We Are The Caretakers caught our eye during the Xbox Indie Showcase with its bright, futuristic aesthetic and its strong focus on conservation and nature themes. It’s out in Early Access already on Steam, where it had a positive reception, and is set to join Xbox at some point in the future. Its intriguing blend of themes and genres raised a lot of curiosity, and so we reached out to developer Heart Shaped Games, when creative director Scott Brodie was kind enough to chat to us about We Are The Caretakers.What is We Are The Caretakers?We Are The Caretakers is described as an “afrofuturist sci-fi squad management RPG” with a conservation narrative that revolves around protecting a planet and its endangered animals and ecosystems.When does We Are The Caretakers launch?We don’t yet have a release date for We Are The Caretakers, but we’ll be sure to update you when we do.What’s it about?“The game takes place on a planet with a history of conflict that has left much of the world’s habitat destroyed,” Brodie explains. “You take the role of The Conductor, the leader of a ‘rogue’ organization of high-tech protectors, that reside in a society known as Shadra. Shadra exists within a giant energy barrier, and that has created a sort of sanctuary within this damaged world. That includes giant endangered animals known as Raun, that contribute to keeping Shadra and its barrier running. ” Those creatures and that sanctuary seem to be the focal point of We Are The Caretakers, and conservation and environmental themes are key to the game’s narrative. “We Are The Caretakers is a sci-fi, fictional game, but its game design and narrative were inspired by real world conservation and anti-poaching work,” Brodie explains. “A lot of that real work is done by groups and organizations that don’t have a lot of resources, and take place in imperfect conditions. We try to show in small ways how the solutions to conservation and anti-poaching are not always clear cut, and require a balance between things like enforcement, collaboration with local communities, investing in technology, working with local leaders, and more.” Heart Shaped Games elaborates on its hopes for the game’s real-world implications over on the We Are The Caretakers site, where the devs explain that they hope to raise awareness of these issues, and that the game has a ‘Discovery’ section “to learn how to make a difference.” On top of this, Heart Shaped Games plans to donate 10% of the net revenue from We Are The Caretakers to the Rhino Recovery Fund of the Wildlife Conservation Network, which works to protect wild rhinos. Brodie elaborates on We Are The Caretakers’ premise, meanwhile, adding, “early in the game, it’s clear that forces inside and outside Shadra’s barrier are trying to disrupt its delicate balance. The barrier eventually falls, and The Caretakers must work to deal with all of the threats that appear to themselves, the animals, and the planet. You encounter factions living outside the barrier, as well as extra-terrestrial visitors with their own agenda.”What’s the gameplay like?“The game overall plays almost like a grand strategy game,” begins Brodie, “and lets players play not just at the field and tactical level, but at the organizational level, where you need to deal with things like Caretaker welfare and fundraising. It’s a fun experience that has some depth to it just below the surface.” We’ll have a lot on our plate, managing funds, research, and alliances, all while maintaining the reputation of the Caretakers. What’s interesting, too, is that We Are The Caretakers depicts a morally complex world. Decisions won’t be easy, and all actions will have consequences. As the devs explain, We Are The Caretakers deals with “the messy reality of animal conservation,” rather than presenting an idealised view. Combat, meanwhile, will consist of turn-based encounters throughout procedurally generated levels. We can have up to nine squads of characters, and there are over 20 job classes, with differing strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. It’ll be up to us whether we use diplomacy or brute force in protecting the Raun and Shadra. One more piece of vital information — we’ll also get a baby Raun, which will “nuzzle against your bed long after it grows too large to reasonably do so.”Any news on We Are The Caretakers’ achievements?We don’t yet have the full achievement list for We Are The Caretakers, but Brodie gave us a few hints. “Achievements are great for guiding players to explore parts of the game we want them to see, and to motivate them to make progress and experiment,” he begins. “Especially with our unique blend of gameplay genres, we designed a lot of our achievements to help players figure out how all aspects of the game fit together, and discover all of the things they can do. We also have achievements like ‘Pacifism’ that rewards players for using less aggressive tactics when dealing with poachers. We think you’ll like the achievements in the game when it releases on Xbox One [and] Xbox Series X|S.What do you think? Is We Are The Caretakers on your radar? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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