Overview:
In the far future, humankind has traveled deep into space and created colonies. Those colonies became fractured into various factions with different ideals, and they went to war. In Kova: AlphaLink, you must choose a faction and fight for it! Play online or local multiplayer in this arena shooter where you can customize your character, unlock new cosmetics, and most importantly, push your faction standing to the top to win the battle!
Gameplay:
Enter a fast-paced, multiplayer arena shooter for up to four players. Compete locally or online to increase your faction's global ranking, unlock custom character skins, and earn other rewards. With various game modes, different biomes and changing platforms, this game will surely keep you and your friends on your toes!
- Hub
- Deployment: Allows players to access single and multiplayer matches.
- Standings: Players can check global faction rankings against all players as well as player statistics.
- Options: Access various options, credits, and experimental features.
- Arcade: The arcade simulator is where players can compete against drones for a top stop on the leaderboard.
- NPCs: Additional lore and news available by interacting with NPC characters.
- Game Modes:
- Single Player
- Solo Mode: This mode allows the player to play in a single player scenario going through training/tutorial, picking a faction, to 15 rounds divided into each biome with cutscenes, each biome ending with a faction boss. Upon completion of the Solo Mode, players are rewarded with a faction specific suit, XP, and credits.
- Online Multiplayer: Matching making against other players online in a randomly selected game mode. XP and credits are rewarded in this mode.
- Local Multiplayer: Play with up to 4 players on the same console launching matches from a loadout to select game type and biome. XP and credits are no rewarded in this mode.
AlphaLink finds its roots in expansive sci-fi lore centered around three factions fighting to control an alien relic known as "The Shard" in a larger story-arch called "Kova". Each faction believes capturing the power of the Shards will reward them with what they need to conquer the galaxy. In AlphaLink, players assume the role of drafted colony soldiers that utilize a neurological connection with their armor - which is where the term "AlphaLink" is derived.
- Faction overview:
- TRIADYNE:
- Faction Mission Statement: Triadyne, the galaxy's largest technology force, pushing fordward in technological advacements to make us more human than human. Join us in resisting against both unchecked oversight and terrorism!
- Background: In 2180, a new science, developed solely by a research and development company, TRIADYNE, has allowed humans to upload their consciousness to "the cloud" to preserve each human's legacy as they die. The idea that TRIADYNE sells to civilians is to allow the mind to live and in the future, they'll be able to download a mind to a new synthetic body where they'll be able to live again. However, as with all things in the Faction Wars, the motives, origins, and end game are darker. TRIADYNE has created the most advanced A.I.'s and synthetic beings thus far, but the secret behind their ground breaking AI is the use of a deceased organic host. Behind closed doors, they've been able to extract certain instructions from an individual's mind and neuter that mind's ability to think as it were once a living being. That extracted qualia is then downloaded to a synthetic body and many are put to work on slave labor-like tasks that previously only humans had the capability of thinking through and performing. Coincidentally, this was where the AlphaLink suit technology was derived and forked for battlefield use. However, the AlphaLink neural transmission is temporary and reversable, and intended for humans to gain superhuman like abilities in war, not for synthetic hosts. The AlphaLink tech has been both licensed and leaked by On1mous hackers to which it is now the standard on the battlefield.
- IAA:
- Faction Mission Statement: The IAA is the most advanced and furthest reaching empire in history of mankind, stretching to the stars and beyond. Our mission is to relentlessly push forward to the edge of space and explore the unknown. join us in stopping anyone that gets in our way
- Background: The Intergalactic Alliance Authority was started as a private corporation to venture out in to the unknown and discover the secrets of Space. With their seemingly infinite funding, their alliance with TRIADYNE, and their thirst for power, their primary mission soon changed instead to expand the human race throughout the Universe, secondary to finding signs of intelligent life. As the IAA developed colonies on different, some-what-habitable planets, they became the main governing force outside of Earth. Earth still functioned as its own government, but outside of Earth's orbit is IAA territory. The original creators of the IAA still remain employed with the agency, but the governing force has become the Board of Directors, of which some also have a major investment in TRIADYNE. This higher echelon knows about the secret agenda of TRIADYNE and as part of their efforts to make sure they have talented minds in the cloud to use at their disposal, they've created a program to push TRIADYNE's agenda. The IAA recruits the top talent in colonies and from Earth to start new colonies on untouched planets. While some of these planets are known to the IAA to sustain life, others are known as the 'Death Zone'. They continually send scientists and colonizer groups to the 'Death Zones' to establish colonies and send these people to their quick demise to be uploaded to the cloud so that their skillset can then be used in synthetics. The androids will then have the same ability, but with an infinite run time and cheaper cost to the IAA, thus giving them a better bottom line and no one is wise to this unethical scheme.
- Om1nous:
- Faction Mission Statement: Om1nous is a rebellion group fighting for rights of man and machine, by any means necessary - whatever it takes to bring the authority to its knees. Freedom comes at a price - join us to fight for it! Background
- Background: OM1NOUS started as a group of elite hackers that TRIADYNE previously employed to help build their neural network for their advanced A.I. The developers and scientists on the project were well compensated for their efforts but were under extreme guard by the company, even living on the company's campus so that TRIADYNE could keep a closer watch on these employees due to the sensitive nature of the technology they were creating and what they were creating it with. Once they realized that the programs they were writing were being used to extract pieces of people's minds to upload to androids some of them became disgruntled. Being under such close guard by the company, the only choice they had was to escape, go underground and bring awareness to TRIADYNE's deceptive practices. The core members of OM1NOUS must remain in constant motion in the outer rims of colonized planets to prevent themselves from being found, but they've gathered a loyal group of followers that believe in their mission to stop the IAA and Triadyne in creating a slave race of synthetics with human minds. The splinter group has expanded and not all of them are after a good cause. War changes people and some want to just see destruction.
- TRIADYNE:
- Full Timeline:
- Main Characters
- Alliance
- Allied earth nations who win war over colonizing the moon
- Becomes world power
- Pre IAA entity
- Triadyne
- World's top technology company.
- Monopolized the entire tech industry after war ends due to destruction of many nations tech infrastructures.
- Curious that theirs were the only ones left standing
- Alliance
- Important Events
- 2180 - War Ends
- War over lunar colonization leaves Earth’s environment in decline. Nuclear warfare has done permanent damage to Earth leaving the surviving humans to find an answer to their imminent death.
- 2190 - Triadyne scientist conclude that Earth has roughly 100 years before the planet is no longer habitable.
- Alliance gives Triadyne all available resources to ensure that they devise a plan to save humanity.
- 2200 - Triadyne 100 Year Plan
- Creates multi step plan to ensure the survival of human race.
- Ships
- Three ships are created to hold scientists as well as cloning tech and terraforming material.
- Each ship is designated to fly to another star system to find suitable worlds that humans can colonize and terraform if necessary.
- Ships can travel using the newly created "Drop Drive" to create stable wormholes
- These new ships allow us to quickly travel to other planets in our system, thus allowing us to Terraform Mars.
- Research Base Alpha
- Positioned on Mars.
- Terraformed section of Mars that uses artificial atmosphere to produce crops and provide livable habitat for important scientific personnel.
- Main objective is to provide scientific research for more advanced Ships, as well as monitor earth and to recolonize if ever the chance arises.
- Equipped with science facility as well as cloning facility
- Ships
- Creates multi step plan to ensure the survival of human race.
- 2180 - War Ends
- 2300-2400 Colonization
- Colonization efforts are successful for 2 of the three ships.
- Initial colonies begin to form years after ships leave Mars.
- Colonization main focus for humans
- Clones are used to repopulate everything.
- Artificial Intelligence used in Robots for first time.
- Uses neural inhibitor to prevent robots from becoming self aware.
- Main labor force used to build human home-worlds and cities.
- New Government Forms
- IAA
- By end of the century, IAA has spread humanity to many different planets. Colonization efforts extremely effective.
- Colonization efforts are successful for 2 of the three ships.
- 2400-2450 Trouble Begins
- Diversity in planets begin to become apparent as some become greatly industrialized, while others struggle to survive against the elements their planets provide.
- Creates hierarchy of importance for the IAA. The more industrialized planets take precedence over the poorer, outlying colonies.
- Colonization takes a backseat to Militarization as IAA sees its first signs of trouble with controlling so much real-estate.
- Planet goes rouge
- Diversity in planets begin to become apparent as some become greatly industrialized, while others struggle to survive against the elements their planets provide.
- Faction War Start
- Main Characters
- IAA
- Intergalactic Government
- Controls Valuable resources
- Micromanages lives of everyone in galaxy
- Triadyne
- Cooperates with IAA and gets endless resources in return.
- Om1nous
- Driving force behind war
- Angry at IAA for control over their planets
- Angry at IAA and Triadyne for their use of AI in robots
- IAA
- Important Events
- Tensions between colonies began to build as the IAA gained more territory.
- Colonies on outskirts want more control over their own systems
- Some Colonies bitter about location of planet and level of security that IAA provides
- Human sympathy for AI begins
- IAA refuses to allow colonies to control their own affairs.
- Rebel forces on Outskirts of star system rise against local IAA forces.
- IAA in turn, destroys the territory
- Sparks large scale rebellion against IAA as the Om1nous faction forms.
- IAA and Om1nous at war, but Om1nous is at a disadvantage.
- Triadyne tries to stay neutral, however, Om1nous agents use virus to sabotage and attack Triadyne headquarters.
- Om1nous looking to free the AIs minds. Their strategy releases many of the 'Clanks, who now agree to fight with the Om1nous forces.
- IAA loses many of its forces to the Om1nous virus.
- Has enough resources to rebuild.
- Blames Triadyne for faulty security, and refuses protection against Om1nous attacks.
- Triadyne, losing control of resources and under attack from Om1nous forces, find themselves fighting in the Faction War.
- Tensions between colonies began to build as the IAA gained more territory.
- Main Characters
Kova
- Amongst the Faction War, A phantom figured named Kova, that had reportedly been witnessed in all faction territories, had been working the factions against each to harness the power of the Shards for themselves to get redemption for their mysterious past. Is it real or is it battlefield legend?