This is one of the most wonderful combinations of games, influences, and broader gaming culture that you’re likely to see in 2024, a surprise nexus point of classic and contemporary PC history all rolled into a superb-looking new space game. It starts with Freelancer, the much-loved dogfight and trading simulation from 2003, originally conceived by Chris Roberts – that’s the same Chris Roberts behind Roberts Space Industries and Star Citizen. Combine that with Starfield, or more precisely, some of our disappointments regarding Starfield, and then introduce one of the most defining and iconic Skyrim mods of all time. This is a new space game that serves as a spiritual successor to Freelancer. But its inspirations and influences are much more widely spread.
This is Underspace, a new RPG and space game developed by Kevin ‘Trainwiz’ Brock. Now, that time might ring a distant bell – or rather, pull an ominous, steadily getting nearer steam whistle. Brock is the creator of arguably the greatest Skyrim mod in history, ‘Really Useful Dragons,’ aka the one that turns all the dragons into characters from Thomas the Tank Engine. Underspace is his personal spiritual successor to Freelancer, and it feels like a sweeter, smarter, deeper version of Starfield.
68 enemy types. 45 sidequests. More than 500 different equipment types to customize your ship. A universe that is fully, seamlessly explorable, composed of 114 star systems. Underspace could be the space RPG game we’ve been waiting for since Freelancer. You can play as a miner, picking clean the wrecks of abandoned star freighters, or perhaps a pirate, liberating other space users of their valuable cargo. The hunter is perhaps the most intriguing class, as you set out to locate and eliminate Lovecraftian horrors which, in some cases, are bigger than entire planets.
Star systems are totally handcrafted and you can choose from more than 60 ships. If you’re playing as a completionist, Brock and publisher Camlann Games say Underspace will run a huge 300 hours. If you’ve been waiting for a sprawling space opera, inspired by a true classic of PC gaming, and covering some of the gaps left by Starfield, Underspace arrives on Steam Early Access on Wednesday April 10. You can find it right here.
In the meantime, check out some of the best simulation games, or maybe the best sandbox games available on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.