Ostranauts is the new game from Blue Bottle Games, the studio that brought NEO Scavenger to the world back in 2014. Their new game, Ostranauts, is set in the same universe and builds upon the gameplay of their previous title.
Ostranauts is essentially a space-life and spaceship management simulator. You are in control of a probably dysfunctional crew of astronauts onboard a spaceship, lost somewhere in a distant solar system.
Dark, gritty, and deeply detailed, this is a game for the detail-lovers, those who are looking for an incredibly in-depth game to sink many, many hours into. However, the game might not quite be there yet – this is still an Early Access release.
There are parts of Rimworld in the people-management side of things, whereas the ship business is more complicated than many other simulators I’ve seen – there’s a lot of flicking the right switches and managing several parts of the ship. Take a look at one of the control panels:
The characters are diverse, each and every one riddled with insecurities, emotions, and probably some sort of defect.
This is a post-apocalyptic world, and you’re stranded on a space ship somewhere deep in space, thousands of miles from an already ravaged earth – people probably aren’t feeling too great about it.
Each member of your crew has their own needs, from necessities such as food, warmth, and oxygen, to esoteric needs and benefits, such as intimacy and security.
Manage your crew effectively or you’ll be facing a nightmare. There’s an interesting social-based combat system – certain characters have social abilities that boost moods…or ruin them. For those who played NEO Scavenger, you might see some similarities.
The ship also needs careful managing, with a bunch of interdependent systems all interacting with each other – fuel, power grids, supplies, and much more.
Ostranauts focuses on a pace that suits the player – you can pause and fast-forward to your liking, much like other management sims. The game is about precision and smart decisions.
Yes, the game is in Early Access, and like all Early Access games, it should be viewed as a WIP. However, with Blue Bottle Game’s success with NEO Scavenger, this a game you can approach with a little more confidence.
The game is out today in Early Access on Steam, visit the game’s page to read more about what to expect and visit the dev’s Twitter page to keep up-to-date with future updates.