Space Haven explores the final crowdfunding frontier
Oxygen, good. Alien insects, bad.
Colony-ship management sim Space Haven claims to be inspired by Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress and Oxygen Not Included, but the game I'm most reminded of is the eternally anarchic Space Station 13. Being developed by Bugbyte and crowdfunding on Kickstarter (though nearly 200% funded after just a few days), it's a single-player game about building a spaceship and surviving after Earth dies. Players will decide whether their wandering little space-tribe become pirates, slavers, alien-hunters or just plain heroic sorts, and try to keep the oxygen flowing. See the trailer below.
There seems to be a little bit of every other space management sim mixed in with Space Haven, from Rimworld to FTL. On top of more sedate management and construction duties, some ship roles will call for away teams to be armed and sent to derelicts, or for your ship to be armed well enough to tussle with others. The ship simulation seems nicely detailed, reminding me of Space Station 13's almost excessive realism - oxygen and CO2 levels are tracked for each area, as are heat and cold. Needless to say, a punctured hull means less air and more cold, and is best avoided.
So far, the Kickstarter has gone well for Bugbyte. In six days, they've shot well past their basic funding target of $40,000, and if they hit $80k (which they're just shy of) they'll add an additional play-mode, letting players manage their own space station instead of just a ship. If they hit that, they've got another possible goal in mind, but won't be unveiling it until they're ready. Still, it's the spacefaring core of the game that has me most interested, with players trading, fighting and exploring on a macro level as they customise the ship itself and settle disputes between its simulated crew.
If all goes to plan and nobody gets vented out the airlock, Space Haven is due for launch next February, with the first alpha builds going out this April, and a Steam early access debut by year's end. $20 (roughly £15) put down on the Kickstarter will get you a copy of the game when it's done. You can also find the game here on Steam.