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AI Olympius
At a glance
AI Olympius game facts
Steam store information checked 2026-10-18。- Studio
- Lion's Shade Published by Lion's Shade
- Release
- Oct 18, 2026 Released
- Official genres
- Action · Adventure · Indie · RPG
- Play mode
- Single-player · Online co-op · Shared/split-screen co-op
- Native online multiplayer
- Listed by Steam
- Local multiplayer
- Listed by Steam
- Shared/split screen
- Listed by Steam
- Desktop platforms
- Windows
- Steam Deck
- Playable Some interface text may be difficult to read on the Deck display.
- Controller
- Partial support
- Steam features
- Achievements · Trading Cards · Cloud · Family Sharing
- Languages
- 10 listed languages English, Ukrainian, French, German
| Language | Interface | Full audio | Subtitles |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Ukrainian | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| French | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| German | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| Spanish - Spain | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| Japanese | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| Korean | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| Polish | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| Simplified Chinese | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
| Traditional Chinese | Supported | Not listed | Supported |
What that means for your setupAI Olympius is developed and published by Lion's Shade, the small studio behind the city builder Cliff Empire, and it shares that title's lore, visual identity, and soundtrack while shifting to a third-person shooter perspective. According to the Steam listing the game released on October 18, 2026, and is offered as a Windows-only download tagged Action, Adventure, Indie, and RPG. Play modes confirmed on the store page are single-player, online co-op, and shared or split-screen co-op, while online player-versus-player is not listed, so anyone hoping for competitive online matches should not expect them. The Steam Deck status is listed as Playable, with the store note that some interface text may be difficult to read on the Deck display, and controller support is marked as Partial, which matters if a gamepad is your preferred input. The supported interface languages are English, Ukrainian, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese, but only English and Ukrainian have full voice acting confirmed; every other language has interface and subtitles without listed full audio. Listed features include Achievements, Trading Cards, Cloud saves, and Family Sharing. The current store price during this review was 12.74 USD versus a regular price of 14.99 USD, a 15% discount tagged as a new release.
If you ever imagined the post-collapse towers and neon-lit Roman arches of Cliff Empire from the inside rather than the surveyor map, AI Olympius invites you to step right into that world as a rebel with a rifle. It plays as a story-driven third-person shooter seasoned with light RPG progression, where every magazine feels precious and every drone you flip becomes a small personal victory. The strongest appeal, judging from dozens of positive Steam reviews, is the heart the developer pours into the project: the same weather, lighting, and soundtrack that made Cliff Empire beloved are now seen at eye level, and Lion's Shade has shown a long pattern of patching and expanding its games over years.
What the game actually feels like
Step into the Cliff Empire universe as a rebel, with familiar towers, neon Roman-punk architecture, and the soundtrack returning for a third-person shooter perspective rather than the original city builder.
Play through roughly 30 campaign missions and around 35 hours of content, with each sector of the planet offering different environments, weather, and lighting according to the developer description.
Customize your loadout with over 60 weapon and costume modifications, then spend resources to develop your character, improve skills, and unlock new abilities in a steady RPG progression loop.
Hack enemy drones mid-battle or convert allied machines, so a tough fight can pivot when you flip a heavy unit to your side at just the right moment.
What early players are seeing
What is landing
- Many reviewers describe Lion's Shade as a trustworthy, dedicated developer who responds to feedback and pushes frequent patches, with several players noting that a soft-lock or bug they reported was fixed within a couple of days.
- Reviewers consistently praise the environmental presentation, including realistic drifting clouds, rain reflections at night, smoke effects, and lighting that one player called next level even when smoke and lasers filled the screen.
- Several players compare the tone and world-building to the Mass Effect trilogy, calling it a refreshing third-person shooter with old-school energy, jank and heart.
- The split-screen co-op experience is highlighted by owners as a meaningful reason to pick the game up, and Steam Deck owners report smooth performance with only minor frame drops.
What still needs watching
- Voice acting is repeatedly described as flat or monotone by players, with one reviewer noting it lacked emotion or enthusiasm regardless of the situation, which can hurt story engagement.
- Several reviews mention invisible walls, jagged movement feel, and platforming sections that feel tedious rather than rewarding, particularly during vine-climbing sequences.
- A reviewer reported a soft-lock that blocked progress past the first couple of missions, though the developer was said to address it in a subsequent patch, suggesting that bugs and balance issues still surface in Early Access.
Is AI Olympius worth buying now?
Current decision
Worth tryingAI Olympius is a small-studio passion project that turns the Cliff Empire universe into a third-person shooter with co-op, RPG upgrades, and base building, and the bulk of player reviews are positive about its atmosphere, soundtrack, and Lion's Shade's responsive updates. The flaws raised in reviews, such as flat voice acting, janky movement, and occasional progression bugs, are real but are the kind of rough edges that match an Early Access indie title from a dedicated solo-friendly developer, which makes the package worth trying rather than dismissing.
Who this is for
A good fit if you…
- Players who loved Cliff Empire and want to explore that post-collapse Roman-punk world from a ground-level shooter perspective.
- Fans of third-person shooters with light RPG progression who enjoy titles in the Mass Effect mold and do not mind Early Access jank.
- Co-op players who want a two-player online or split-screen shooter to share with a friend on the same PC or over a network.
- Tinkerers who like hacking enemy drones, capturing machines mid-fight, and building a personal base to defend between missions.
- Indie supporters who value a developer with a long track record of patching and expanding games over many years rather than a single launch window.
Wait if you…
- You want polished AAA-grade voice acting and cinematic storytelling, because multiple reviews describe the delivery as flat or monotone.
- You are looking for a primarily competitive online shooter, since the Steam page only lists online co-op and shared or split-screen co-op rather than online PvP.
- You rely on full controller support across every menu, since the listing marks controller support as Partial rather than Full.
- You prefer to wait for a more content-complete build, as the campaign is still being expanded and bugs or soft-locks have been reported by at least one player even after recent patches.
If AI Olympius is not quite your game
SIMILAR OPTION
HELLDIVERS™ 2
Choose it ifPick HELLDIVERS 2 if you want a four-player live-service shooter with constant online pressure, and pick AI Olympius if you prefer a slower, two-player co-op story with meaningful RPG customization
How it comparesCooperative third-person shooting against faction-controlled enemies HELLDIVERS 2 is a large-scale live-service shooter built around four-player squads, friendly fire, and rotating galactic campaigns, while AI Olympius is a single-player or two-player co-op indie title with RPG progression, drone hacking, and a quieter personal base
SIMILAR OPTION
Terraria
Choose it ifChoose Terraria if you want a long-form crafting sandbox you can lose hundreds of hours in solo, and choose AI Olympius if you want shooter combat and RPG upgrades with a smaller but more directed base-building layer
How it comparesSandbox base building and resource gathering intertwined with a larger campaign Terraria is a 2D side-scrolling sandbox focused on exploration, crafting, and boss fights at your own pace, while AI Olympius is a third-person shooter where base building is a side mode supporting a story-driven 30-mission campaign
SIMILAR OPTION
Team Fortress 2
Choose it ifChoose Team Fortress 2 if you want a free, class-driven competitive shooter with a huge community, and choose AI Olympius if you want a story-led, two-player co-op shooter with RPG progression and base building
How it comparesClass-driven third-person multiplayer with distinct combat roles Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play class-based multiplayer shooter with nine classes and ongoing community updates, while AI Olympius is a paid single-player or two-player co-op shooter with skill trees, weapon modifications, and drone hacking rather than class archetypes
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