This base-building automation game looks like Factorio in space with bullet hell combat and Dyson spheres
In Final Factory you construct huge automated space stations and battle aliens while exploring the galaxy.
Ever watch a game trailer and think "I don't know what the hell is going on here but I know I like it"? That's how I feel about Final Factory, which looks like a Factorio-style automation game, only set in outer space, and it also has bullet hell combat, plus a space station design system, and hey, why not power the whole thing with a Dyson sphere?
Here's the trailer so you can get an eyeful of all of that yourself:
The bases you build look pretty darn big, but you don't have to worry about running out of room. "Explore and expand across space on an infinitely generating map, filled with stars, planets, black holes, the ruins of an ancient civilization, and ancient artifacts that will help your factory," says the developer, Never Games Limited.
What's the best way to power a massive space station? It's hard not to get excited by the idea of a Dyson sphere, a structure so vast it can completely encircle a star to capture nearly all of its energy output. You can see one being assembled in the trailer above and the gif below.
Final Factory: Dyson Sphere"
Your space stations don't just float there motionless, either. Everything you build can move through space if you "slap a rocket" on it. You're gonna need that maneuverability, and plenty of weapons and defenses, because you'll encounter life forms out there who won't be big fans of your hard work.
"Design space stations and connect them through careful logistical planning," the developer says. "Use your infrastructure to advance through a sprawling tech tree. Automate the production of a massive fleet of ships that will grant you special abilities and help you defend your base against the local aliens."
Those aliens might have a reason to attack—part of the game seems to be about constructing a dark matter machine which requires abduction aliens and sucking their minds out. Yikes.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
And if you're not interested in bullet hell space battles, no worries: Final Factory has a pacifist mode so you can make exploring and building a chill experience.
If all this looks as good to you as it does to me, you don't have long to wait: Final Factory launches on April 9 on Steam.
Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.