As evidenced by its last trailer, Everspace is looking gorgeous. Described by Rockfish as a “3D space shooter with rogue-like elements and non-linear storytelling”, the structure seems similar in some ways to FTL. You have to get to the end of a sector without exploding as the game throws varying challenges at your ship.
Unlike FTL, there will be a lot of permanent progression in the form of ship upgrades you can install between each run. This graph shows how that will work, promising "flashbacks", "narratives" and "lore" in addition to resource gathering.
There is more detail on the game's website. You can pre-purchase access to the alpha directly from Rockfish. According to the latest Kickstarter update, the alpha launch is "imminent", and includes three spaceships, four sectors, 20 "devices and consumables" and 32 unlockable perks for ship upgrades.
It's a space game in 2016 so, naturally, VR is part of the package. There will be work-in-progress Rift support during the alpha, and Vive support when it moves to beta in the summer.
