Pioneer

Old-time readers know I like to follow the game Pioneer. There's something massive and cool about this open-ended space game. It was over a year since the last release, so a lot has happened. There's a new mission, new star systems, new ships, new weapons, new music, new sound effects, overhauled icons, a flyby camera view, improved starfield rendering, audio alarms and so very many other things I could go on the rest of this day. (Read the entire changelog here.) There is also a fun option to remove the UI when taking screenshots, something I can imagine will be useful as the game has many breathtaking views.

Indeed a breathtaking view in Pioneer.

GearHead 1.310

Roguelike mecha role playing game GearHead is getting a new release while development of GearHead 2 advances alongside it. Several improvements have been made. As an example the game now features thinner, nicer looking walls and there have also been some improvements to the UI. This is a rather unique game that seems to have much thought put into it. A tip is to read the instructions a bit down on this page before starting.

GearHeads title screen. Note the nice pixel spaceships in the background.

OpenSWE1R

OpenSWE1R is an open source port of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. This will make it possible to run the game on modern systems and will most likely also support new resolutions and such that the original game didn't. You will still need the original game files though. I have fond memories of playing this on my Dreamcast, so I believe it could be worth a try again.

Azimuth

Azimuth is a really nice looking metroidvania inspired by greats such as Super Metroid. Fly around freely with your ship exploring the insides of a huge planet while fighting enemies and uncovering the story. The game is at version 1.02 and looks really polished, complete with bosses and many other challenges. A genre I really can't get enough of, so this should be worth a try!

Aurora

Aurora is a roguelike space exploration game, in part inspired by Star Control 2. There are loads of features already implemented, incluing randomly generated galaxies, various star systems with planets and ships, simple space combat, planetary exploration, research, a dialogue system, quests, a global story, a diplomacy system and more. It looks really well-made and I appreciate the huge variation in gameplay elements that it's built around.

Planet exploration with combat in Aurora.

FAR Colony

FAR Colony is a space strategy game that can be played both in realtime or in a turn based fashion, depending on what the player prefers. It's complex and in-depth game where lots of thought has got into every part. I have mentioned it a few times before, but it was quite a while ago now so I thought it deserved a heads-up. Development still seems very active, with something new almost every week. If you are looking for a really grand space strategy game, this might be where to look!

An overview of a settlement in FAR Colony, showing a Nuclear Fission Reactor.

KKnD - Milestone 0.1.0

When I last mentioned OpenRA I also mentioned a recreation of the excellent classic RTS KKnD based on the OpenRA engine. This project has since then put out it's first milestone: 0.1.0. As the developers mention in the release notes, this is an early version focusing on the first KKnD game and multiplayer gameplay. Single-player will have to wait a bit longer. KKnD is also a game that has non-free assets, so you need to own the original game or be content with the demo. Please read the text from the release page above before downloading, and then: have fun!

A big battle between two bases in this KKnD remake!

Unvanquished - 0.51

After several years it seems Unvanquished is still alive and well, and proves this with an enormous new release! In case you missed it, Unvanquished is a tactical shooter with base-building elements where a team of humans fight against a team of aliens. Each team has completely different gameplay styles, creating some very interesting dynamics and variation. It looks really good and plays even better, and this new release has a massive changelog: a new launcher, many gameplay improvements, loads of work on game assets including some new player models, code clean up and performance improvements, lots of work on maps, new and improved sound effects, better bots, etc, etc. It also seems a beta release is near, so this is probably a perfect time to try this excellent and unique shooter!

A new damage indicator is another big improvement in Unvanquished.

Planetary Sanitations Inc.

Planetary Sanitations Inc. is a roguelike dungeon-crawler where you assemble a mech and explore various planets fighting hordes of space monsters, finding loot and using said loot to increase your chances for survival. There are only two missions this far (As of version 0.1), but it has an interesting combat system where the different parts of your mech can be destroyed individually. It's also available for Android besides Linux, Windows and MacOS. Definitely a title I will have to keep track of in the future.

Fighting space bugs in Planetary Sanitations.

Oolite 1.88

Open-ended space opera Oolite has got lots of nice new stuff in it's 1.88 release. Perhaps most noticable are several graphical improvements. The game now has a much improved lighting system, making for some very dramatic and immersive scenes. Planets and atmospheres have also reveived nice improvements and look really pretty. There are also improvements to control, among which is the ability to use up to four joysticks as well as some improvements to AI and scripting. Together with add-ons in the form of expansion packs this can become the space-game of your dreams with a bit of tweaking, so make sure to take a look if it sounds like your thing.

Awwesome new lighting effects shown off in Oolite.

EmptyEpsilon

EmptyEpsilon is a multiplayer starship bridge simulator. Each player takes command of a certain station, such as Helm, Science or Engineering, each having a unique screen with information, controls and functions. There is also a main screen that displays what happens outside the ship. The challenge is coordinating all this, as the players must work together operating the ship to complete various missions. If you have ever watched Star Trek and (like me) dreamt of being captain of your own starship, this is as close as you can get. A very cool simulator with a unique concept and really smart co-op gameplay. An extra cool feature is that one player can act as a game master, controlling the game for the other players, a feature that can be used for cool RPG-like setups. It's also possible to script your own missions. If you have a few interested friends and enough computers this is a must try!

 

The relay officers station from EmptyEpsilon. Only that player sees this screen.

And here is an example of what the main screen displays. All players see this.

Code Clash

Code Clash is a fast-paced strategy game where two teams construct units and try to outwit each others tactics - without controlling the actual units. The game is designed so it can be played anywhere and with anyone, with the computer, phone or tablet placed between both players.

It's also a game I have made myself. :) I recently added the projects source code and art assets under open licenses, so I thought I might as well mention the game here as well. Please let me know what you think!

The middle of a heated battle in Code Clash.

Beyond Dying Skies

Beyond Dying Skies is a 3D FPS-RPG with a futuristic setting, survival elements, crafting, a leveling system and classic skill-based FPS movement, inluding things like jet packs and grappling hooks. It's designed as a single-player experience, which is commendable as many games of this type seem to be multiplayer-focused. This unique genre-blend certainly has some interesting ideas and I was thrilled to read through the description thinking "This sounds really cool!". Development also seems really active. Have a look at some videos here and get the game here.

A glimpse into space from Beyond Dying Skies.

FreeOrion 0.4.8

Master of Orion-inspired FreeOrion has had a new massive release, complete with an enormous changelog! Among the bigger things are many improvements to multiplayer, improvements to the user interface, lots of new gameplay mechanics and game rules, many AI-improvements and much, much more. This is a very polished and enjoyable game, so unless you are daunted by the sheer amount of options and gameplay elements there is a lot of fun to be had.

An overview of the galaxy in FreeOrion.

TripleA

TripleA is a strategy game designed to play as a digital version of the classic Axis & Allies boardgames. It can be played both online, over LAN or single player against AI. There are several maps included, focusing on everything from World War 2 to the Napoleonic Wars, even including several futuristic and fantasy scenarios. It's possible to create new maps and share them with other players as well. TripleA will probably require a bit of patience but there is certainly a lot to like for those who want to invest time in it. I also must mention that many of the maps looks really good.

The beautiful Napoleonic Empires map from TripleA.

Hexoshi

I'm temporarily stepping away from my usual practice of only featuring games that has a playable release, because Hexoshi looks so cool! Inspired by the fantastic Metroid series of adventure-platformers, Hexoshi will be spanning hundreds of rooms in a huge maze-like world ripe for exploring. Collect artifacts to gain new abilities and reach new areas while fighting hoards of dangerous creatures. Work is currently ongoing for the Milestone 1 release, which shouldn't be too long away and will feature many of the games main features. If you want to support the project, check the crowd-funding campaign, where you can also read more on what's in store for this very interesting Free title.

A screne from Hexoshi, showing some really nice pixel art and character design.

Warzone 2100 - 3.2.3

Soon there will be more updates on this page - there are several new interesting Free game projects I want to mention. But they will have to wait until I have a bit more free time. In the meantime though, here is a small update to the excellent RTS Warzone 2100. Release 3.2.3 is mainly a bug-fix release, but it also adds support for higher levels of anti-aliasing, optimizes graphics and adds some new scripting functions. Also don't forget that this game has excellent modding capabilities with a huge archive of hundreds of interesting addons and maps.

I found this screen in the Warzone 2100 addon archive, from a stat-balancing mod called YAGeSM.

Pioneer - May 2017

And of course, cool and complex open-ended space sim Pioneer deserves a mention now and then. It was a while ago since last time now, so the changelog has really piled up. There seems to be several smart UI improvements, a new ship, a new advice and rumour module, real-time recording of ingame videos, police patrols have been added, etc, etc. Fixes and smaller improvements are even more numerous. Have a look at the details or just go try it!

Looking towards a space station in Pioneer.

OpenRA - 20170421

Classic RTS engine OpenRA, that lets you play Command & Conquer, Red Alert, Dune 2000 as well as several mods, has got a new major release. As always there are balancing fixes and new maps, and new in this release is also HiDPI font rendering and many improvements to the various supported games such as graphical polish in the Dune 2000 mod. The majority of changes in this release however are behind the scenes, preparing for even better modding capabilities as well as support for the newer game Tiberian Sun.

New shroud generating behaviour is another addition in this release.

Birth of the Empires

I have actually covered Birth of the Empires before, but it seems to have got a lot of polish as well as a new homepage since then so I'll mention it again. It's a turn-based strategy game in the 4X genre with a futuristic space-setting. Victory can be achieved both though diplomatic as well as military means and with lots of dynamic factors no two games will be alike. The game looks complex and feature-filled, and I am very impressed with the nice artwork and interface graphics. Fans of classics like Master of Orion should feel right at home.

An example of the great-looking interface in Birth of the Empires.