Space Punks creators promise “very explosive” action and “unlimited hours of fun”

With open and closed beta periods expected soon, ahead of a full release later down the line, Space Punks is quite far along in development. So it shouldn’t be too long before you’re able to try it out yourself!

RadioTimes.com has played an early access build of the game already, and we spoke over Zoom with two of its main developers. Keep on reading to find out what we’ve learned about the game!

What is Space Punks?

Space Punks is a gun-toting, spacefaring action RPG that is designed with four-player online co-op in mind, although you can play it solo if that’s your cup of tea.

The game’s lead programmer, Flying Wild Hog’s Dawid Romanowski, tells us that the initial idea for Space Punks was to bring the company’s “very dynamic, very action packed, very explosive” trademark tendencies into an online multiplayer game that can support new content for years to come.

Although the exact specifics of the Space Punks story haven’t yet been revealed, Game Director Michal Kuk does tell us that tonally “it's all about the subculture about punks, about being a rebel misfit, someone who does things as he wants, and wherever he wants.”

We know that the game takes place from a top-down perspective, with players visiting a number of unique planets – each with their own look, feel and enemy types - as they attempt to complete objectives, search for loot and fight through crowds of enemies. Between missions, you’ll visit a space station where you can buy new gear, change your outfits, swap between characters, pick up missions from NPCs and even craft your own stuff.

How long is Space Punks?

Touching on the scope and ambition behind Space Punks, Kuk adds: “Basically, we proved that we're pretty good at delivering really good solo experiences with our previous games like Shadow Warrior and Hard Reset.

“So at some point, we figured, 'Okay, so now we're pretty good at delivering good second to second, hour to hour [experiences], what if we want to do something above that? Something like day to day, month to month, and maybe even year to year?’ So that was the spark that that gives us this idea.” This is why Jagex, who recently celebrated the 20-year anniversary of RuneScape (which continues to add new content), felt like perfect partners.

Asked how many hours of content will be in Space Punks at launch, Kuk says, “I think it's a hard question, because it really, really depends on the person who's playing. Because some players can spend 12 hours per day playing the game, and the rest of them, way less.

“But it's really important to know that the way we're designing the game is to support those daily sessions, which is to say, basically, every single day you log in the world needs you to do something, to rescue someone, to help with something. So basically, we're aiming to have unlimited hours of fun.”

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How many playable characters are in Space Punks?

In the early access build of Space Punks that we’ve played, there are four playable characters that you can pick from, and you can switch characters between each mission.

Those characters are Duke (a human male with a similar vibe to the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord), Bob (a skinny alien with an awkward personality), Eris (a human female that excels at close-quarters combat) and Finn (a walking, talking pig).

Asked to pick a favourite, Romanowski says: “I always play as Eris, all the time. She's the one we want to be an in your face character, one that just destroys everything in her path.”

Kuk picks a different fave, telling us, “My favourite one is Duke, absolutely. He's a mid-range, long-range guy. From time to time, he wants to jump into the battle. But most of the time he wants to stick in the back using his mid-range and long-range skills.”

Although we haven’t seen any cut-scenes yet, we have played with each of these characters. They’re all fully voice-acted and dispense quips as you run around the map, trying to avoid the sizeable hordes of foes. Bob, who looks like he belongs in the background of a Men In Black film, is our personal favourite so far.

There will be multiple skins for each character, as well as skill trees and new special attacks to unlock. Every weapon you collect can be used by any character you like, as long as they’re at a high enough level to wield it. Take a look at the trailer below to see these characters in action...

What is the Space Punks gameplay like?

Crowd control is a key aspect of the gameplay, with hordes of enemies – both mechanical and organic – presenting lots of challenges as you run around the map and try to achieve your goals. There might be a specific enemy you need to kill to finish a mission, or a power source you might need to destroy, but there will almost always be multiple pesky enemies trying to stop you.

Romanowski says of the gameplay, “Since we're making a top-down game, which is really fast-paced and really explosive, restricting the player - with enemies, or with things that damage him or are general hazards, from every direction - creates the situation that we needed. In the game, basically, the player has to think where he's going and react to the things that occur around him.”

Kuk adds, “And also, one of our core pillars for the game is being over the top. Because being over the top is part of our Flying Wild Hog DNA, which you can feel all across our games. So in this game, being over the top means also fighting with hordes of enemies. That's our idea. And basically, it's good to play with your friends. So you're not overwhelmed with the amount of enemies and there's always someone at your back that can help you.”

If you’re trying to go it alone, you’ll have to get creative, and you’ll probably find yourself dodging, dashing and sprinting to try to find space for yourself. Bob, handily, has a turret you can deploy – it’s a literal life-saver for solo players. “Bob is the best for solo missions,” Romanowski agrees, “but when we get to the harder stages of the game, I think a combination of Bob and Eris is really lethal. They can really do a lot together.”

When is the Space Punks release date?

An early access PC build of Space Punks will launch exclusively on the Epic Games Store on 14th July 2021. Jagex’s Jon Goddard tells us, “It’s free to play, but there will be founders packs available that guarantee participation in early access.”

Looking further ahead, Goddard says the team is aiming to host a wider open beta in “winter sometime, and then console sometime in 2022. But more details on that later this year.”

The build we’ve played is an older one, compared to the one that’s launching on Epic Games Store soon, but it still gave us plenty to be excited about. We’ll be sure to bring your more coverage as the full Space Punks release nears!

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