“Astroneer” is set to launch early in 2016. The game has been closely compared to “Minecraft”, with some saying that it will soon replace the popular open-world survival game.
Popular Science noted that both “Astroneer” and “Minecraft” are huge open-world survival games that place players in a vast area to start gathering resources, defend themselves from various threats and build an entire civilization. System Era Softworks is the group behind the space exploration game and plans to provide a wider universe for players, which will hopefully compel “Minecraft” players to transfer.
“Astroneer” has a rather similar approach to that of “Minecraft”. Some of the differences include the character being a lone astronaut on a planet. There are actually several planets, and the game features more than sharp polygons. Creator Adam Bromell told Popular Science that “Astroneer” started from an art project that he was working on during his spare time. He wanted to tell the story about an astronaut who was alone on a very remote planet. The astronaut will be the key to human survival, although she will have to sacrifice her life to become the savior.
“Many games offer seamless, traversable planetary systems…others offer synchronous co-op, but Astroneer marries the two in a way that creates a host of new, compelling shared experiences,” Bromell said.
Bromell shared that he intended “Astroneer to be a game that has the perfect balance between fantasy and simulation. He added that player creativity is essential, so his group started introducing a number of concepts like 3D interfacing and terrain deformation. The terrain manipulation as shown in the trailer appears to be a completely new way of building. The graphics also have a rather cartoonish appearance. Some of the aspects are fictional but remain true to their outer space concept.
Users will also notice that there is no interface. Bromell said that they did not add flat fullscreen UI interface. There are no text or menus. He said that everything that occurs in the game is a direct result of the player’s interaction with the various objects. The third-person game allows players to make fast modifications to the environment while simultaneously engaging them in the experience.
In the official website, an Astroneer is described as an adventurer who volunteered to be launched into space to look for fortune and new discoveries throughout the galaxy. As an Astroneer, players are required to explore new worlds and build a civilization by using the available resources and surroundings.
More updates and details on “Astroneer” are expected soon.