Play 'Earthless' Now on Steam Next Fest
Experience the free demo of Blackbird Interactive's latest creation during Steam Next Fest. Embark on a tactical space odyssey, drawing inspiration from games like Slay the Spire and FTL. For the next two weeks, take command on the bridge and lead your crew in the quest for a new home for humanity.
Survival Tips for Your Voyages:
- Utilize Your Ship's Predictive AI: Your ship's Predictive AI module is your ultimate ally. It reveals enemy actions on their next turn, their movement, and potential damage. It even predicts enemy reactions to your maneuvers or card plays. Pro tip: If you're low on shields, consider attacking to trigger the enemy's shield regeneration.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Completing three events on the Star Map unlocks the crucial ability to recycle cards. Remove less useful cards from your deck to increase your chances of drawing powerful ones. Access the recycle menu via the Manufacturing Screen.
- Beware of Overheating: Every move generates Heat, with a maximum of 4 Heat points. Accumulating excess heat adds Overheat cards to your deck. These cards inflict damage with each action until you spend 1 Energy to play them. Manage your heat carefully, particularly for the Clarke-class ship in the Next Fest demo, which has limited heat reduction options early on.
Mission Briefing - About the Game:
Earthless, the latest project by Blackbird Interactive (known for games like Hardspace: Shipbreaker, Homeworld 3, and Minecraft Legends), takes place as humanity faces the impending death of the Sun. Thousands of captains, including you, must explore ever-changing star maps, build a card-based ship arsenal, make impactful decisions, and fight for our species' future.
Ratings/Reviews from The Masses:
- PC Gamer recognizes Earthless as a game with promising ideas and a clear course.
- Rock, Paper, Shotgun draws parallels to the engaging strategy of Into The Breach.
- GamesRadar applauds Earthless as a sublime blend of strategy and decision-making.
- TechRadar labels Earthless as one of Gamescom 2023's most exciting highlights.
Join the Captain Academy and prepare for the challenges Earthless will offer when it hits Steam Early Access in 2024. While the demo eases difficulty for accessibility, it remains a punishing roguelike for daring captains.
Finally, show your support by wishlisting Earthless on Steam, following on Twitter/X, and joining the Earthless Discord. Stay tuned for Earthless' Early Access launch in 2024!
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
Hey everyone! My name is Hoi-Fung and I'm the Game Director for Earthless. Today is an incredible day for our small team of 24 who have been working so hard on Earthless over the past years.
Earthless was born from Blackbird Interactive's Skunkworks game jam program, where everyone in the studio teams up to pitch exciting new game ideas. In the case of Earthless (or Project Owl, as we call it internally) we were chosen to turn our idea into a prototype — with the ultimate dream of that prototype turning into a real game.
The first version of Earthless was made with hand-crafted physical cards that I stuck over top of old Magic: The Gathering cards. When Covid hit and playtesting in person wasn't an option, I ported Earthless over to Tabletop Simulator, where it continued to take shape until we eventually began developing it into a proper game. It's surreal that we've come so far and now people like you can play a small slice of Earthless during Next Fest.
There's no time to celebrate, yet, however. Everyone is laser focused on Earthless' 2024 Early Access launch. But I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for following us on this journey and trying out the game. If you like what you see, please wishlist Earthless and tell your friends about it. When talking about Earthless, we often say a Captain is nothing without their crew. That applies here, too: we're nothing without the support of players like you.
It's an honour, and we're so excited for what lies ahead.
- Hoi-Fung Ma, Game Director
