It has been some time since we last heard of Dark Realm Studios, known for their Pandemic series and more recently for the release of their defense game called The Farm. However, we’ve just received news on their latest developments and we must say it looks very promising and we can’t wait to play it!

Tethys is a scrolling shooter flash game inspired by arcade classics such as Raiden. The entire game is set deep in outer space filled with hostile alien spacecrafts. Instead of giving players the opportunity to memorize predefined enemy formations and spawning patterns, players will be forced to constantly adapt to new situations: enemy numbers and timings are based off of the player’s actions and movements.

Players will be constantly challenged due to the fact that the game is designed to exploit player weaknesses. Tethys features an AI Director that’s explicitly designed to monitor and react to the progress of every battle. If players are having difficulty with a specific enemy they can expect to encounter more of that enemy type. This doesn’t mean that players will be forced to fight nothing but the strongest ship however: the AI Director takes into account the strength of enemy ships.

Tethys features two different gameplay modes: standard and survival. Standard mode challenges players to fight through 5 different levels as players are exposed to more than 10 normal enemies as well as 5 unique and intense bosses. As players progress through standard mode they will be given the opportunity to purchase new weapons or upgrades for their ship through an in-game store menu. Survival mode simply challenges players to stay alive for as long as they can.

Developer Dark Realm Studios can’t wait for people to try out their new game which is slated to be released by early April 2010. We’ll keep you updated till then and make sure to check out the latest screenshots below!