Mob Rules: Okhlos Is Insane Ancient Greek Pikmin

Oh, this game. Okhlos' central concept is so very simple and silly, but it's also ripe with potential. For whatever reason, developer Coffee Powered Machine set out to create an ancient Greek angry mob simulator, because I guess angry mobs were especially prolific at the time. So you skitter about rallying everything from warriors to philosophers to your cause. Yes, philosophers. They're old and bald and frail and wonderful. I do hope I can order them to fell gods, kings, and titans alike with heart-stopping ethical quandaries. In practice, Okhlos looks a bit like Nintendo cult hit Pikmin, which is hardly a bad thing.

So, why exactly are mobs forming like goopy piles of fruit at the bottom of Greek yogurt cups? To fight stuff, mainly:

"Okhlos is a game about an angry mob in ancient Greece. You will have to travel all around Greece and conform a very large group of angry people to fight armies, mythological creatures and even the gods themselves! Each stage will have its unique challenges based around the gods they worshipped there. You will have lots of fighting in Sparta, lots of thinking to do in Athens, and lots of partying when facing Dionysius. You get the idea. Also, each unit will have its unique set of skills, making the mob unique each time you play. There will be heroes, warriors, philosophers, slaves, and much more!"

While the trailer might look like unbridled chaos, there's actually a lot of nuance to the units, as outlined on Okhlos' dev blog. Heroes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, each with their own mob-enhancing powers. Some are even recognizable historical or mythological faces like Spartacus and Heracles (aka Hercules).

Okhlos will hopefully launch sometime in 2014. Are you feeling angry? Angry enough to lead a small army as it kicks Zeus in the shins until he dies? Good. Then you are ready.