A 2D tactical squad shooter set in an occupied Australia.
Australia has been attacked by an unknown enemy. You lead Two Patrol, 3 Troop, SASR, one of the last pockets of resistance. Your six men will take on the enemy against overwhelming odds.
Podule is a small, independent game studio in Australia.
We build our own engine and our own tools. For the Common Wealth is written in C with hand-built levels.
It is our first title and it is still in development. The devlog below tracks how it is coming together.
// Recovered dispatch · Two Patrol, 3 Troop, SASR
Near-future Australia. In a single morning, Canberra is destroyed by an enormous blast. EMP devices take down comms.
The Australian Defence Force fights without logistics, without support, and without orders. They fight until ammunition is exhausted. Many units are overrun, some are ordered to surrender by their NCOs. Australia's Special Forces vanish into the bush to evade capture.
From deep inside the Australian wilderness, Two Patrol of 3 Troop, SASR, makes contact with the only large scale uncaptured Australian military asset: HMAS Rankin. Rankin is a Collins-class submarine still running silent off the coast. Resupplied, re-armed, and under tasking from Rankin, Two Patrol sets out to do one thing: identify the enemy, find them, and eliminate them.
Two Patrol is activated as the last line in the fight to take back Australia.
You take your team of six through jungle, scrub, snowy mountains, towns and the outback. Controlled with either a mouse or joypad (Steam Deck supported!), FTCW combines strategy, tactics and action in a retro 2D fight.
Advanced simulated enemy patrols in hand-built levels. Enemies work individually and in teams. They attack, retreat, panic and run away. Civilians try to stay out of the way, but watch your fire.
Split the squad into fireteams, set their rules of engagement, hold them or send them forward. Six soldiers, no reinforcements, every one of them may be a single bullet from gone. Bringing all six home is the hardest thing the game asks of you.
A full day and night cycle that the enemy lives inside. Enemy may not see you, but they can hear you.
Rain, wind, dust storms, snow all make a different in how the game plays out.
Arm your team with assault rifles, light machines guns and automatic shotguns, or go in quiet with suppressed submachines and bolt-action rifles.
Photograph the evidence. Pull intel off a terminal, paint a target for the airstrike, plant the charge, walk the hostages out on foot. Real missions, not just "shoot everybody".
Put the drone up and read the ground before you commit to anything. Guards walk real routes, hear what you do, break off to investigate, take cover, and call the alarm in when they find you.
Enemy NPCs can see, hear, and respond unpredictably. They'll find dead bodies, they'll radio-in, get help, or just plain panic.
For the Common Wealth takes inspiration from Cannon Fodder, Syndicate, and COD4: Modern Warfare.
All levels in For the Common Wealth are inspired by, or directly set in real places in Australia.
How it begins. August 16th, 2028.
| Title | For the Common Wealth |
|---|---|
| Developer | Podule |
| Based in | Australia |
| Genre | Top-down tactical · stealth · squad shooter |
| Players | Single-player campaign |
| Platforms | PC · others TBA |
| Release | To be announced |
| Engine | Custom C engine (SDL2) |
| Languages | English · more TBA |
For the Common Wealth is a 2D tactical squad shooter set in an occupied near-future Australia. Twenty-six hand-built levels, a living day and night cycle, weather that changes the fight, and an enemy that hunts you. Built in a custom C engine by Podule.
Reviewers and streamers welcome. Review keys and a full press kit (logos, key art, full-res stills) will be available closer to launch.