Project Aftermath

Written by Tyler Sager on 3/3/2009 for PC  

From the independent developer/publisher GamesFaction, Project Aftermath is a prime example of why more attention needs to be paid to the indie companies. This squad-based RTS plays enough new variations on the traditional RTS theme that it merits a look from fans of the genre. Although not everything works, there are enough high points and all-around fun to make this a worthwhile venture.

The story of Project Aftermath is simple and rather familiar. Players take the side of the Morphids, genetically enhanced warriors lock in an eternal struggle with the New Order, a likewise enhanced race of ne’er-do-wells. War has ranged across the galaxy for countless years, and pretty much all these guys know is death and destruction. It’s a good thing they’re so proficient in it.

Gameplay is hero-centric, with players controlling up to four hero units and their accompanying squads. A great deal of thought needs to be put into the outfitting of these squads. Each hero (and squad) can be outfitted with two different types of weapons, an armor, a few augmentations, and a two special powers. At first, the choices are very limited, but after a while new technologies can be researched, unlocking more powerful upgrades for all the attachments. The choice of weapon and armor is incredibly important, due mostly to Project Aftermath’s rather unique take on the genre.


There are four basic type of weapon attack available in Project Aftermath, each one keyed to a specific color of weapon. There are also armors that correspondingly work well against a given weapon type, also color-coded for ease of play. This boils down to a rock-paper-scissors type play that is almost elegant in it execution. Players can easily see what type of attack their foes will be strong against, and can change accordingly. As mentioned before, each hero unit carries two weapon types, and these weapons can be changed out on the battlefield as the circumstance requires. Of course, there are many times that swarms of enemy units all have different armor types, so some careful thought is needed to best plow through enemy forces. When more heroes become available over the course of the campaign, players can better cover all attack types.

There are no bases to build or defend in Project Aftermath, but there are some control points spread about the map. Once a hero spends a bit of time gaining control of these points, they are granted control of many of the surrounding enemy buildings, such as spawn points and doors. Controlling and closing off these areas is vital to success in a given mission. Also, the enemy has a penchant for simply beaming in additional troops until certain communications points are taken out. With no friendly home bases or spawn points of their own, players have to rely on their hero’s abilities to resurrect themselves on the battlefield to combat this endless supply of enemy units. This isn’t free, however, and each resurrection depletes the precious GOOP supply.

From the independent developer/publisher GamesFaction, Project Aftermath is a prime example of why more attention needs to be paid to the indie companies. This squad-based RTS plays enough new variations on the traditional RTS theme that it merits a look from fans of the genre. Although not everything works, there are enough high points and all-around fun to make this a worthwhile venture.

The story of Project Aftermath is simple and rather familiar. Players take the side of the Morphids, genetically enhanced warriors lock in an eternal struggle with the New Order, a likewise enhanced race of ne’er-do-wells. War has ranged across the galaxy for countless years, and pretty much all these guys know is death and destruction. It’s a good thing they’re so proficient in it.

Gameplay is hero-centric, with players controlling up to four hero units and their accompanying squads. A great deal of thought needs to be put into the outfitting of these squads. Each hero (and squad) can be outfitted with two different types of weapons, an armor, a few augmentations, and a two special powers. At first, the choices are very limited, but after a while new technologies can be researched, unlocking more powerful upgrades for all the attachments. The choice of weapon and armor is incredibly important, due mostly to Project Aftermath’s rather unique take on the genre.


There are four basic type of weapon attack available in Project Aftermath, each one keyed to a specific color of weapon. There are also armors that correspondingly work well against a given weapon type, also color-coded for ease of play. This boils down to a rock-paper-scissors type play that is almost elegant in it execution. Players can easily see what type of attack their foes will be strong against, and can change accordingly. As mentioned before, each hero unit carries two weapon types, and these weapons can be changed out on the battlefield as the circumstance requires. Of course, there are many times that swarms of enemy units all have different armor types, so some careful thought is needed to best plow through enemy forces. When more heroes become available over the course of the campaign, players can better cover all attack types.

There are no bases to build or defend in Project Aftermath, but there are some control points spread about the map. Once a hero spends a bit of time gaining control of these points, they are granted control of many of the surrounding enemy buildings, such as spawn points and doors. Controlling and closing off these areas is vital to success in a given mission. Also, the enemy has a penchant for simply beaming in additional troops until certain communications points are taken out. With no friendly home bases or spawn points of their own, players have to rely on their hero’s abilities to resurrect themselves on the battlefield to combat this endless supply of enemy units. This isn’t free, however, and each resurrection depletes the precious GOOP supply.