It is the year 2500. The Indus Valley civilisation, which started on the Indian subcontinent more than 5,000 years earlier, is so advanced it has migrated to another universe where it has thrived for millennia, undisturbed by outsiders.

But an international criminal syndicate has set its sights on its home, sending mercenaries from around the universe to compete for its precious natural wealth — all while annihilating each other with an array of weapons that make AK-47s and grenades look like child’s play.

Such is the set up for Indus, an upcoming game from Indian studio SuperGaming. The “battle royale” title, in which online players fight to the death, is replete with motifs from Indian culture, from the Taj Mahal to the Hindu Ramayana poem. It presents “an optimistic India through the lens of sci-fi”, said Rishi Alwani, one of the writers.