In the long-ago days of the early 1990s, a sci-fi RPG called Star Control II came out on PC and 3DO, and it knocked the socks right off of anyone who played it. Now, the creators of the series are working on a modern sequel called Free Stars: Children of Infinity. This will be the first installment in the series to feature 2-player online co-op, an early stretch goal for the fundraising campaign. The Kickstarter will end on Friday, May 17 at 11 PM PT, and before that happens, it needs more support in order to fund the addition of voice acting. Let's make it happen, co-op lovers!
Wondering why the series is now called Free Stars? That's because Stardock owns the Star Control name. Free Stars is developed by Pistol Shrimp Games, an indie studio made up of many of the creators of the Star Control series.
This sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters will feature:
- Experience a player-centered space saga. Reveal powerful truths about the universe, and an existential threat that can only be stopped by you.
- Command your starship and navigate a living universe packed with story, danger, and mystery.
- Explore hundreds of star systems and thousands of planets overflowing with life, hazards, and discoveries.
- Befriend (or offend) truly alien aliens that will make you laugh, cry, or be very afraid. Sometimes all three!
- Assemble your combat fleet and control over 30 wildly different starships in unique top-down, arcade-style battles.
- Play with friends online, experiencing the story together in co-op, or fighting it out in competitive Super Melee combat.
- Play the way you want. Decide where to go, who to befriend, and how to confront the cosmic threats you face. There are many ways to succeed!
- Return to the Free Stars universe with the long-awaited sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters, embarking on a fresh adventure for fans both old and new.
If the Kickstarter campaign gets just $10K more than it has at the time of this writing, the developers at Pistol Shrimp promise to port the game to Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and Switch consoles. The more people who can play Children of Infinity, the better, so we hope that milestone gets crossed soon.
As for the current stretch goal, at $670,000, the developers will add English voice acting to the game. Voice acting really helped the 3DO version of Star Control II shine, so we hope this one gets there as well. The galaxy is full of distinct and wacky characters...
Update 1: Console ports are officially happening!
Update 2: The Kickstarter reached the voice acting goal! The fundraiser has ended, so now we wait to see what Pistol Shrimp can cook up with the game.
Free Stars: Children of Infinity is available to wishlist on Steam, and will be coming to Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and Switch consoles as well. The game is planned for a 2025 release. In the meantime, you can grab Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters (the open-source Star Control II remake) for free on Steam.