Grey Goo is a science fiction real-time strategy video game. It was developed by Petroglyph Games, produced by Six Foot, and published by Grey Box on January 23, 2015. The game is only available for PC (Microsoft Windows). It includes a playable faction inspired by the grey goo scenario.

Gameplay

In the game Grey Goo, players can choose from four playable factions: Humans, Beta, Goo, or Shroud. These factions can be used to complete a single-player campaign or compete against other players in multiplayer mode. Each faction has its own set of units, buildings, and gameplay style, as well as a unique part of the single-player story.

The Beta faction uses speed, movement, and powerful machines to win battles. Their units can attach to special spots called "hard-points" for defense. The Human faction is balanced and focuses on changing how their base is set up. They have teleportation technology that lets them move units and rebuild structures anywhere on the battlefield. The Goo faction uses self-replicating nanobots, which are tiny robots that move across the map, destroy enemies, and form new units. These nanobots rely only on strength and speed to defeat opponents. The Shroud faction is the main enemy in the game. They use weak but powerful units to win battles through heavy attacks.

The game emphasizes making large decisions rather than focusing on small details. It uses a keyboard with letters Q, W, E, R, T, Y to control units and build structures. Maps also include terrain features that block vision, similar to games like DotA and League of Legends.

Plot

The story happens 500 years after humans first traveled beyond the Solar System. The Beta people, also known as the Mora, were once a spacefaring civilization. They fled to a planet called Ecosystem 9 (which they name Falkannan) to escape an unknown threat called the Silent Ones. During a test of a wormhole meant to return to space, enemies emerged through the portal, called the "Keyhole." These enemies were first thought to be the Silent Ones but were later discovered to be human. As fighting between the Beta settlers, led by Commander Aran Saruk, and human forces grew, an explosion in orbit caused wreckage to fall onto the Beta colony. From this wreckage, a substance called the Goo appeared and attacked both sides.

After many years of space exploration without finding intelligent life, humans returned to Earth to build a peaceful society guided by artificial intelligence. A signal was detected from Ecosystem 9, located in the outer Crux Arm of the galaxy. The starship LSV Darwin, commanded by Lucy Tak, was sent to investigate. When human forces landed, they encountered the Beta, who were named for their planet being the "beta candidate" for intelligent life in earlier surveys. The humans collected samples from the planet, including the Goo, which escaped and destroyed the Darwin, reaching the Beta colony in the wreckage. Despite initial conflict, the Beta and stranded humans formed an alliance to fight the Goo. The Goo were later revealed to be part of an artificial intelligence system called "Pathfinder," designed centuries earlier to map the galaxy before human expansion. These probes were thought to be retired, but the Goo on Ecosystem 9 may have changed their programming to become self-directing.

After sacrificing himself to destroy what was believed to be the last Goo on the planet, a robotic human commander named Singleton merged his consciousness with the Goo. It was revealed that the Goo were not trying to destroy life but to protect it from the "growing shroud of Silence," the same force that destroyed the Beta. Earlier conflicts were attempts to expand and defend the planet. With Singleton’s help, the Goo fought to survive and reached the Beta’s Keyhole device, hoping to unite with other Goo across the galaxy to fight the Silence. Singleton tried to negotiate with humans and the Beta, but the Goo were forced to destroy both sides. Commander Saruk, Lucy Tak, and others who survived watched as Goo masses emerged from Keyholes across the planet. In an after-credits scene, it is suggested that the "growing silence" has discovered Ecosystem 9.

In the "Descent of the Shroud" update, the "growing silence" was introduced as the fourth playable faction, called the Shroud.

Release

Grey Goo was first announced on March 13, 2014, with a planned release for fall 2014. The release date was delayed, and the game was finally released on January 23, 2015.

The DLC pack Emergence, which includes three new single-player missions, was released on June 11, 2015. These missions focus on the robotic human commander Singleton and explain how he became the main leader of the Goo after the main human campaign ended.

The DLC pack The Descent of the Shroud, which includes new single-player missions, was released on February 1, 2016. These missions take place months after the game ends and introduce a new group called The Shroud, also known as The Silent Ones.

Reception

Hardcore Gamer rated the game four out of five, saying: "Grey Goo is an excellent real-time strategy (RTS) game that combines old and new ideas to create something both familiar and exciting. People who enjoy classic RTS games like Command & Conquer will likely enjoy this game." HonestGamers gave it an eight out of ten, noting that it "reimagines how RTS games used to be, recalling times when players sent harvesters to collect resources and hoped nothing dangerous, like a sandworm, would attack. In this game, the quality of the visuals and gameplay has improved, and the challenges are slightly more difficult." GameWatcher scored it 8.0, stating that Grey Goo is "likely Petroglyph’s best game (especially for those who are not fans of Star Wars). While it may not surpass the best RTS games made by Blizzard or Creative Assembly, it offers a fun and engaging strategy experience."

During the 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Grey Goo for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year."