Described by adjectives such as “hardcore” and “kick-ass,” Irish developer Star Cave Studios has announced Illumina, their upcoming semi-tactical online multiplayer FPS. Scoop:

Illumina is best described as an online multiplayer semi-tactical first person shooter (FPS) set in the year of 2046. To the uninformed, Earth has been ravaged by a devastating meteor collision that shattered earth’s moon and rained down onto the cities below. Following the initial devastation, cities where destroyed, millions of lives were lost, and that was only the beginning! The destruction of the moon affected earths gravitational rotation causing unpredictable weather conditions resulting in frequent massive floods; In short, at the end of the day, the world as we know it … is history! Enter heroes of justice!

Illumina features three basic game styles: Team Death-Match, Capture the Flag & Conquest. In Conquest your team has to use its skills to overpower the opponents to capture their bases; In Capture the Flag, each team slaughters their way through the game, ranking up points by stealing the enemy flag and returning it to the home base; Team Death-Match is the wholesome fun of destroying as many opponents as possible – kill or get killed! Illumina also features a multitude of vehicles and other means of transportation such as jeeps, fighters and tanks! Weaponry consist of, among other options, iron sighted machine guns, scoped machine guns, shotguns, sniper riffles, rocket launchers and tactical utilities such as smoke grenades, flash bang grenades, C4 & Fragmentation! Phew!

A playable beta is now available featuring LAN and multiplayer functionality. Single player is also scheduled to be implemented before release; a Mac version is also in the works. No release date for the game has been set as Star Cave is currently looking for a publisher for the title.

Irish company Star Cave Studios has announced the development of Terra: Formations, its first “AAA” title and multiplatform game. Terra: Formations ties together the three most popular genres into one title: players get to take part in FPS sequences to more strategic RTS parts in a ranking system set up much like a RPG. Here’s the deal:

By the year 2157, mankind had depleted the resources of planet earth with his lust for power, technological advancements and greed. Ironically, the very machines that played a role in mankind’s irrevocable position were the only chance of survival! After several years of uncertainty, hope was reborn with the efforts of the Global Military Alliance to Terraform one of earth’s celestial neighbours, Jupiter’s moon called “Europa”. It wasn’t until the excavation of the satellite’s icy crust that mankind learned the truth; he was not alone and something, somewhere, was waiting, watching, learning and preparing for battle!

As a player in Terra: Formations, you join the ranks of an elite military force with the objective of reshaping the environments of inhospitable worlds, experience the evolution of a developing planet, and take command to become humanities only hope for survival in an epic struggle for control of the solar system.

Four classes of characters offer different insight to the chaotic world, each providing a unique blend of interaction. The Soldier faction allows for adrenaline pumping action that players have come to expect from traditional FPS games. As a member of the Engineer class, the player becomes the key element in the development of the environment by constructing and repairing mankind’s lifeline to the world. The Researcher class explores the evolution of the world to enhance society’s tools and develop new technology, and finally the player can opt to take command of the action from the perspective of the commander class to bring order to an uncertain future, tying RTS elements into Terra: Formations.

The studio is currently seeking global distribution and publishing partners. Terra will be shown off at GDC by appointment only.