Space station social media game Redshirt is up for preorder and beta access

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A new trailer for Redshirt is out to celebrate the game's launch to open beta, featuring an oh-so-soothing public announcement voice assuring you that you are in no way doomed to a swift and violent death. As a game, it looks fascinating. As a parody of sci-fi tropes, it looks top-notch.

There are too many references to great sci-fi shows to name them all, and listing them all would really suck the fun out of it. Just for one example, the job listing page features references to Star Trek: The Next Generation (position filled: mysterious, yet wise, bartender), Red Dwarf (position available: hull paintwork supervisor), and Star Trek: Voyager (position available: holographic medical technician's assistant). All of this scrolls by in about three seconds, and the whole trailer is like that.

When developer Cliff Harris spoke to Cara back in May , he mentioned that the game is a “disempowerment fantasy.” You use the space station's social media network to schmooze and beg your way to a behind-the-scenes job as the commander's assistant. This is a great way of exploring the machinations of people who are not likely to be the heroes of any story, and it's a mechanic that we haven't seen very often before.

Redshirt is due out sometime this year, but it you can preorder it right now to get immediate access to the beta build.