Game development studio Fugitive Games hopes their Kickstarter project Into the Stars has plenty to offer players looking for a dynamic space exploration and resource management experience.
Looking much more similar to Mass Effect, minus the linear story, than to Eve Online, Into the Stars puts players at the helm of a starship tasked with the crucial mission of finding a suitable planet for colonization in order to save the last vestiges of the human race. As captain it is your responsibility to explore a vast open world solar system with over 90 distinct zones, each with their own unique challenges and rewards.
Resources must be gathered from planets and other space debris in order to keep both the ship and the crew going. Planet side missions can include a number of mining or gathering objectives which can endanger your crew. Considering that permadeath is a feature of the game this can make your decisions as captain both difficult and impactful.
Lingering too long even when you come across a resource rich planet can be just as dangerous considering that the hostile alien race responsible for destroying much of Earth continues to track your ship while you travel across the solar system. Other hostile and even friendly alien encounters wait on the journey as well with plenty of weapon systems and ship vs. ship combat scenarios when diplomacy fails.
Composer Jack Wall, who worked on the music of Mass Effect, Lost Planet, and Call of Duty has added his own touch to Into the Stars with an original score. This has likely raised the bar in regards to the rest of the soundtrack which should hopefully mean some evocative tracks to enjoy while traveling.
By far the campaigns most favored pledge tier is the $20 level which offers a digital copy of the game for PC/MAC and a wallpaper package exclusive to Kickstarter backers. Already successfully funded with more than 3000 backers and successfully Greenlit by the Steam community, Fugitive Games has a long road ahead to creating their epic space exploration adventure game, but seems to have the support it needs to make it successful.
