Appointed launch date arrives for HRO: Adventures of a Humanoid Resources Officer

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Puzzle-driven visual novel adventure in a retro sci-fi universe now on Steam

Of all the people aboard an interplanetary spaceship, perhaps the last one you'd expect to control the fate of its crew would be the human resources person. But that is precisely the starring role players will assume in Worthing & Moncrieff's newly released visual novel-styled sci-fi adventure, HRO: Adventures of a Humanoid Resources Officer.

The Endeavor is "a military spaceship with more than its fair share of crew rivalries, office politics, and erratic decision-makers." Just like any large corporation, really, which means it needs someone overseeing the crew's human(oid) resources needs. You are that person, normally "under-appreciated" but about to take on a far more significant role when the ship "stumbles into universe-shaking trouble." Using only the tools at your disposal, it's up to you to "harness the power of the bureaucracy to rein in your crew’s worst impulses and survive to the next episode." To succeed you must "interact with key characters to investigate the crisis, identify possible responses and implement your preferred paper-pusher solution."

Presented in a whimsical cartoon art style, HRO is a branching "puzzle-driven visual novel" in which you must shape the story by making key choices. It's up to you how to wield your "administrative power," with all the consequences that entails. In speaking with the "criminally insane physicist who has seized control of the ship," will you "fake your own resignation so you can infiltrate his cult?" Or "when surrounded by bloodthirsty Kirmulak warships, will you choose to transmit the stolen enemy command codes to disable their vessels and allow the Endeavor to escape?" You can be either the hero or the goat, as the game's UI puzzles offer "multiple paths through the story" with thousands of choices available, giving the experience a high degree of replayability. The way you decide to handle your business can even unlock "mini-episodes and characters" that wouldn't be available otherwise.

Fortunately no prior experience is required for the position, as HRO: Adventures of a Humanoid Resources Officer is available now to download on Steam for Windows and Mac.

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