Earlier this year, two of the founders of Runic Games - the studio behind action-RPG Torchlight and veterans who worked on Blizzard’s Diablo franchise - left the company to start a new game development studio, Double Damage Games.
Now, Double Damage has announced Rebel Galaxy - a new brand of space adventure set to be released for PC, PS4 and “maybe” Xbox One in 2015.
Rebel Galaxy is a space-based MMO which will allow players to explore a galaxy or two, collect artifacts, tools and spend hours blowing up other ships. Rebel Galaxy is set to include real-time battles, exotic worlds to explore and giant metal-box like ships with huge cannons.
Players will be able to carve out their own destiny by aligning themselves with various factions or be alone wolf in a big galaxy. Rebel Galaxy draws on previous space adventures titles for inspiration, while adding its own spice of originality to the mix. It has the freedom of Firefly with the firepower of Wing Commander. Its also reminiscent of Star Wars, but without the silly Jedi code of nonaggression.
The trailer begins with the twang of guitar note similar to the theme from Firefly. Dialogue appears on the screen and an alien voice is heard in speaking in a gibberish language. The alien speaks of the danger lurking in the galaxy and offers protection, for a price. Dialogue options appear and with blatant cockiness the alien is told to “Suck it, You Fish-Faced Freak!“
Towards the end, a montage of ships is seen flying through space blowing shit up, as rock music plays in the background. The trailer finishes with the phrase “outnumbered doesn’t mean outgunned.”
In a post on the official Rebel Galaxy website, the devs described Rebel Galaxy as: “a swashbuckling space adventure, with action-packed combat, exploration, discovery, trade, and “negotiation” with the outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe.”
“As the commander of an immensely powerful star destroyer, you’ll battle pirates, explore anomalies, befriend aliens, scavenge battle wreckage, mine asteroids, and discover artifacts”, the post goes on to say. “Choose your path as a roguish do-gooder, crafty space-trader or power-hungry privateer – or maybe a little of each! Buy larger and more powerful craft with your hard-earned credits, and outfit them with a variety of wicked weapons and defenses. Set in a galaxy of fantastic sights, and secrets to be found, Rebel Galaxy is above all a space epic of adventure, exploration, and combat.”
No concrete gameplay details beyond what’s described in the announcement are yet known, but the announcement is sure to catch people’s attention. Torchlight 2 sold over 2 million copies on PC, and for good reason: David Ochart wrote about Torchlight 2 for us back in February this year, awarding it an impressive 9/10 in his retrospective review.
