spanish American War had a much greater impact on the country outside of “just capturing some islands” and was much more eventful than most individuals would like to admit. This game aims at finally giving this war the attention and respect that it deserves by recreating nearly all land battles of the war and telling the events of the war through both an educational and non-biased perspective. Which leads, of course, to the name of the game. After some thought over the war’s current legacy and what the game is attempting to achieve, it has been decided that the game will be called Unsung Heroes 1898. The name encapsulates the view that this is a war not told by many and celebrated by only a few despite being a war of great importance. It also exemplifies the “Soldier Swapping” gameplay mechanic, where players can choose to play as any soldier on the battlefield at any time with a press of a button, making every soldier a protagonist and a hero.
More Info on the Early Access Release
Many things may change during development, so bear that in mind over the following information. The game is poised to be released in Early Access on Steam in late 2022. A formal date will be declared once development has progressed far enough. Though the final game will feature a complete story campaign that goes through the battles of the war, the initial Early Access release will only provide an “Instant Action” mode, where the player can choose a battle, apply some game modifiers, and play said battle without any progress achievements to be earned. Ideally, this will provide a good framework for the gameplay, as well as additional battles and weaponry to be added to the game over time before work begins on creating a separate story campaign mode. This may also allow for modding support to be added, such as map creation and sharing, though this will not be available during the initial release. Target plans have also been set on which battles will be implemented first. Since San Juan Hill is by far one of the larger maps, two other battles will be implemented, both of smaller scope. These battles are the battle at Las Guasimas and the battle at Guantanamo Bay. Of course, this is subject to change, but the plan is to release these three battles along with a few additional firearms for the game’s initial Early Access release. More information will be released as the game’s development progresses. Until then, consider following Venomic Games on our social media profiles for the latest news on the development of Unsung Heroes 1898.