Dorfromantik developer unveils new space game Star Birds
Magpie in the sky.
The maker of superb village builder Dorfromantik has lifted the lid on its next game, Star Birds.
Unveiled at the PC Gaming Show this evening, Toukana Interactive's new space puzzler is being made in collaboration with German YouTube science channel Kurzgesagt: In a Nutshell, who are providing the cheerful, cartoon visual style for this asteroid-themed base builder.
Designed to offer a "fresh and accessible" approach to resource management games, Star Birds is all about helping its titular avian explorers establish a thriving mining empire on as many asteroids as they can sink their beaks into. The asteroids in question will be procedurally-generated, and you'll need to work around their unique shapes, sizes and terrains in order to tap the precious materials they hide beneath the surface.
This involves building all kinds of whimsical-looking contraptions, connecting them up with cables and pipes, and keeping them powered by hooking them up to various energy sources - I spied generators and solar panels to name but two of these in the reveal trailer (above), but these machines will no doubt evolve over time as you start to gain access to bigger and better technologies.
You'll also need to look after your birds' various needs and wants as your enterprise starts to grow (rocket-fuel fatballs, anyone?), and from the looks of the reveal trailer, there will be larger mysteries to solve along the way, too.
Toukana say Star Bird's resources and production processes have all been inspired by real science - no doubt informed by Kurzgesagt's expert knowledge on the subject - but you won't need a degree in rocket science to have a good time with it (looking at you, Kerbal Space Program). Rather, the aim is to hopefully teach us something as we get to grips with its colourful building tools, and to pique our interest about the stars above us.
Star Birds is scheduled to launch on Steam in 2025.