In the year 2199, the universe is at a fragile peace as factions of the Galactic Congress grapple to determine a future for humanity’s space colonies. Seeking to throw these groups into disarray, an underground terrorist sect called Tempest wreaks havoc across the universe. Lead a squad as Captain Christopher Pietham to thwart radical threats and Tempest’s secret plans.

Command Pietham’s squad in tactical turn-based battles across a 15-hour campaign, finding ideal positions to decimate foes in 24 hand-crafted stages complete with destructible cover. Characters aren’t locked into grids, so enemies can stray from cover. Use superior positioning and environmental hazards to gain an advantage and eliminate them from the battlefield.

Fight with more than 30 melee and ranged weapons and unlock new perks by building a reputation with various factions. Seize the power of the Sixth Vowel, a force created by the Movement of Light that allowed humanity’s cosmic expansion to happen. Utilize its abilities to manipulate sound, light, and matter, or wield its fearsome energy against enemies.

A nuanced ideological system tracks narrative decisions and battle actions, affecting relations with characters in both Pietham’s squad and the outside world. Not only does this impact which characters become playable, it also triggers different narrative branches.

The single-player game has core aspects of a classic squad-based tactical RPG but, rather than procedurally-generated missions, each is hand-crafted, non-linear, contains free-form combat, and is revealed based upon the player’s selection of factions, ideology, companions and more. The game must be replayed to experience the entire universe and story. Woven throughout the game is the power of the ‘Sixth Vowel’, which can best be described as humanity’s capacity for altering reality by manipulating sound, light and motion at will.

The console release feature voice-over dialogue and a new narrative-friendly gameplay mode.

“Element Space may be set far in the future but its emphasis on making difficult decisions and camaraderie among friends resonates with us here and now,” said Javier Entelman, CEO, Sixth Vowel. “We’re delighted to partner with Blowfish Studios to bring the game to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and look forward to sharing it with a new audience on March 24.”

Blowfish Studios will showcase the console versions of Element Space and other upcoming titles Feb. 27 – March 1 at PAX East in Boston at booth #29044.

Key Features:

• A story and gameplay where every choice matters. Players’ selection of ideology, faction alliance, squad mate companions and behavior affect the weapon availability, skills, loyalty and the direction the story will take. “We want players to feel the pressure of each decision they make to advance the story,” said Entelman.
• 24 branching hand-crafted missions/submissions. Players experience 8 non-linear missions or submissions each time they play, determined by their choices, for an estimated 12-15+ hours per playthrough.
• 8 faction worlds to explore (+3 non-playable). Each one represents a vastly different culture, agenda and architectural style, making the final game visually rich and diverse. Factions also provide unique bonuses depending upon how well you bond with them.
• 8 potential companions to join you on your mission. Recruit your ‘party of five’ from eight unique squad-mates as you race against time. Each unlocks different stories, weapons and/or specialized combat skills.
• A compelling battle system. Turn-based free-form combinations of movement, skills and attacks enables a unique team-based approach. A selection of 32 melee and ranged weapons, some unlocked based on faction relationships; Companions each have unique skills and develop 2 of 6 archetypes, with no two characters having the same combination; each set of enemies combine their abilities to challenge the player in a new way – all of this combines for complex combat and high replay-ability.

Currently available for PC (Steam), Element: Space is coming to PS4 and Xbox One on March 24, 2020 for $24.99 / €22.49 / £19.99 / $29.99 AUD and supports English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Simplified Chinese language options.