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Exoplanet: First Contact

Platform(s): PC
Genre: RPG/Action
Developer: Alersteam
Release Date: 2023

About Rainier

PC gamer, WorthPlaying EIC, globe-trotting couch potato, patriot, '80s headbanger, movie watcher, music lover, foodie and man in black -- squirrel!

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'Exoplanet: First Contact' Kickstarter Reaches 50%, Stretch Goals Unveiled

by Rainier on Aug. 25, 2015 @ 2:05 a.m. PDT

Exoplanet: First Contact is a single-player, story-driven, third-person, action RPG set in a space Western universe.

You are Jack Sharp, a daring adventurer, stranded on a dangerous, wild planet known as K’Tharsis. K’Tharsis is a former mining outpost, gradually becoming a ghost colony as the Antigravium Crystal Rush is over and the inhabitants struggle for survival.

There’s a constant struggle for existence on K’Tharsis as desert raiders, runaway slaves and the original natives are always thirsty for blood. They fight the normal people and aliens who live safely behind the walls of the settlements and the last corporate enclaves. There is only one guarantee, and it’s that not everyone is going to survive.

Within Exoplanet, there’s a good balance between classic “shoot-em-up” style gaming, and exploration. There’s a rich set of charismatic characters to meet, many of them based on cult personalities from Western movies with their own motives and hidden secrets. By talking to non-player-characters and listening to the dialogs you will be able to find new, more profitable ways to solve quests, but you will also be able to unearthen treasure as you will be able to influence them. The inhabitants of K'tharsis have their own background, motives, problems, quirks, and their own story to tell. Play your cards right, and they might even warn you on upcoming assassination attempts.

The team behind Exoplanet took their inspiration from classic games such as Fallout, TESIII Morrowind, Gothic, and the Firefly TV-series. Combining all of these, they defined Exoplanet as a space western universe, where the protagonist benefits from cybernetic augmentations and hoverbikes, but is still very reliant on his ever trusty revolver.

Alersteam has reached more than 50% mark of the initial Exoplanet: First Contact kickstarter goal already, and introduce you some updates, tell more about K’Tharsis and stretch goals (character background options, customize your ship, random map encounters).

Exoplanet will also introduce innovative elements of survival to give the player a more immersive experience. If you choose to turn these options on, Jack will need sleep, food and water to be able to survive. Not having enough of either will affect his physical and mental condition! So make sure Jack roasts plenty of bitebugs and juicy hornhog steaks to keep it healthy, ready to take on the next bandits!

You can unlock a number of special skills and upgrades. With the perks on Kickstarter, you can already unlock some very special skills, which will not only increase the information you can gather, but they will also give some new options for solving quests. It won’t affect the balance or the overall gameplay.

These are a few of our game changing perks:

  • Silver tongue - You have a way with words and you can talk yourself out of many dangerous situations. Got caught stealing an apple? Make a joke out of it! Be mindful of how you use your silver tongue though, as not everyone will enjoy a compliment on their haircut. Catch someone in bad mood, and things could escalate quickly.
  • Chameleon skin - An alien-tech nanopolymeric cover spreads over your entire body and your equipment, making you one with the environment. It doesn’t grant you 100% invisibility, but it will lower the possibility of visual detection. You’ll be able to creep up to your enemies and do your worst whilst remaining undetected.
  • Tactical Scanner - With the implanted tactical scanner, you can find and identify items such as collectibles, explosive containers, switches and wires. It can also be used to find and track living creatures. Once upgraded, you’ll be able to identify the threat level of your enemies and their weapons and armour, even when they’re in covers.
  • Master of bugs - you’ll inherit the knowledge from the local hunters. Venomous bitebugs can be caught and stored in your bag. You can even use them as a grenade when in a tricky situation. Combining the bugs with tech, you’ll be able to create remote controlled weaponized drones.
  • Quick Draw - Through a course of medical procedures and military training, you’ll reach superhuman reflexes and coordination skills. You’ll use “bullet time”, slowing down the world around you, when it’s time to draw your weapon.

Exoplanet: First Contact will be the first Chapter, the major part of the Exoplanet’s Universe. It will tell you the story of Jack Sharp, his appearance on the planet and the discovery of one of the most extraordinary mysteries of K’Tharsis. Future Chapters will discover new adventures of Jack and his friends on this and other planets. Every backer of Exoplanet:First Contact will be provided with exclusive discounts for all future Chapters as they are the people who helped bring Exoplanet’s universe to life.

Developing an RPG the scale of Exoplanet usually takes two to three years. We don’t want our backers to wait that long, so we are releasing fully developed chapters.

The core gameplay mechanics are already up and running, and we have already completed large amounts of pre-production. This enables us to work with iterations which we refer to as Chapters. Each chapter contains a significant narrative sequence with clear goals, critical decisions and visible consequences. Each chapter represents approximately ten hours of gameplay, not counting the side-quests or the additional exploration you can do.

Thanks to the chapters, we can release faster updates incorporating your feedback, making both the first chapter, and the next even better.

They developed their own proprietary game technology called the Sahara Engine to enable more flexibility. This also allows for community driven development. Gamers can improve on the game, or develop their own missions. Through the modkit, they will even be able to create their own spinoffs of the game.


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