| Language: |
English |
| ReleaseDate: |
March 12, 2013 |
| Genre: |
Real-time strategy |
| Developer: |
Blizzard Entertainment |
| Designer: |
Dustin Browder |
| Publisher: |
Blizzard Entertainment |
| Modes: |
Single-player, multiplayer |
| Platforms: |
Microsoft Windows,OS X |
Description:
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is an upcoming expansion pack to the military science fiction real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and part two of the planned StarCraft II trilogy. Part three is titled Legacy of the Void.
The expansion will include additional units and multiplayer changes from Wings of Liberty, as well as a continuing campaign focusing on the Zerg species. It will span approximately 20 missions and will be priced as an expansion set. Heart of the Swarm is currently slated for a release on March 12, 2013.
GamePlay:
The game is expected to have around 20 missions, and will continue the story fromWings of Liberty, taking place two years after the previous game, in 2506. The player will play from the perspective of Sarah Kerrigan, recently returned to her human state by Jim Raynor.
Plot:
In the final series of missions in Wings of Liberty, Crown Prince Valerian Mengsk led a mission to Char in an attempt to reverse the infestation of the Queen of Blades, enlisting the help of General Horace Warfield and Rebel James Raynor. Despite incurring massive casualties, Valerian's expeditionary force managed to successfully employ a Xel'Nagan artifact, which resulted in the deinfestation of the Queen of Blades.Mindful of Zeratul's prophetic warning concerning Kerrigan's importance in countering the rising threat of the Protoss/Zerg Hybrids, Raynor defends Kerrigan from Tychus' attempt to kill her, shooting Tychus in the process. The closing scene showed Raynor carrying Sarah Kerrigan across the battlefield in his arms with Valerian Mengsk's Dominion fleet descending upon Char overhead.
Further introduction to the plot of Heart of the Swarm is given in the StarCraft II novel by Christie Golden, StarCraft II: Flashpoint, which is stated to "tie in with the events" of the game. On Char, Raynor manages to save Kerrigan and take her back to the battlecruiser Bucephalus (currently the Dominion's flagship, but is forced on the run from Arcturus Mengsk and the undamaged half of the Dominion fleet. After hiding at Deadman's Port and being ambushed by one of Mira Han's henchmen, Raynor's Raiders and Valerian finally take Kerrigan to see Emil Narud, a specialist on Zerg and leader of the Moebius Foundation. However, Narud reveals his alignment with Emperor Mengsk, and unleashes powerful Hybrids under his command, enabling him to run with the Xel'Naga artifact. Raynor rescues Kerrigan and the rest of the Raiders, and together with Valerian they manage to escape to a secret Umojan facility where Kerrigan can be treated, and their battlecruisers repaired.
The plot of Heart of the Swarm starts two years after the events of Wings of Liberty.will focus on the Zerg race and feature Sarah Kerrigan as the protagonist and anti-hero. The campaign begins with Kerrigan's quest to assume leadership of the swarm in her regained human form and exact her revenge on Arcturus Mengsk, Emperor of the Terran Dominion. The Zerg have split into several factions without her leadership, and she must take control of the various rival broods, headed by powerful queens, while General Warfield of the Dominion is attempting to eradicate the Zerg on Char. Additionally, a teaser trailer for the game shows Nova leading a team of Terran Ghosts to infiltrate the Umojan facility, ordering them to "find Kerrigan." Amidst the chaos of the attack, Raynor chases a pair of Ghosts to a room. The Ghosts lock the door behind them, and soon after an explosion occurs. Raynor then picks up the ruin of the door and enters the room where he finds Kerrigan wearing a Terran Ghost suit, her back to him.
Screen Shots:
Official Trailer: