Press Kit

Factsheet

Developer:
GUTS Department
Based in Los Angeles, CA

Founding date:
2013

Website:
aegisthegame.com

Press / Business Contact:
contact@aegisthegame.com

Social:
Aegis Defenders Twitter
Aegis Defenders Facebook
Aegis Defenders YouTube

Releases:
Aegis Defenders

Guts Department

GUTS Department is an independent games developer which aims to reignite the magic and imagination of classic 16-bit era titles by combining the best of old school flair with new school gameplay. The studio Kickstarted Aegis Defenders in 2014 and has been working on it ever since.

History

The universe of Aegis Defenders has been brewing in the mind of Creative Director Bryce Kho (Bloom, GameDesk) for years. When the opportunity came to unveil a piece of the story as a game, he formed Guts Department to help bring the concept to life.

Aegis Defenders had its start as a project for the University of Southern California’s "Intermediate Games" class. Taught by Richard Lemarchand (Uncharted, Naughty Dog) and Peter Brinson (The Cat and the Coup, Rehearsals and Returns), the class focuses on guiding the development of experimental projects over the course of a semester. When Bryce's completed demo was met by obsessive playtesters, the team knew they had something special.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014, Guts Department set out to develop the game. The team has changed a bit over the years but with the help of Lead Engineer Kristen Kho (PopCap Games), Producer Max Palazzo (Syndicate Atomic, Activision-Blizzard), & Designer Mike Effenberger (Syndicate Atomic, Disney Interactive), Guts Department is excited to deliver a truly unique take on the platformer & tower-defense genres.

Aegis Defenders Description

Aegis Defenders is a Metroidvania-style action platformer featuring Tower Defense combat for Mac/PC & PS4. You play as Bart, a machinist capable of reviving lost technologies, and his granddaughter Clu, an ace hunter and trapsmith, as they search for the one thing that can save their village from an encroaching empire - an ancient weapon known as Aegis.

The World of Aegis Defenders

Humanity has been brought to the dark ages by a great calamity but remnants of a once highly advanced civilization still exist. In this world where control over lost technologies equals power and nations worship humanoid robots like gods, two explorers from a small village have just discovered Aegis, the legendary weapon said to have brought on the calamity. Although its true purpose remains mysterious, one thing is certain - powerful people will stop at nothing to obtain it.

Game Features

EXPLORE
Uncover a Gorgeous 16-bit World
The look and feel of Aegis Defenders is a love letter to an era of games when the sprite graphics of games like Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, and the Legend of Zelda captured our imaginations. Featuring 16-bit inspired sprite visuals, every detail in the world of Aegis is painstakingly hand painted.

BUILD
Defense Inspired Combat
Aegis Defenders features fast-paced, flexible combat fueled by defense mechanics. Players must utilize Bart's ability to craft powerful defensive and offensive structures as well as Clu's arsenal of firearms and traps to survive an onslaught of monsters coming from all directions. With the ability to combine and upgrade Bart and Clu's abilities on the fly using our "Fusion System," no two playthroughs are alike.

DEFEND
Dynamic Character Swapping
The dynamic character swapping feature allows players to switch between up to 4 characters at anytime. Survival will depend on the player's ability to utilize the passive abilities of inactive characters just as effectively as active characters.

TOGETHER
Cooperative & Tailored Gameplay
Too dangerous to go alone? Play the entire story campaign cooperatively with a friend using our drop-in/drop-out splitscreen co-op, or if you're looking for a challenge, try testing your skill with our multiple difficulty tiers.