Players communicate with the main character, Hope, through their phone or computer, in order to help her escape. The player controls surveillance cameras in the fictional totalitarian state or corporate republic of République in order to monitor Hope's actions, as well as hack into various electronic devices. The interface that the player must use is the "OMNI View" software, which allows them to lock and unlock doors, distract patrolling enemies, and obtain information. In some situations, the player must upgrade their OMNI View to higher versions, enabling them to access areas and nodes with stronger security. In the OS X and Windows versions, players will be able to access multiple cameras at once.
Plot
République takes place in an unnamed totalitarian state, led by its sinister "Overseer"/"Headmaster" named Treglazov, a powerhouse technology and security mogul with an insane ideology he's peddled most of his life, mostly through books. His latest book, a manifesto he's concocted, is what he's used to initiate his utopia, and has given them to everyone who lives in, and works for it. Within a facility apart of it called "Metamorphosis", Prizrak, the hired guards of the totalitarian state, protect from intruders, and keep in line the adolescents called "Pre-Cals", who are getting mysterious experiments performed on them, and are people who were born and raised in the facility. One Pre-Cal teenager, Hope, manages to contact the player through their phone, and requests them to help her escape from Metamorphosis. Hope and the player receive assistance from Cooper, an American who works as a Prizrak in Metamorphosis, and has grown a strong hate for it. Other characters include Daniel Markus Zager, a deceased journalist/revolutionary who leaves audio logs behind for Hope and the player; and Mireille Prideaux, who serves as a high-ranking official for the facility, and as Hope and every other Pre-Cal's caretaker, and may or may not be an infiltrator who's against Treglazov.
Development
Ryan Payton, founder of Camouflaj, initiated the project because he wanted to "stop complaining about the lack of real games on mobile and start making one". The idea for Hope came about when he was performing a thought experiment about how to make Love Plus for a Western audience. Payton cites Nineteen Eighty-Four as a major influence on the atmosphere. The game also draws inspiration from Metal Gear, the first Resident Evil, and Demon's Souls. The central themes are "voyeurism, paranoia, censorship, and control". Logan co-founder Alexei Tylevich serves as art director; Logan will focus on visual development while Camouflaj handles the gameplay and systems. On April 11, 2012, Camouflaj launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise $500,000 to help with development costs. The project was funded on May 11, 2012 with a total of $555,662.
