Star Citizen video shows spaceships exploding spectacularly

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According to an ancient scientific study, the awesomeness of a spaceship can be measured by how spectacularly it explodes. Given Star Citizen's status as the most ambitious space sim in development it needs to observe this widely-held truth – and judging from the video above, it does.

The clip above is a small segment from a recent – and much longer – Star Citizen showcase video. RSI explosions expert Matthew Intrieri talks us through the spectacle, pointing out that explosions aren't just a puff of effects over a damaged spacecraft – they're actually dynamic events.

"We're making these effects systemic," Intrieri said. "We're gonna motivate these effects through the components on the ship. Literally, what we see in the video is electrical feedback, small explosions, and then a wait, and then a kaboom!"

A kaboom indeed.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.