Teardown

Tuxedo Labs has delivered an enticing playground of destruction with Teardown, which lets you lose in complex levels with nothing but a set of tools and your imagination to pull off heists with increasing difficulty. The game features fully destructible environments with physics properties, and the game encourages you to smash walls and blow up stuff to chart the most efficient path to your objective and back to the starting point. The voxel based art style might look primitive at first, but it has its own distinct charm that will slowly grow on you as you spend more time with the game.

The standard edition of Space Engineers on PS4 and PS5 will include only the base game, while the ultimate edition will feature all DLC that has been released for Space Engineers since its original PC release, adding over 150 new blocks and more than 20 skins, among other additions.

Pre-ordering either one of the editions on PS4 or PS5 will also get players the Automatrons DLC as a free bonus. The PlayStation release of the game will also feature full crossplay, and will be compatible with multiplayer on the PC and Xbox versions of the Space Engineers as well.

Space Engineers has been available on PC and Xbox for a while, with the Xbox versions having been released two years ago. The PC version of the game has been available since 2019.

METROID PRIME

Nintendo’s seminal Metroid series has always seen us explore wondrous and unearthly alien vistas, and Metroid Prime was no exception to that rule. As the game that took the series to 3D, in fact, it presented us with more starkly realized alien landscapes than any game in the series has before. Tallon IV is a beautiful, desolate planet haunted by the remnants of the Chozo, and as you dig deeper into its secrets, you find threats hitherto undreamt of. There are many reasons to play a game as stellar as Metroid Prime, but the star of the show is the world it has you explore – few outer space games have achieved a setting as rich or as well realized as Metroid Prime did.

"The support from the fans has been amazing, and we are constantly surprised and blown away by the creations and the things modders put out there."

Space Engineers has been around for quite a while, from its early access release to community modding and now plans for an Xbox One release. How has the journey been thus far?

Lots of things have happened since the Early Access launch in October 2013. We outgrew two offices, the team tripled in size, wereleased Medieval Engineers, sold more than 1,6 million copies of Space Engineers, and we celebrated our second birthday with the release of one of the most requested community features yet, the planets. So far, we’ve had a great run and the future looks bright.

What changes has Space Engineers gone through in the past two years? How has community feedback helped shape the current vision for the product and where do you see the game going in the next few years?

In Keen Software House we always put community in first place. The support from the fans has been amazing, and we are constantly surprised and blown away by the creations and the things modders put out there – not to mention the daily help that many of our players provide by reporting bugs that they find in the game. There are also features and content implemented into the game after feedback or demand, such as the recently added Planets. Even some of our colleagues have come to us directly from the community. We tend not to disclose our future plans so we can surprise our fans and players with new features and content, but you will hear about some of the upcoming updates early next year as we enter the third year of development for Space Engineers.

We’ve seen a ton of different sandbox games in the past few years, especially those that use voxels. How has the VRAGE 2.0 engine facilitated the usage of voxels, especially when it comes to maintaining Space Engineers in the long run?

Our voxel technology has been the backbone of our proprietary VRAGE engine since the beginning and we are still improving its quality and optimizing the speed of algorithms. We switched from Marching cubes to dual contouring, made voxel calculation parallel, and finally we can now support huge voxel volumes like Planets.

"We are aiming for the best visual fidelity and performance but at this point it is really hard to make any promises [for Xbox One]."

Space Engineers recently introduced Planets for players to explore with three planets currently available. What are your plans for future Planets and how do you go about designing each of them? What factors do you have to keep in mind?

The amount of feedback after the release of Planets was overwhelming, and the next day someone spawned two planets side by side. We encourage creators to push the boundaries of what is possible to create in our game with our technology, and we are planning to support them with the release of “how to” guides that will help them modify the current planets and moons or create completely new ones quickly and easily.

In our last interview we asked you about the resolution and the frame rate that the game will run on the Xbox One. Is the game finally going to run at 1080p and 60fps?

It is too soon to talk about the final specification for the Xbox One build since it is still in development. We are aiming for the best visual fidelity and performance but at this point it is really hard to make any promises.

What are your thoughts on the console’s improvements in the past two years, especially with regards to the SDK’s increased power? Have these helped to benefit the development of Space Engineers in any way?

The current console hardware and SDK helps us create a Space Engineers Xbox One version the way we intended and we would like players to experience.

"Since the beginning, Microsoft has been very supportive. We have received all the necessary support we need, and we maintaina close relationship with them."

Will Xbox One users receive all the existing updates as PC users? Also, how will you handle support across both platforms? Will there be simultaneous updating done?

Our aim is to support Space Engineers on Xbox One post release with regular content and feature updates. We want to offer Xbox One players the same treatment, tools and features that the PC players are getting.

With the support that Microsoft has been receiving for its ID@Xbox campaign, what has it been like for Keen Software House? How has Microsoft helped to facilitate the launch of Space Engineers on Xbox One?

Since the beginning, Microsoft has been very supportive. We have received all the necessary support we need, and we maintaina close relationship with them.

When can we expect the full release of Space Engineers on Xbox One, especially since it’s already been a year since the initial announcement?

We have a mantra in Keen Software House that we don’t disclose anything until we are 100% sure about it. Hopefully in the coming months we will be ready to talk more about the Xbox One version of Space Engineers. Stay tuned!

That remains to be seen but there’s no denying that Space Engineers is one of the few Xbox One exclusive titles to watch out for. GamingBolt recently got in touch with Keen Software house founder Marek Rosa to speak about the game’s development, it’s various modes, the chances of it arriving on the PS4 and much more.

"Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction and maintenance of space works. Players build space ships and space stations of various sizes and utilization (civil and military), pilot ships and perform asteroid mining."

Rashid K. Sayed: To begin with can you tell us about yourself and the company you work for?

Marek Rosa: My name is Marek Rosa and I am the founder of Keen Software House, an indie studio, where we develop Space Engineers and our in-house engine VRAGE 2.0.

Rashid K. Sayed: So for those who are unaware, what is the game about?

Marek Rosa: Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction and maintenance of space works. Players build space ships and space stations of various sizes and utilization (civil and military), pilot ships and perform asteroid mining. In more simple worlds, players can spend hundreds of hours, using their limitless creativity, experimenting with the game’s mechanics, building spaceships, constructing huge space stations or play online together with their friends either cooperating or competing with each other.

Rashid K. Sayed: Space Engineers will be a 12 month exclusive for the Xbox One. I find that news pretty interesting since from a business point of view you would probably like to be on as many platforms as you can, especially with the PS4 selling 10 million units. What was the reason for going console exclusive with Xbox One?

Marek Rosa: Microsoft was one of the first who expressed their big interest in Space Engineers and offered their support from the beginning. We also believe that the game will fit perfect with the XBOX ONE audience since Space Engineers is written in C#/DirectX and porting on Xbox should be easier.

Rashid K. Sayed: Having said that will we see the game on the PS4 at some point?

Marek Rosa: Our focus at the moment is only on the development of the Windows/PC and the XBOX ONE version. Despite that, there are a big number of players who are already requesting us for this. We can’t comment or promise anything now, but it is something that we might consider for the future, not only for the PS4 console, but also for other platforms as well.

"We read all the suggestions that our community is sending and we try to implement what is possible."

Rashid K. Sayed: Space Engineers has a similar look and feel to Habitat and Starbound. How will Space Engineers make itself unique in the ever growing open and persistent world genre?

Marek Rosa: What makes Space Engineers unique comparing to the other games of this genre are its realistic physics and interactivity, the graphics, the focus on the engineering and construction aspects.

Rashid K. Sayed: Talk us through the creative and survival modes.

Marek Rosa: With creative, players have unlimited resources that they can use, together with their creativity, to build anything they like. Survival is more complicated and demanding; players must think about resources, harvest them, collect them, refine them and create materials that are needed to build various constructions and to survive.

Rashid K. Sayed: Furthermore how will the single player narrative play out?

Marek Rosa: We still have many plans and many new features and modes to add in the future, but (please forgive us for this) we can’t share them at the moment. We read all the suggestions that our community is sending and we try to implement what is possible. Don’t forget also that Space Engineers is a sandbox game, so the options for the single-player are unlimited.

Rashid K. Sayed: Will the game run at 1080p and 60fps on the Xbox One?

Marek Rosa: It is still too early in development to be able to comment on this.

Rashid K. Sayed: Furthermore did you face any issues while developing on the Xbox One’s eSRAM?

Marek Rosa: It is still too early in development to be able to comment on this.

"We will continue to develop the game and new features for as long as it is requested by our players."

Rashid K. Sayed: How do you think the latest June SDK update and extra GPU resource due to Kinect less Xbox One will help developers such as yourself?

Marek Rosa: It is still too early in development to be able to comment on this.

Rashid K. Sayed: Can you tell us when will the final retail release happen on PCs and Xbox One?

Marek Rosa: This is something that we can’t announce at the moment. We will continue to develop the game and new features for as long as it is requested by our players.

Rashid K. Sayed: Do you have your plans laid out for post launch content?

Marek Rosa: Not for now, but if there are any new ideas that be implemented in the game after its release, then we can consider doing it.

Rashid K. Sayed: As someone who is working on both the Xbox One and PC, what kind of advantages do you think DX12 will bring to games development?

Marek Rosa: It looks like DX12 will help with the performance

Rashid K. Sayed: Is there anything else you want to tell us about the game?

Marek Rosa: The game itself is just one part of the equation. There is a bigger one and that’s our community who keeps creating amazing and unbelievable stuff in our game (running robots, various mechanical toys, logic gates and more)

During last month’s Gamescom, Microsoft announced that Space Engineers will be coming first to the Xbox One and will be a console-timed exclusive for a full year before it can hit other platforms. GamingBolt got in touch with Marek Rosa who is the founder of  Keen Software House, the developer behind Space Engineers.

The timed exclusivity is pretty interesting since from a business point of view indie developers would probably like to be on as many platforms as possible, especially with the PS4 selling 10 million units which is more than the Xbox One. We asked Marek the reason for going console exclusive with Xbox One. “Microsoft was one of the first who expressed their big interest in Space Engineers and offered their support from the beginning. We also believe that the game will fit perfect with the XBOX ONE audience since Space Engineers is written in C# / DirectX and porting on Xbox should be easier,” Marek said to GamingBolt.

But will we see the game on the PS4 at some point? “Our focus at the moment is only on the development of the Windows/PC and the XBOX ONE version. Despite that, there is a big number of players who are already requesting us for this. We can’t comment or promise anything now, but it is something that we might consider for the future, not only for the PS4 console, but also for other platforms as well.”

That reply sure sounds optimistic and Space Engineers is shaping up to be a pretty solid game. Unfortunately, PlayStation 4 owners have to wait for 12 months after the launch before they can get their hands on it.

But while the game is without a doubt enjoyably overwhelming it did at times feel contradictory to actually being a “game”. I couldn’t tell if I was playing a game or working with a piece of computer software. Thankfully this part of my experience with the game only lasted for the first hour, as I came to grips with the game’s mechanics and how to play.

"However, after a lengthy tutorial and applying what I thought I had learned from that session into the game, I was correct with my initial presumptions about the game but failed to comprehend how much more the game actually offered."

While this didn’t necessarily detract from the experience of being an astronaut, or an engineer in space. It felt more simulation than it did an actual game. Despite my time with the game and the nature of patience that the game requires the large audience that it could potentially gain is one not to be underestimated.

So what is Space Engineers exactly? It’s a game that allows you to build your own space stations, constructs, and space ships, through the means of resource management, quantity, and the requirement of items and tools.

Not only are you asked to manage your resources but the mining of asteroids plays an important role, as does the maintenance of the objects that you construct. Before heading into the game the player is given two choices. A quick start world and a custom world.

"Despite my time with the game and the nature of patience that the game requires the large audience that it could potentially gain is one not to be underestimated."

Now as this is a game based heavily on user-created content the two options here are straight forward in their understanding. Begin building from something that’s been partially created or start from scratch.

Which ever one the player chooses to go with doesn’t affect the experience of gameplay, nor would it affect their perception of the game as almost everything is entirely dependent on you as the player.

Launching into the game from either a third or first person perspective you’ll find yourself with a helmet, a space suit, and a jet pack. You’re also floating in the middle of nowhere with nothing but rocks to admire, and space debris for your viewing pleasure.

One thing that immediately caught my attention was the lack of an end game goal, or some sort of mission log or checklist. This aims to be deliberate as the hints, tips, and tutorial recommendations aim to bring you up to speed with the game’s controls and how to put constructs together within the game.

"You're also floating in the middle of nowhere with nothing but rocks to admire, and space debris for your viewing pleasure. "

Where it would be easy to presume that this is simply another creative building game that revolves around rotating blocks, a Minecraft in space if you will. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Rather than the use of just blocks and obtuse objects, the game delivers more detail with what’s possible to create by utilizing the actual items and tools for construction upon completion of building such constructs.

The game manages to accomplish this without the means of limiting the player or making them feel something isn’t possible with whatever it is they seek to create. The tools, blocks, and items at your disposal are all accessible through an in-game menu that can be assigned to the numeric keys at the top of your keyboard. The need for shortcut keys is welcomed here and would easily cause hassle if it was absent.

Blocks such as thrusters, reactors, cockpits, antennas, passage ways, stairs, spotlights, and beacons are just a sneak peek of the incredible amount of items for the player’s use. As each of these different components contain specific properties it’s important to use them correctly for whatever it is the player may be creating.

"Blocks such as thrusters, reactors, cockpits, antennas, passage ways, stairs, spotlights, and beacons are just a sneak peek of the incredible amount of items for the player's use."

Whether that be a station, ship, cabin, or some kind of landing dock. There’s a breath of detail and specifics for the use-case and requirements for each of the components in the game. One thing the game achieves so well lies in it’s simplification of how the player would use their blocks and resources.

There’s no real thinking involved in what some may expect from a game that appears to emphasize knowledge of space construction and its assembly. It gives the player illusionary power, that they’re familiar with space construction through the use fancy yet familiar words such as reactor, beacon, and satellite.

When infact, it’s all been simplified and streamlined so that you can just build and put your creative visions in to practice. This is where Space Engineers works so well and delivers in presenting enjoyability and freedom, and it gets away with doing so as there’s no other game within the same theme as Space Engineers that uses similar game mechanics.

Space Engineers is best thought of as the hippie love child of Minecraft and Darkout. Where it expands on these two games however is the actual use for what you are able to build. You’re not building ships and stations just to watch them cast a shadow and a fancy view in front of a star. You’re piloting these ships and playing with the terminals for whatever your station’s intended purpose.

"Space Engineers is best thought of as the hippie love child of Minecraft and Darkout. "

Reactors, batteries, generators, and electricity are all playing a crucial role in what the player builds, which is why maintenance is so crucial to your constructs. The creation doesn’t stop with just the construction, And that’s one place in particular where players will find replay value within the game.

The most important thing I found in Space Engineers was the incorporation of multiplayer. The choice to play in single player is there from the start. But should you choose to save one of your created worlds or upload them into multiplayer, you’re welcomed to do so.

Space Engineers is promising. For those into games such as Minecraft or anything that encourages creation and determination Space Engineers delivers on both grounds while taking on a more focused theme, that being one in space.

How the game develops in the future from both the support of the developers as well as the community could only appear to be positive. I look forward to seeing how things progress through the use of user-created content and how popular the game may become.

This game was previewed on the PC.

Microsoft’s Gamescom conference had a fairly healthy indie presence and in addition to many other announced titles, the ID@Xbox initiative introduced some other gems. These include Space Engineers, Super Hot and The Escapists, with the previously announced Below getting another trailer.

Space Engineers is very much like a crafting game except it involves rebuilding space ships and vessels. The Escapists appears to be an 8-bit style puzzle game where you plot your escape along with other prisoners. Meanwhile, Super Hot is perhaps the most interesting addition since it features a world where time moves only when you move. It also wins the award for “Most Annoying Video Game Trailer Gimmick”. Check it out below to see what we mean.

Sadly, Microsoft didn’t date a lot of these ID@Xbox titles so we’ll need to wait for more information on just when we can expect them. Regardless, what did you think of the company’s indie showcase? Let us know in the comments below.