Astroweb

Astroweb is a science-fiction action-adventure thriller game developed by Ironwood Studios for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, as well as Steam. It is a new IP revolving around a dystopia where an AI supercomputer powers a whole country. However, a security breach causes the whole city to fall apart, causing the AI computers to go rogue. The main protagonist, Grant Abraham, must escape the city of Astroweb while investigating its secrets and origins.
 Plot
2050: The Present
In 2049, Grant Abraham is one of the first people to arrive on the Astroweb artificial island, a mechanical utopia meant for those that aim to get away from the Thinning, a global war utilizing machines that had caused many countries to deprive of resources and population declines yearly combined with increasing climate change, including ground ruptures due to excess heat, tornadoes, an earthquake that exceeded the Richter Scale by hitting a 10.9, and even a Category 6 hurricane that destroyed an island off the globe. Upon arrival, he finds out that all of the systems are run by AI and that all of the streets are under surveillance. He gets an implant on his arm that functions as his own personal phone where he could make video calls and texts. Said implant, the Wristwatch, also functions as a device that heals him from wounds such as cuts and various injuries. After going through all of the gates, including the one demonstration where they test out ultra-fast internet speed tests and the part where they charge devices over ranged distances via radars in the ceiling, he enters the metro area of Astroweb, where he finds his apartment room with a smart refrigerator and machines that cook for him and can activate with remote controls. 
A year passes in the Astroweb, where life in the Astroweb remains unchanged due to the artificial island having full independence, being able to provide its own lab-grown food from discoveries from the 2020s, as well as an AI supercomputer that governs the country and protects it from safely. News spread that the Thinning has already ended and that many countries have collapsed due to famine, climate change, and rising sea levels. Due to the collapse, global emissions that caused the Thinning have slowed down greatly. People were considering leaving Astroweb to return to the outside world, but President Kyle Winston forbids it due to their safety. During that announcement that no one is to leave Astroweb, President Kyle Winston is assassinated by a mysterious force as the screen that governs him mysteriously goes into static. 
The first chapter begins when Grant goes to Sector 1 for a meeting. While waiting for said meeting, he suddenly witnesses a power outage which at first, everything goes off for a few seconds, and then suddenly comes back on. Grant then notices that the AI-powered robots that automate most of the country are either in stand-by mode or still rebooting, and becomes suspicious over this. Suddenly, the robot then turns rogue and gets into a fight with Grant, but he then tests out his new kinetic energy fists to take down the robot. At the same time, a teleporting device that hovers over him places him arrest in the Astroweb Supermax Prison, in Sector 5. During that time, additional robots turn rogue in Sector 1.
Grant is then teleported to the Supermax Prison, located in Sector 5. Realizing that his device, the Wristwatch is disabled due to "reckless misconduct", he decides to use his own capabilities to try and get out of the cell, which is only a solid metal door with only a glass window. He then tries to break the door down, but the door's tough steel makes it unbreakable. However, he then hears someone's footsteps walking in the hallway, where the door then opens. The man reveals his name to be Xander Hill. Xander then states that he watched him be arrested after destroying the rogue robot. As the only security guard working in Sector 5 during what he calls an "hackvasion", where a mysterious hacker force is taking over the computers of Astroweb which includes overriding the robots. Grant teams up with Xander to try and escape from the Astroweb while figuring out the mysteries behind Astroweb.
While exploring through Sector 1 and fighting off the robots with various melee weapons the two could collect, seeing as Grant's Wristwatch is blocked and won't let him use any kinetic energy in his fists, they find out that according to surveillance cameras back at Sector 1, the hacker force, nicknamed the Lambda Federation, are the organization that is responsible for the hacking of the robots, aiming to take over Astroweb, but what they still don't know is their motivation. Seeing that the teleportations are out of order and they have no way to get to Sector 1 quickly, they head for their first stop, Sector 4. 
Heading for Sector 4, the Sector where the Wristwatches are manufactured and developed, the two aim to figure out a way to get Grant's Wristwatch back to normal and working again. While trying to hack into a computer via an "USB Killer" device that they found, they accidentally set off the alarm, which causes the security robots to appear but end up opening up additional doors of Sector 4. After fighting off the robots, they explore through Sector 4 to find an administration terminal. After some hacking and the use of Xander's Wristwatch, which is still working, they manage to get into the terminal and get Grant's Wristwatch working. They look at the messages that he had received on his Wristwatch from other people, with others saying that he shouldn't have destroyed the robot and others that are rooting for him to stop the invaders. 
Arriving at Sector 3, the Sector where the science labs are located. While exploring the science labs, a second power outage causes the emergency lights to activate and the computers to be inactive. During that time, Grant and Xander find two EnergyM7 pistols for both of them to use, as for the power outage, they have to use ranged weaponry against the robots. They hear sounds of what could be people running, only for it to reveal the Lambda Federation soldiers who are looking for Grant and Xander, seeing that they manage to fight their way through the Astroweb. Utilizing their two energy pistols, they manage to kill the soldiers that are pursuing them. Heading for the electric room in Sector 3, they find out someone had destroyed the electricity by breaking the generators. Upon trying to find a way out of Sector 3, Xander Hill is killed by an ambush of Federation, who both jump out in the shadows. Grant then fights both of them and takes Xander's pistol after his death, and then heads for Sector 2. 
Grant gets a call from some person with an “unknown number”, who at first declines, but then calls again afterward 10 seconds. The man over the phone tells him that they are part of the Militia of Freedom outside of Astroweb, as part of the Resistance to escape the Thinning. The man tells Grant to call him by the name “Resistor”. Resistor tells him about the information he needs to get inside the Astroweb HQ in Sector 1 and find out information about who caused the assassination of President Kyle Winston. Resistor refuses to commit if he played the role in the assassination or what side he is on. Grant says that he's on his way to Sector 2, getting close to Sector 1's metro area and the area where the Lambda Federation attacked. Resistor says that upon reaching the Astroweb HQ, Resistor will call Grant again for more information and how is he tracking him. 
Getting close to Sector 1 but having to go through Sector 2 first, the offices of the area, Grant finds out that one of the administrators who worked on the Astroweb technology, Janus, was killed by the robots as seen on the surveillance cameras. Upon hacking into his Wristwatch, he acquires the administrative data from his Wristwatch, which will allow him to get inside the Astroweb HQ. Grant navigates through the offices with no problem, and he then arrives at Sector 1's gates to the metro area. 
Finally returning to the metro area, Sector 1, Grant, being able to know what is going on in Astroweb, aims to fight for what is right. Now with all of his kinetic powers back and being able to utilize himself to the fullest potential, he fights off several robots controlled by the Federation, and then makes his way to the Astroweb HQ, utilizing Administrator Janus's data from his Wristwatch that he uploaded into his. Most notably, he barely sees any people in the city area, but he doesn't know if they were either killed by the robots or the Federation or in the hopeful case of Resistor, escaped to somewhere else with the aid of the Militia of Freedom. Grant gets another call from Resistor, who tells them that he is associated with the Militia of Freedom, located in an island country called La Edra, which was founded by a resistance escaping the Thinning and has taken the refugees of Astroweb to safely in their country. Grant asks if he knows anything regarding the Lambda Federation, but Resistor says that he'll tell the whole story once he's earned it.
Upon entering the Astroweb HQ, the place where the president, Kyle Winston would give the announcements, Grant then fights off the robots and Lambda Federation. Grant then finds information that Astroweb was being developed for several years back in the 2020s, but was shelved due to the lack of interest, and Kyle Winston revived it seeing that upon reaching the president's office, he meets a man named William King, who welcomes him to the Lambda Federation. He says to Grant that they're aiming to find a new country to escape to after La Edra had rejected their technological advances, and knowing that Astroweb was entirely dependent on technology, believed that he could exploit that to their own advantage and rule Astroweb to the way he wants. Via hacking through the data, he is able to implant his own Wristwatch and be able to use its kinetic abilities. King then offers Grant if he wants to join the Lambda Federation and be safe forever, or die. Grant refuses and states that Astroweb was made for those that want to get away from the Thinning and the various wars. King also repeats what Grant said, except that it should be up to the people to decide, not just the computers themselves.
Grant and King get into a fight, utilizing both of their Wristwatches to duel. During the battle, additional Federation soldiers join the fight. A helicopter then appears with a heavy machine gun and fires through the window, which Grant then dodges. Upon utilizing part of the infrastructure, Grant manages to overpower King and kill him by beating him with the broken bricks on the head, causing a concussion. Seeing that King has been killed, Grant then activates the "Emergency Reset" switch that he detects with his X-ray sense, hidden behind the walls. Upon pressing the switch, the robots in Astroweb then all stop. Reading the instructions from President Kyle Winston, he then restarts all of the robots to their normal routine and the security robots to function back to normal, which causes the Lambda Federation to either flee the area or in the likely case, be killed by the robots. 
Grant gets the third and final call from Resistor, who had witnessed via a surveillance camera that he had logged in via an implant that he has gotten from escaping Astroweb. He reveals himself to be one of the administrators who had successfully escaped Astrowebb with his Wristwatch still working, and that the citizens' Wristwatches were programmed to stop working outside of the Astroweb area. Seeing that Grant has the opportunity to be the new president of Astroweb and turn it into something new, Resistor asks what he wants to do now...
====Epilogue: Stay in Astroweb====
If Grant chooses to stay in Astroweb and take over the administration, he then succeeds in taking over Kyle Winston's role as the president. With the Lambda Federation successfully defeated and expelled from the artificial island, Astroweb continues to be active for many years to come. 
====Epilogue: Escape to La Edra====
If Grant chooses to escape to La Edra and join with those that escaped Astroweb during the Lambda Federation's invasion, he is then taken via a ship and the people of Astroweb to the island country of La Edra. There, Grant finds out about La Edra, including that the country has inherited many similarities to Astroweb, such as being entirely independent when it comes to resources but much less dependent on technology. Grant then disables his Wristwatch to enjoy his new life in La Edra.
====Epilogue: Restore the Outside World====
 Gameplay
Startup
The game starts up with the city of Astroweb at night, where pressing any button starts the main menu with a science-fiction bass-style "boom" sound effect. From there, there are the following menus; "New Game", "Continue Game", and "Options". Hovering over each of the menu options types the menu description in the style of futuristic computers. 
Main Game
The gameplay of this game is similar to many Western-style third-person action-adventure games, such as the likes of Uncharted, Tomb Raider and The Last of Us, but is more sci-fi focused. There is an emphasis on third-person action adventuring, while you can use various melee weapons to attack your enemies, including punching them, as well as being able to pick up various ranged weapons that you can find from either enemy or by progressing through the story. You can even collect various materials to craft various types of weapons with. There is even stealth you can use in this game, as you can crouch and crawl underneath tables to evade most enemies and dodge various attacks undetected. 
The graphics of this game aim towards the realistic Western graphics as seen in many big AAA games, with the HUD being styled in a 3D sci-fi style and utilizing the Bahnschrift Font. The camera in this game aims for an over-the-shoulder view. 
Unlike other games similar to this genre, where you must regenerate via medical shots or any form of healing kits, your Wristwatch allows you to regenerate your health via its bionics. Note however that taking damage can slow you down, such as when you cannot sprint after taking gunfire or being hit with any melee weapon as you must recover from it.
Game Controls
/ 	Via pressing this button, you can climb on certain ledges.
/ 	Perform a typical melee attack via punching.
/ 	Perform attacks utilizing kinetic energy formed from the Wristwatch.
/ 	This is the interaction button, which is the button for talking to NPCs, interacting with various objects, etc. In the menus, this may also be used as the back button.
(Left/Right) 	Press left or right on the D-Pad to scroll through various weapons.
(Up/Down) 	Press up or down on the D-Pad to scroll through various items/materials.
Start/Options	This is the button used to pause the menu.
View/Touchpad	This is the button used to pull up the Codex.
/ 	Hold down this button to aim a ranged weapon.
/ 	Fire a ranged weapon. Additionally, you can hold automatic weapons or charge weapons.
(L3/LS) 	Via pressing the L-stick, you can crouch. If on PC/keyboard, you press the Ctrl key.
(R3/RS) 	Via pressing the right stick, you can use Wristwatch sense to hear for any enemies that you can't see.
Melee Weapons
There are various melee weapons that Grant can find throughout the game. They may do either blunt damage or slash damage. Blunt damage, such as sledgehammers is more effective towards machinery such as robots, while slash damage including shivs and blades is more effective towards human enemies, most notably the Lambda Federation Units. Note however that melee weapons, unlike your fists or kinetic charges, have limited uses before breaking. 
Sledgehammer	The first melee weapon that you can acquire. It does melee blunt damage.
Shiv 	A switchblade that activates by holding down the switch forward. When you're grabbed by Lambda Federation Units, you can use a shiv to stab them and get out easily.
EMP Knife 	An electric knife that can be used to easily disable robots via its electric shocks that fry their circuits via overheating them. It can be used against Federation members. Note however that these run on batteries which deplete over time.
Riot Shield 	A tempered glass riot shield. It can be used to block ranged bullets. Note however that Riot Shields cannot block missiles or grenades as you will take damage regardless.
Ranged Weapons
This is a list of ranged weapons that Grant can acquire by playing through the game. While the first gun, the EnergyM7, is acquired by playing through the game, you can acquire more by exploring through the sectors of Astroweb, which you can backtrack after you get your Wristwatch unlocked. To make up for the fact that each gun is limited, they charge up over time instead of having limited ammunition. You can also pick up Lambda Federation-manufactured guns, but they will jam up after firing their magazine upon their IR scanner that detects if whoever is firing them is not even associated with the Lambda Federation. 
EnergyM7 	An Astroweb-manufactured energy pistol used for silencing rogue robots. It's used as a form of defense. A full battery can fire eight slots before having to recharge.
Beam11 	A heavy railgun that shoots lasers, but has a very slow charge-up time. Can only fire two shots before having to recharge.
Lambda Rifle 	An assault rifle that fires rifle-style bullets. While weak against robots, it's effective towards Lambda Federation Units. Fires 24 rounds before jamming upon detection of a non-Lambda association using them.
Lambda Shotgun	A shotgun that fires 7 bullets that are deadly at close range. Works well against robots and Lambda Federation Units. Fires 8 rounds before jamming upon detection of a non-Lambda association using them.
Lambda Sniper 	A sniper rifle that fires heavy bullets. Works well against heavily armored enemies. Fires 6 rounds before jamming upon detection of a non-Lambda association using them.
Lambda Magnum 	A magnum that fires heavy caliber bullets. Works well against robots and Lambda Federation Units. Fires 10 rounds before jamming upon detection of a non-Lambda association using them. Can be dual-wielded.
 
 World
These are the following areas you'll explore as part of the game's plot.
Astroweb City 	A futuristic metropolis that gives a cyberpunk-like feel to it.
Sector 5 	The maximum security prison sector.
Sector 4 	The sector where manufacturing is done. This is the sector where the Wristwatches are manufactured.
Sector 3 	The sector where the research & development laboratories are located. This is where the scientists of Astroweb worked prior to the invasion.
Sector 2 	The sector where the administration offices are located.
Sector 1 	The sector that houses the people of Astroweb, and is the metro area.
Astroweb City (Reprise)	
Astroweb HQ 	
 Intel
The intel you can collect through the game represents the lore of Astroweb. They can come in various forms, whether it be paper, information about Astroweb, or instructions. 
Old Schematics
Foldable Laptop Design Planner 	"Parts needed to order;
*17-inch 12-bit RGB microLED panel, 5120x2160 Infinity Glass coating
*5-angstrom processor with 12 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores, as well as 32GB of RAM
*One USB Type D port rated at 100 gigabytes transfer speed and up to 200 watts charging. Rated to charge from 0 percent to 100 percent at 60 minutes."
Implant Research 	
A document detailing human implant patents, including one chip being installed on the arm.
"Implants have been a major breakthrough for humanity. With this discovery, we'll be able to augment the futures of tech with being able to implant chips and machinery into our people."
XG Cellular Tests 	
A document detailing cellular network tests. 
"XG Cellular speed tests;
*Phone 1 achieved 127 gigabytes download & 15 gigabytes upload on SpeedTest.exe
*Phone 2 achieved 155 gigabytes download & 12 gigabytes upload on SpeedTest.exe
*Phone 3 achieved 188 gigabytes download & 17 gigabytes upload on SpeedTest.exe"
Hypersonic Engine Tests 	
Space Colonization Results 	
120fps Video Research 	
Ranged Wireless Charging Patent 	"Ranged wireless charging. The device would charge up devices, including laptops, tablets, and even smartphones via a radar that shoots energy towards the batteries. The charger is rated at 25 watts speed and has charged up phones from 0 to 100 percent at an average of 2 hours from 10 percent to 100 percent. It is said that if OEMs were to push for this innovation, we could go for a wire-free future."
"The All-Screen Car: The Car With No Steering Wheel"	
A patent document detailing a car that has no steering wheel is entirely controlled by AI and touchscreens.
"Not Really There: Deepfake Technology" 	
A document showing a person and said clone on a news screen.
"Research and development has given us what we call Deepfake Illusions. They are there and look like they're actual people, but they're just artificial intelligence mimicking people. This is what we are pushing, AI to take over the world and the economy in the future."
"Crime Study: Chasers" 	
"Lab-Generated Nutrition" 	
"AI Simulations V" 	
The Thinning Damage Report 	
A document detailing world damages from the accumulated climate changes from the Thinning.
Astroweb Schematics
A	
B	
C	
D	
E	
F	
 Characters
The list of characters in the game. This list will only include named characters, not incidentals or unnamed characters.
Grant Abraham 	
Kyle Winston 	
Xander Hill 	
Trudy "Resistor" Chavez	
Administrator Janus 	
William King 	
 Enemies
There are two types of enemies that you will face in Astroweb, Astroweb Robots, and Lambda Federation Units. 
Astroweb Robots
Service Robot 	
Surveillance Drone	
Repair Robot 	
Air Drone 	
Watcher Robot 	
Security Robot 	
 
Lambda Federation
Lambda Soldier 	The basic Lambda soldier. Typically armed with pistols as their weapons.
Lambda Assassin 	
Lambda Sniper 	A special forces Lambda soldier that specializes in sniper rifles. They have yellow laser sights.
Lambda Riot Operation	The heavily armored Lambda soldier. They utilize riot shields as their weapon of choice.
Lambda Heavy Forces 	One of the elite forces of the Lambda Federation. They utilize rifles and shotguns as their weapons of choice.
Lambda Hammer 	
 
 Scientific Records
Scientific Records are the name of Achievements/Trophies in this game. There are four ranks based on the PlayStation trophies; Beginner for Bronze, Intermediate for Silver, Expert for Gold, and Master for Platinum, which is the trophy acquired for collecting all other trophies/achievements in the game. 
 Trivia
*Unlike other science fiction media, this one is based on current events and tech innovation, most notably portless phones and laptops with under-display cameras.
*According to one of the intel in this game and one cutscene of the game, Astroweb uses "bytes" instead of bits to measure internet speed. According to Intel, they switched over to bytes instead of bits because they eventually found it more reasonable to use bytes to match how file/app downloads use bytes instead of bits.
*The document, AI Simulations V mentions OpenGPT VX, which is based on the AI program OpenGPT, which was based on the AI craze that started in 2022, with things like stable diffusion which started the trend of AI-generated art and photographs. 
Category:Action Adventure Games
Category:Rated M Games
Category:Rated 18 Games
Category:Rated D CERO Games
Category:Xbox Series X Games
Category:PlayStation 5 Games
Category:Original Games