Monogon Games are the developers behind Interloper that saw its release on 21 May 2016. The game is an RTS in its most pure form. The primary objective of the game is to gain control of each map. There are both single-player and multiplayer modes. Because the game is founded on the most simplistic of RTS rules it serves as a fantastic gateway into the genre. Therefore, if you have ever wanted to play an RTS but have felt uncertain as to whether you would enjoy it or intimidated by the big names then this may be the game for you.


The single-player campaign mode starts with a well-presented and implemented tutorial. The game goes through each of the fundamental mechanics that the game is built upon. It is very thorough while affording the player the opportunity to make mistakes along the way. For each mechanic, there are two levels. The first teaches the player the mechanic with the second making the player put the lesson into action. If, at any time, it seems like you have screwed up you can forfeit and restart the match. There is no penalty for doing this and you shouldn't feel bad if you have to restart once or twice.


Once you have completed the tutorial it is time for you to discover one of the facts of the game. That is that the individual matches or rounds themselves are only intended to last for approximately five minutes or so. I have seen comparisons of Interloper being the RTS equivalent to Hearthstone. It is primarily in the simplicity of gameplay and the anticipated shortness of matches where I believe this to be most fitting.

This places a significant importance on the opening moves of each round. You can quickly find yourselves in a potential match determining position. The simplest mistake early can have those types of consequences. This is both a strength and a weakness of the game. It is a strength because it rewards players who are able to implement successful strategy immediately. However, it is a weakness because matches tend to go one way or the other extremely quickly. I have yet to see many matches where the player who got out of the blocks quickly didn't end up winning the game. This is in regards to games that I have played myself as well as watched.


There are two very identifiable weaknesses on top of the early gameplay often determining the winner of a match. The first of these is that the game requires greater numbers in online play. Although I enjoyed spending time with the campaign the AI can only go so far. The multiplayer games are fast and furious fun when you can find a match. The other problem that I have with the game is something that can be easily solved. That is that I'd like to see a greater number and variety of maps. There are currently thirteen that can be played with. If this number increased to about twenty that would be fantastic.


Interloper makes fantastic use of Steam's features. There are trading cards (9) and achievements (20). The title also makes use of the Steam leaderboard system. Furthermore, the game also makes use of cross-platform play.


Interloper should appeal to many people. Firstly, f you're a fan of RTS games and don't have time to play those that seemingly take forever to play then the short matches here should appeal. Secondly, if you haven't played an RTS and are unsure as to whether you would enjoy it then you could definitely do much worse than trying your luck with this one. You may just open yourself up to an entire genre that is bursting at the seams with outstanding titles.

For similar reviews and your chance to win great giveaways please visit Steamified.

Great game! Very interesting strategy, nice visuals, and great music. Simple but very effective.

Interloper is a unique, beautiful and fast-paced RTS game in which you control a tribe of alien fish with the goal of capturing more territory than a rival tribe of alien fish. Your main character is a Sentinel, which is immortal and can capture territory or go invisible and intangible. Each map contains certain structures that can be captured. Assemblers produce Drones, provided they are connected to a Power Source. Drones are quick little creatures that can block the path of Sentinels and can attack other Drones. There are also Foundries, which also require a Power Source and can convert Drones into Specialist Units such as Defenders (cost 2 Drones but have 3 HP), Snipers (cost 3 Drones, and have 1 HP, but can shoot enemies at a distance), and Destroyers (cost 4 Drones and have two arms that can be used either to attack or defend, but recharge over time). And that’s about it. The player who captures 75% of the territory wins.
This is one of those games that has the perfect balance between simple rules and depth of gameplay. You do not need to memorize the stats and abilities of dozens of different units, know the full implications of different technologies, or spend hundreds of hours playing or watching game mechanics videos to understand the subtle intricacies of the game. You can learn everything there is to know about the game in 1-2 hours, then test your skills against either the AI or other players online. Interloper is a game of quick thinking, reflexes and strategy in which skill beats dedication and no strategy will always win. (You may form a strategy which will usually win if you always play against different players, but once someone learns your strategy, they can come up with one to beat it.)
Features:
- Unique, beautiful, and somewhat surreal atmosphere.
- Single Player Tutorial/Campaign that walks you through the basics.
- 13 skirmish maps where you can play against AI or other players.
- Public Online Multiplayer matches with a ranked leaderboard.
- Private Online Multiplayer matches in which you can challenge your friends.
- 4 difficulty levels of AI and 4 behavior types, as well as 7 handicaps for an additional challenge.
- Replays of all your matches are automatically saved, and you can optionally upload them so that everyone can see them.
- Option to play skirmishes against the AI or watch replays while in the public multiplayer waiting queue.

You can get on sale or from a friend, decent tiddy game for the price.
Learning is a strong aspect


A+

bugged interface on mac. Can't click on main menu items

I'm going to be straightforward; I love this little game. Fast-paced, very easy to learn, and quite difficult to master.

I only have two main complaints:

- Not enough people on Multiplayer
Multiplayer is a lot more fun than A.I., once you've managed to completely squash the four different expert A.I.'s, but there's simply not enough people on to play on multiplayer all the time. But once more people see the game and enjoy it, more people will be playing and it's an upward spiral from there.

- Maps
Don't get me wrong, the maps are well-balanced and perfect for match-ups, but there's only 13 of them. If there were some element to allow us to make maps, or for the developers to simply make more maps, that would leave me very satisfied. Since there are very simple components in the game, having a map-maker seems like a challenge that can be (relatively) easily accomplished.

All in all, I highly recommend this game. As an RTS player looking for a more simplistic strategy game, Interloper has done the job quite well.

Nice game but multiplayer is pretty dead :/

Developer: Monogon Games
Date: 2015
Genre: RTS
Orientation: Multiplayer
Population: Few Who Survived
Perspective: 2D - Top-Down
Timeflow: Match-Based, Fast-Paced
Setting: Molecular
Style: -
Tags: 1v1, Indie, No Campaign, No Story, Simplistic
Model: B2P
Content: Solid
Platforms: PC, Mac
Review:
Simple fast-paced strategy game in molecular settings. You control amoeba-like units and yourself as big immortal bulge, which can capture territory and spore-like buildings. Bulge can't fight or die, but it can phase, becoming invisible and moving through units.
There are no resources except power sources, which is necessary for buildings to work. Primitive units can be combined into powerful ones. In total there are only 5 units and 4 buildings, but for such kind of game it is enough I guess - you don't need more tactical depth if you just want to jump into match and kill 5 minutes or less.
The goal is to capture the whole map. There are no different factions (only different colors), and all maps are symmetric. Even on big maps match only lasts several minutes, but is packed with unstoppable action and may make your brain boil. You better make sure all your APM and micro-control skills are sharped and ready BEFORE match begins - after it does, you will only have few seconds to warm up.
The game is multiplayer oriented. But singleplayer skirmish is quite fun too. There are 3 types of AI to choose from: agressive, defensive or balanced. I mainly played against balanced, and damn he is super agressive :O. And even if all AI levels below Expert are not so hard, Expert is ridiculously strong and challenging at big maps. He doesn't put up a fight, he stomps you - analyzes situation better than player does and utilizes weaknesses. And he doesn't even have any handicaps - unless you select them before match for additional challenge. There's no fog of war, map is always open and you can see games are completely fair. This AI is far from using same tactics over and over - though he may start from the same thing, throughout the game he keeps being fluent and adaptive, and doesn't mind loosing something if he sees opportunity to build bigger advantage. That's how you do a good strategic AI :)
There is no campaign and no story or lore or motivation in this game whatsoever. What's called 'Campaign' here is just the tutorial with several missions, and takes less than an hour to complete.
Graphics and design are okay, not disgusting and not too simple for a molecular game. Animation of territory being captured by your bulge is satisfactory as it should be and units look cute :)
The game becomes boring really fast though, as there is not much to do: 13 skirmish maps and when you win on every map once or twice that's just it. Multiplayer was supposed to be the main part - but as for now, 8 average players online and 0.5 average player in queue... With such numbers I shouldn't recommend this game to anyone, but for the AI I will ;)
Overall - good to try, not good to stay for long.
Class: III - Dead Bread
Verdict: Yes
Reviewed: 6.26.2016
Approach: Steam - PC, Steam Beta - PC
Time: Couple Hours
Deeds:

• 1 Win In Multiplayer
  
• 1 Win @ Every Map VS Advanced AI
  
• 3 Wins VS Expert AI

Maybe one of the best and fastest RTS games ever.
You can build so nice strategies, that can keep a match long (10min) or short (3min-5min).
In the Sale it was worrth every fu**ing euro!

The only Problem is: WE NEED MORE PLAYERS!
The Online-Mode is dead at the moment, so pls, if you like RTS, fast-paced games, BUY THIS!

It's worth it!

I am also having issues getting the Mac interface to work. Yet again having a Mac totally blows. But seriously, why bother making a Mac client if you're not going to make sure it's even playable?