Galak-Z gameplay video — PAX Prime 2014 demo with Jake Kazdal

Last weekend, I sat down with 17-BIT CEO/Creative Director/Art Director Jake Kazdal at PAX Prime to see Galak-Z, a top-down space combat game with procedurally-generated levels, Newtonian physics (think Asteroids), and anime-inspired animation.

Though Kazdal calls Galak-Z a "roguelike," he tells me that death in a mission doesn't reset all progress. Completing all missions in a 'season' unlocks the next, with a total of six seasons that tell Galak-Z's story. Aside from those Macross-style explosions and Kazdal's precision thruster maneuvers, the enemy AI is Galak-Z's most interesting quality—watch the demo below for examples of how to ambush ships and use their enemies against them.

Galak-Z will release on PS4 first, but it's coming to Steam shortly after—"before spring" of next year, says Kazdal.

Absorb all of our stories from PAX Prime . This week, we'll be giving away an ASUS ROG GL551 laptop signed by everyone we interviewed at the show.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.