Indie publisher Kasedo Games and developer Bulwark Studios, known for its turn-based tactical game Warhammer 40: Mechanicus, introduced me to their new space survival game, Ixion. Were present two developers, moreover, French, Jéremy and Manu, who guided me during the first thirty minutes of the game.
The prologue takes place many years before the cataclysmic events of this teaser and focuses on understanding the main mechanics of the city-builder aspect. The survival component is currently absent. Knowing that the final game will also integrate a large narrative part with its campaign mode which will accompany the player as he develops the space station of Tiqqun, an entity of the mega-corporation DOLOS. The dialogue sequences will be dubbed in English, with French texts and subtitles.
Three viewing modes are available for a game which, although still in development, has quite convincing graphics: an interior view of the station mainly dedicated to the city-builder aspect, an exterior view to follow the progress of the work in the whole of the station and the view of the solar system. As always, the space is immediately very impressive, and Ixion is no exception to the rule. The interior is also well modeled, with a maximum zoom that would almost leave you wanting to go further to better see the buildings and the workers.
The first resources are collected on the spot, in the debris left during the previous works of the station. This requires setting up warehouses and then selecting the right resource. As soon as roads are laid, vehicles go back and forth, and the resource becomes available. Next comes the DLS, a building that triggers events, and helps to better understand what the station will need. The workers will thus complain about the absence of a refectory, then demand the installation of decent housing. Then, thanks to a new scientific vessel, a space expedition is launched towards the Moon, which is still intact at this time! This allows you to recover science points, as well as some resources. These points are invested in a technology tree, enough to learn how to make the Vohle engine which is the objective of the prologue: set off for Proxima Centauri!
But as you already know, things are not going to go as planned...
Of course, the systems go much further. Already, for the resources. Food and other raw materials are almost all given. The rest will be mined on the different planets, and will have to be brought back in a cargo ship to the station. The population will not grow on its own. The workers are in cryogenic pods, and they will need to drink, eat, sleep, have fun, and be healthy. This will therefore require setting up the necessary infrastructure, transporting ice to create water and water the fields. On the other hand, the workers do not die of old age, and do not reproduce. Fortunately, because the station is not really a welcoming place for babies! And be careful not to neglect the different demands of the workers because, if their confidence level drops to zero, it's game over.
The ring-shaped station will also expand. The prologue is limited to one of the six zones, but the other five will open, the opportunity to add more and more buildings. However the place is not infinite, and certain installations are gigantic. This forces the creation of space, as well as the production of electricity. It will thus be necessary to install solar panels and other means of monitoring the exponential consumption of the structure. In the short term, it is always possible to stop a building, but this is not without consequences... Besides, well, in space, without electricity, so without a survival system, we don't get very far !
Science is not to be forgotten, which requires constantly sending ships to explore, with all the risks that ensue. But with science points and resources as a bonus. Tasks that take time, research time, travel time....
In all, count fifteen to twenty hours to complete the campaign. Ixion will only be playable in campaign mode at launch, which is planned for the second part of 2022, but a sandbox mode will be added later. And you can now follow the game on Steam if you like the concept! Anyway, for my part, I have already indicated that I am eager to test it once a playable version is available, so expect more articles in the future.
