Early access space sandbox game looks to offer interstellar exploration and creative freedom, taking notes from popular games like Starfield and No Man's Sky. Space exploration has been a staple of the gaming industry since the early days, evolving from its roots in games like Asteroids to full-scale epics like Starfield. Many have looked to push the boundaries of what space exploration can be within video games, featuring entire star systems and universes for players to explore. Now, a new Steam game looks to be following in the footsteps of space sim greats.

While "sandbox" games have been around for quite some time, recent years have seen an explosion in popularity for the creative-focused genre. Games like Minecraft and Roblox have helped to push the boundaries of sandbox games, using procedural generation to craft seemingly endless worlds for players to explore. Many modern online games also feature extensive modding communities, with popular titles like Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto giving fans the tools to make their own content. Archean is now bringing its own unique spin to space sandbox games.

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Archean's Early Access page on Steam promises players freedom in both building and exploration within the game. Players are thrust into the "Archean era" of world history, tasked with gathering resources and building everything from vehicles to uranium power supplies. Archean also offers a "full scale space sim" with players able to build spaceships and travel around to other planets, featuring "realistic physics and orbital mechanics." A full release date has not yet been confirmed through Archean's Early Access page.

Archean's Steam page gives an idea of what developers batcholi and FloDKSM have in store for the game's future. Some new features planned for the game's beta test include everything from PvP content and a "Survival" game mode to a "full scale solar system" for players to explore. The developers also share that exploration is intended to be a major focus for the game's future updates, incentivizing players to traverse the universe beyond their starting planet. Steam features a demo for players to try out Archean for free, with the early access version priced at $19.99 USD.

Archean's early access release aims to set some lofty ambitions as the game stacks up against other icons of the space exploration genre. No Man's Sky has received regular updates from developer Hello Games since its rocky launch, continually improving the game over its nearly ten-year-long life. Rumors have also heavily suggested that Starfield may be coming to PS5 this year, potentially making an appearance at next month's Xbox Games Showcase. Archean's Steam debut looks to provide hours of space exploration fun for fans giving the game a try.

Valve

September 12, 2003

Steam

N/A

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