W3 Studios have taken their galactic warfare game, Abatron, to Kickstarter. The game is a hybrid real-time strategy game fused with first-person shooting and third-person melee combat. Players will take control of battling aliens on an ever-changing battlefield where they’ll attempt to build up resources, establish armies and battle for supremacy.

The game features up to eight players in online multiplayer combat, with players having the ability to seamlessly and effortlessly switch between the commander mode where RTS mechanics are employed and the unit mode where FPS or TPS mechanics are employed. Yes, players can quickly jump right into the shoes of one of their units in an attempt to turn the tide by playing directly as the unit. It’s very similar to games like Battleswarm: Field of Honor and the recently revived Savage: Resurrection from S2 Games.

In addition to the hybrid gameplay module, there are also hero mode abilities for specialty units, enabling players to execute various skills to take down enemy units faster or buff teammates. You can see what a match looks like in action with the pre-alpha demo gameplay session below that was posted up over on the Abatron YouTube channel.

Abatron features research and technological upgrades based on scavenging for resources and battling to attain those resources by thwarting enemy forces. Players can then use the XP gained from successful battles to level up and improve their buildings, which can then be used to produce higher tier units.

The game is obviously rough around the edges given that it’s a pre-alpha build. In fact, W3 Studios is currently seeking public alpha testers to help iron out some of the kinks as they build funds through the Kickstarter crowd-funding phase.

They have plans on including a solo mode for offline play, a co-op mode for cooperative play against AI opponents, as well as a free-for-all PvP mode for players to just go all out on each other.

The alpha test is still looking for some good gamers to join in on the bout, so even if you don’t have cash to spare for the Kickstarter, you can still lend some support by signing up for the free alpha test by visiting the Abatron website.