We are currently going trough a renaissance period for the space simulator genre and one of the very best you might never have heard of is ROCKFISH Games' 2017 hit, Everspace. A beautiful space sim with roguelike features (every space sector is randomly generated), it was built on the Unreal Engine so it's a fine fit for Switch already. The roguelike element is tied to a cloning conceit, so when you die (and you will, often), your conscious is moved to another clone and you restart the game, keeping whatever loot you managed to salvage.
In a recent interview with WCCFTech, ROCKFISH Games CEO and co-founder Michael Schade had some very positive remarks about current development progress on the upcoming Switch version: "For a team with its root in mobile gaming, we are super excited about the Switch, naturally," he reveals. "We have always loved the ubiquity of mobile gaming devices in general, and the Switch even comes with proper analog controllers which is very much needed if you want to have a proper console-style experience on the go – as much fun it was to play Galaxy on Fire 1 and 2 on smartphones and tablets, touch controls have never been the best fit for a 6DOF space shooter."
Schade also revealed the team only started looking into porting the game a few weeks ago, and it's already coming along nicely: "The success of the Switch proved Nintendo right, and we have started looking into an Everspace port a few weeks ago," he adds. "Now, while I cannot share any further details about a release date or pricing, I definitely can share that our mobile gaming background already paid off: Everspace runs super smoothly, and it looks just gorgeous on the device. We still have to optimize the performance when running on the big screen, but we are getting there. So, stay tuned for more!"
We look forward to further news about this upcoming Switch version. Looks like Manticore: Galaxy on Fire is about to have some serious competition...
[source wccftech.com]
Comments 60
Looks pretty, and I'm glad it's not a 2D game. But I'll wait on a review
Once again, another game developer waiting to see if the console is a hit before releasing a game for it.
But another 3D space shooter, ah man, my backlog is getting worse and worse
Trust me, this game... this game is not about the looks. This game is the best game of it's genre since Freelancer. It is one of my 2017 PC GOTY and it saddens me to still be pretty much ignored by the masses. Here is my latest run:
From day one and since it is built on Unreal Engine, I knew it would surely be possible to run on the Switch. There is no question about the game mechanics and quality, so now I am looking forward to see how much they will need to scale it back to make it run at 60fps.
@Bunkerneath Not the case here, they have been working hard not only in the Encounters expansion but the Xbox One and PS4 version before getting it onto the Switch.
@Shiryu you had me at roguelike space combat sim
It looks good, thankfully it's not another 2D space shooter. I hope those spaceships at 1:18 teleported there through the blackhole to the right and weren't as a result of pop-in.
Looks better than Star Fox Zero but after playing Eve Valkyrie in PSVR, this just looks dull.
@Shiryu I was intrigued from the off. I'd never heard of this game before today, but your glowing praise of it has me positively excited. Do you know if it has similar trading/economy features as Elite, or is it more about space battles?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE "I hope those spaceships at 1:18 teleported there through the blackhole to the right and weren't as a result of pop-in."
I was thinking the exact same thing 😄
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I really Like 2D Space shooters
I wish someone would release a 2D Asteroids style Multiplayer game though!
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I don't really want to spoil anything for your guys here... but when those show up it is pretty much "GAME OVER". I can however assure that is not pop-in, those are jumping into the sector.
@Daftbomb Everyone is in for a huge treat here.
@The_Mysteron There is very little trading going on here, mostly left to trader ships or service stations you randomly encounter along the way. This is mostly about survival: you have limited fuel to jump from sector to sector, you can craft weapons and equipment as you go... I don't even know where to start, check my channel for dozens of sessions I have done on this.
@Nincompoop This game supports VR sets on Pc and I can assure that this is anything but dull.
Oh i like how this looks alright
@Shiryu I agree. Game is fantastic. Criminal how it's been overlooked, even by folks into the genre. Own it on PC and XB1, will more than happily triple dip for a portable version.
Looks good.
@PhilKenSebben Agreed. I have done my best to raise awareness among my friends, but am really happy that with it arriving on consoles more people will surely take notice.
Star Fox you're back and better looking then ever!
Also please note about that last phrase in the news post: Manticore and Everspace are from the same devs, I am quite lookign forward to see how Manticore handles on the Switch because it will be a good prelude to figure how Everspace will end up looking on the system.
If the article and the video hadn't already convinced me then @Shiryu's positivity surely did. All my chips are in.
@JaxxDuffer fistbump ma man.
Multiplayer online?
Looks really great but I hate item management games and prefer arcade style space games like rogue squadron and Star Fox. I’ll have to wait for some reviews before deciding if it’s for me.
@ThatNyteDaez None. This is a single player experience only, it was designed to be so.
@AG_Awesome Manticore might be more up your alley then.
Watching the first few minutes of gameplay sold me instantly. Glad the port is going smoothly, now to play the waiting game.
@Shiryu Thank you. I’ll look into that one!
Looks good!
This looks like a day one purchase for me. Can anyone tell me if it is like Elite in any way?
this looks like it could end my social life and possibly my career.
Fancied this for a while, so if it's a quality port at a reasonable price, I'm in.
@Aven No, you don't have a free galaxy to explore nor there are trading stations in every sector. You just need to gather resources in each sector and decide on what patch, witch sector you jump next until you find a Jumpgate that will take you to the next set of sectors. Every jump costs fuel, so you need to keep a balance between gathering resources and jumping out because (and again I don't want to give anything major away) if you stand around in the same sector for enough time, you will be mercilessly hunted down by impossible enemy odds. When you die (and you will, often) you get taken back to the beginning but in a Dark Souls kinda way you get to keep whatever credits you gathered and blueprints you unlocked so no session is wasted time. You are even able to recover your own wreck! What keeps the game fresh is that the sectors are always randomly generated every time you begin a new run, as such I am still finding stuff I have not seen before nearly a year after the game's release.
tl;dr this is not Elite, it is a a very unique beast on his own.
There was a reason it was overlooked elsewhere, it is really expensive! I'm not going to be spending $40 CAD on this...
Still it were economy and trading a very fun part of Elite. I would miss it in this title. I like 'expansion' and 'achievement' more than survival.
@Link41 Why woulnd't you? It's the very finest game of it genre money can buy, and well worth the asking price from my experience I picked it up for STEAM+the Encounters DLC when it was released.But I would and will be buying it again on Switch, because this indie game makes AAA games look dated.
If it turns out well, I'll be on this straight away.
This looks great but sadly one thing I have learnt so far this past year on the switch, is a lot of games that look this good and have a lot going on is probably going to not run great and be really buggy 😞 this was defo not switch gameplay in the video? Unless it is perfectly optimised for the switch graphic heavy games don’t run that great on the switch.
@Shiryu Manticore is a mobile game, it will perform better.
@Nincompoop Manticore is actually a Switch exclusive , build from the mobile engine. Looking quite forward to it.
@Shiryu Everspace is random procedural generated, it better not be another No Man's sky.
If Manticore is a Switch exclusive, then what's this?
@Nincompoop It would seem I was misled.
No, don't worry, Everspace is never No Mans Sky, in fact it breaks my heart everytime I see new Star Citizen alpha footage and it all looks so much worse than Everspace. I can't but think if Chris Roberts lost the plot somewhere. Everspace promised nothing grand, quietly showed up on STEAM early access and then fully released months later with far greater potential anyone could ever expect. It was then further improved with the Encounters expansion that added even more things to do, a new ship, new equipment and whole new plots and characters to meet along the way.
@Nincompoop Oh, here is what the dev said: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/manticore_galaxy_on_fire_will_swoop_onto_switch_on_22nd_march#comment4343911
I don't know why but I got the impression this was a exclusive sequel to the second game, built purposely on the Switch.
Looks pretty good. I'll keep an eye on it.
Omg give me this NOW
Yeeessss ! I hoped this game arrive on the Switch !
I'm really looking forward to playing it on my Switch !!
And why not Elite Dangerous now ?
@Shiryu Thanks for the detailed description. It sounds like my cup of tea. I'm getting excited about this one now.
First-person view with 3D cockpit?! I'm def interested. We'll see how a review shakes out. I've regretted jumping the gun recently on new games that looked interesting to me. Looks neat though.
@Yorumi Flawless. The developers managed to map everything to a Xbox 360 controller in the original PC version, you don't ever need to hit any keys on the keyboard to do anything except press Escape and enter photo mode to take some lovely pictures. As such, everything should be 1:1 with the Pro Controller.
This game looks like exactly what I need. I would pay a premium price for this, no doubt.
@Shiryu Thank you for uploading that video of your run! It has me super stoked for this game!
@Dpullam I will make a new run tonight and leave the video here later. Gotta celebrate this news the only way I can. Who knows what might happen? (and that is why I am still going back for more)
As promised my 25th run to celebrate the Switch version annoucement.
A relatively short run (I have made a few several hours long) but I never run away from a Corvette.... and this one was an Elite. :x
@Shiryu this looks right up my alley. Day one purchase for me!
Thx for all the hype
Uuh, look what do we have here, one of my favourite roguelikes I’ve been played for hundreds of hours on my Xbox!!!
I’m SO going to double dip on this one.
Trust me here guys, this is Space Dogfighting at its finest, I shit you not.
It is like Freelancer but way lighter, no space stations, a bit of trading from time to time with other friendly merchant ships, and lots of combat, with lots of weapons to loot, enhance, and build from scratch on the go thanks to the various things you can scavenge by exploring the sector you are in before space jump to another.
The story is nothing particularly new or extraordinary, but enough to keep you interested and motivated to go on and find out what’s next, but the real reason to push forward is dying and start again.
Dying is pretty rewarding here since all the money earned in a run (the longer you survive, the more you earn) has to be spent to enhance your spacecraft.
And all the blueprints of equipment and weapons found are kept in memory for the next runs.
And this game has nothing in common with Elite Dangerous, where the pace is way slower.
In Everspace you have little time to think, you have to act quick whatever you want to do, whether gathering minerals or exploring the inside of a ruined space station.
If you stay too long in a system, enemy motherships will come along with lots of fighters making it impossible to stay any longer, so when you see the enemy incoming signal you go or die.
It could seem annoying but this is for the better, cause it keeps the game compelling and the action frantic.
And then you have to micro manage your spacecraft, enhancing the fire rate of your Gatling guns, or the reach of your lasers, or building a companion drone that repairs the hull of your ship or another that aid to keep your shields up when you’re under heavy fire, or exploring and try to uncover the secrets of some alien artifacts.
And enemy ships are not the only menace here, ‘cause you will eventually have to face the dangers of the Space itself: you will have to take cover from radiation storms, or fly through asteroids fields, or fight against the gravity of black holes, or avoid electric fields, and you’ll even find yourself in a sector very close to a star, so you have to fight and scavenge while your hull integrity slowly decreases.
Plus, every run is different since the sectors are procedurally generated.
There’s plenty to do and have fun with, you will not be disappointed with this game, I assure you.
If you have seen me comment on this site, you probably know I am not a fan of mobile game ports. BUT, I am a massive sci-fi fan and this game hits me in the exact right spot that I might take a chance despite its roots being tied to mobile gaming.
Wow, this looks really good, can't wait
Wow man, this one looks a real blast!
I'll grab you as soon as it reach the eShop: great visuals, roguelite, SHMUP... i mean, just tell me where I have to put my money
@Shiryu Sorry for the late reply but thanks for the new video! This game looks so fun. I hope it runs well on Nintendo Switch!
@Dpullam Me too, I want to see some sort of magic being done in our humble system to make this one run.
As a massive Elite fan, I'm really looking forward to this, if only for the differences, a more arcade based style to combat will be welcome. If this turns out as good as it looks then it will be a day 1 purchase for me
@Shiryu Thanks for posting this — I keep coming back to check for updates on this game's progress to Switch. It is looking so awesome and I cannot wait to play it!
@Alto Still looking into some solid news on this.
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