In my previous coverage of sci-fi sandbox Avorion, I praised the endless spaceship and weapon customization options, while also criticizing the lack of story and quest disclosure on the Kickstarter page. Since then, I’ve reached out to Avorion’s main developer, Konstantin Kronfeldner, to address some of my concerns regarding storyline, quests and the game’s uniqueness.

One of the questions Konstantin gets asked the most is: what makes Avorion different than other successful space sims like StarMade and SpaceEngineers? Well, for one, Avorion isn’t just a building game where you fly around in a spaceship, it’s a sandbox game like “X or Freelancer” that features a fully customizable, buildable ship. It features building, flying, combat and exploration all wrapped up in one innovative sci-fi sandbox. It may not yet match X or Freelancer in depth or scope, but that’s what Konstantin and all the developers behind Avorion are aiming for.

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At the beginning of Avorion, players are introduced to a galaxy overridden by “strange subspace rifts”, with rumors that an “unknown alien race” has been spreading from the center of the galaxy and is working its way out, making life amongst the stars uninhabitable. A “new mysterious element” called “Avorion” has simultaneously entered the fray, “this is the final material that players will be able to build ships with.” The player’s job is to get to the center of it all (pardon the pun), and get rid of the aliens one way or another. The plot is meant to be a “driving factor” that will pull players closer and closer to the core of the galaxy, as the gameplay gets tougher and also more “rewarding”—stronger enemies, better crafting materials and weapons, etc.

Players will also have to face off against several bosses as they near the center of the galaxy. The first one will “most likely be a ‘local’ pirate captain who is raiding freighters.” Another boss will be stationed in front a wormhole that the player must enter to “overcome the subspace rifts.”

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Certain side quests will be the “standard” escort or fly someone somewhere, collect loot, or destroy pirate bases etc. Those are the quests that “will be meant to give players quick means to make some money when they need it.” On top of that, there will be unique quests: Konstantin described to me a specific example where “an alleged scientist [has] developed a new ship block that the player has to test; [the scientist] will add the block to the player’s ship and the player then has to test out the effects in the field, and its results won’t be very predictable.”

…it feels very smooth and satisfying to cruise through Avorion’s gargantuan galaxy in my tiny spaceship

After spending an hour or so with the demo, I will note it feels very smooth and satisfying to cruise through Avorion’s gargantuan galaxy in my tiny spaceship. So far, the game has raised approximately one-third of the €15,000 it’s asking for, with little over a week to go. You can download the demo on Avorion’s Kickstarter page, and track its progress on our Campaign Calendar.

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About the Author

Felix Wong

Felix spent a large chunk of his youth behind a 24 inch monitor and intends to do the same with the rest of his adult life. For reasons still unbeknownst to friends and family, he decided to eschew a more conventional career path to instead become a guy who writes about video games for cash and coin.

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