Since the cult classic space exploration video game FTL was released, there have been more than a few homages to the title created. Oleg Kazakov is going one step further with his upcoming project, Galaxy Squad.
Arriving on Steam Early Access in November, Kazakov has described his game as a combination of FTL and X-COM. From the looks of it, Galaxy Squad certainly fits that bill. Earlier this week, the developer officially unveiled his new work in progress while adding it will be hitting early access in November.
Along with the game announcement he’s made a few videos and images public and so far it appears he’s staying true to his inspiration. While the graphics aren’t quite as sharp as what you’re going to see in the AAA X-COM, they have their own interesting appearance that can still draw in someone looking for a different type of space exploration game.
Galaxy Squad and the Meshing of Two Popular Titles
A deeper look at the materials presents shows Kazakov isn’t kidding when he says he’s developing a kind of amalgamation of his two favorite titles. You can certainly see the X-COM like interior setups, movements and even the ability to change up what your squad is going to look like and what kind of weapons they’ll be carrying into battle.
There’s also the space exploration aspect of Galaxy Squad that can, at times look like a dead ringer for FTL. While there is still a long waiting period before anyone is going to be able to get their hands on this title, it’s pretty clear it’s gotten off to a very good start.
Because we aren’t going to be getting our hands on even an early access copy for another few months, Kazkov was willing to share a few details on Reddit. Perhaps the most important is that this is a one-man operation.
The developer has said that the November early access on steam is going to be followed by a full release sometime in 2019, but he’s obviously not willing to pin down a date next year just yet.
When asked what kind of price tag he’s looking at, he’s said it will likely be in the $8-$10 range. From what’s been shown so far, that seems like a more than fair price tag.
If there is one drawback to what has been shown and said about Galaxy Squad so far, it’s that it won’t be having any ship-to-ship battles. While the travel system looks remarkably similar to FTL, Kazakov has said at the moment he’s focusing on the ground battles.
He’s also leaving breathing room for changes on those plans as the development moves forward. Kazakov has already admitted he’s likely going to be making some tweaks to the UI and will look to bring Galaxy Squad to more platforms than just Windows PC.
For now, the title is little more than a tantalizing peek at what could be, but if you’re someone who has the patience for early access titles, Galaxy Squad appears to be worth a look come November.
