The reboot of the classic sci-fi strategy series Star Control that we first got wind of back in early 2014 is finally starting to come together. Developer Stardock today announced the official title, Star Control: Origins, released a gameplay teaser and some screens, and said that it's expected to be ready for liftoff in 2017.
Star Control: Origins takes place in the year 2086, long before the 27th century setting of the original game. After detecting a distress signal emanating from a spaceship that's crashed on the Neptunian moon of Triton, humanity creates Star Control, "an international space agency dedicated to protecting the Earth." The action begins when you, as the captain of the Earth's first interstellar vessel, are dispatched to investigate the crash site.
"We Earthlings are the newcomers to the galactic scene," executive producer and Stardock boss Brad Wardell explained. "The dozen-plus space-faring species have been hatching their schemes since before we got out of trees. Now, suddenly, they have to deal with those meddling apes from Sol 3 who threaten to upset the plot."
Star Control: Origins "takes place in a living galaxy filled with thousands of unique worlds, many of which are teeming with alien life," the studio said. As with the original trilogy, exploration and interaction with alien races are the central components of gameplay, and in Origins players will be able to land and run around on planets to collect resources, open up quests, and discover artifacts and ship parts. It will also feature a new cast of alien races that players will need to discover and deal with.
The game is currently available for preorder in two "Founders Version" formats, one for $35 and the other, which includes access to all future DLC, the soundtrack, mod tools, and other such things, for $100. Links to those, and more information about Star Control: Origins, are up at starcontrol.com. And if you're interested in how it all got started, the original Star Control games remain available from GOG.
