The game hopes to avoid the conventional, hard sc-fi universe feel. They wanted a more 80’s-style, French sci-fi that was inspired by Moebius and Jean-Claude Mezieres. The main difference being that their sci-fi leans more towards fantasy and magic rather than advanced technology. It is almost a wooden ship exploration feel rather than a hard metallic minimalistic design.
This game brings that style to you, allowing you to have a ship made of more primitive materials. You sail through space with wind-filled sails on a boat made of wood, stone, leather, and gold. This warm fantasy experience is coming to PlayStation VR.
Alongside the more fantasy feel the game’s artists and developers hoped to come up with an exotic look. Taking inspiration from oriental cultures, the game follows the story of the Silk Road focussing on the merchants that travel constantly among the stars. This inspiration gives gamers a unique look into a strange universe as you fight to defend your right to live.
Other than the inspiration fans honestly do not know much else. This does follow many of the themes from past Stardust games, but a new perspective is driving devlopment. It looks as if it is following a new formula with more action-packed gameplay then their other installments.
Although the game does have a mass combat feel fans also are expecting a more close and casual experience. From the other Stardust games, many are discussing the possibility that players can spend some time in towns, tents, and the wild. This gives it a much more open-world experience rather than a clustered single file narrative.
The developers wrote on the PlayStation blog that both dangerous and harmless animals would be in the game. “There are wild creatures in the form of parasites that attack the cargoes and players, but also domesticated animals, which are an essential part of nomadic tribes’ lives, helping to carry belongings,” write the developers.
This game is coming from a small independent studio, so many of the team members took on more than one role. The concept artist was also head of the Sound Design and responsible for building the Artistic Environment and the Music.
This is one of many new VR games coming out this year and next, so fans of the VR experience are in for an exciting time. If you want more information about this game or other upcoming titles, you can watch the entirety of PlayStation’s State of Play online.
