Another management sim is on the cusp as Spacebase Startopia is coming October 23. The Realmforge Studio title is a colorful space station admin that gives a fresh take on simulators.
Realmforge also picked apart Spacebase Startopia in an FAQ gameplay video uploaded today. The title curiously shares a name with a Square Enix title from 2001 of the same name. The original game has a dated video game look to it, but the resemblance is uncanny and weird.
Even then, what the new game is not something many titles explore on their own.
Startopia is a Sims-like space station manager
Startopia lets players run an elliptical-shaped space station divided into three levels. The idea is to attract visitors to the player’s space station by helping them with their needs. Everything will be familiar to work out too.
The station layout and aesthetics will be familiar. Startopia will have its personal robot helpers and many items that are used in management sims. What sets the title apart, however, is the combat.
When fighting competitors and even pirates, the game shifts to an RTS style gameplay. It allows players to control mechs and push off intruders. The game looks very enjoyable, with elements in a genre rarely seen in video games.
Space management sims are too few and far in between. Only a few games only offer proper simulation, which includes Space Haven and, to an extent, Rimworld.
Realmforge gives a sizeable offering with Startopia. Their game, currently in closed beta, offers three tutorial maps, two missions, and a version of skirmish mode. The studio promises consistent updates until its launch.
The sim has many alien races, with different needs and requirements. The aliens have distinct designs, from the traditional grays to plant-like lifeforms.
New Startopia looks like remake of 2001 Square Enix game title
Spacebase Startopia, for all its merits, is a very curious game. For starters, the entirety of the game is similar to Square Enix’s Startopia. The similarity is uncanny, to the point that it looks like an HD remake.
It doesn’t help that Square Enix has now stopped the sale of the IP at the request of Square Enix. The original Startopia came to Square’s catalog after its acquisition of Eidos Interactive in 2009.
The original game published in 2001, and the premise is almost the same. Square Enix’s Startopia allows players to rebuild a near-dead, lifeless space station. Players then attract aliens to receive their expertise and their technology.
Square Enix is yet to declare if the new title is an official remake.
Spacebase Startopia is accessible in closed beta through a pre-purchase on the Kalypso game store. The game will come to Steam and is currently on full-price for pre-purchase.
Featured image courtesy of Kalypso Media/Youtube Screenshots