[Watch] Squad-based RTS, M.E.R.C. officially releases into Steam Early Access

The success of XCOM: Enemy Unknown back in 2012 was bound to inspire and create imitators, setting a whole new standard for the squad-based RTS. M.E.R.C. is one of those imitators, and while it makes no secret that a lot of its DNA is derived from XCOM, is does manage to incorporate certain elements that make it all its own. The most prominent of those is its co-op multiplayer, where you can take your two best recruits and team up with a friend's best pair to wreck havoc on The Sprawl.

The game takes place in a near-future, dystopian Cyberpunk world on The Sprawl, a large section of concrete slums that border the land of Neotopia. M.E.R.C. incorporates narrative beats dealing with the greed and corruption of mega corporations and tasks the player to take them down.

In order to do this, players can outfit their squad of four utilizing traditional genres classes such as the Assault, Sniper, Heavy, and Engineer. The game's side missions are entirely procedurally generated, injecting an element of unpredictability into the equation.

M.E.R.C. is available now exclusively on PC in Steam Early Access.