One of the biggest reveals during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live was the unveiling of Unknown Worlds’ new IP, Moonbreaker. In a marked shift from the studio’s previous outings of Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero, Moonbreaker is a tabletop-style turn-based tactics game with lots of customizable miniatures.
The new direction for the studio has been underpinned by some heavyweight lore-crafting talent. Author Brandon Sanderson, famous for such works as Mistborn and The Wheel of Time, has been working in tandem with Unknown Worlds to create and develop the lore for Moonbreaker. The big reveal came with an exciting introduction from Sanderson himself, who has helped Unknown Worlds studio co-founder Charlie Cleveland and co-founder Max McGuire to construct the narrative and history of the new IP’s sci-fi universe.
Check out the trailer for Moonbreaker right here to get a look at the miniature-based gameplay in action.
One of the standout features of Moonbreaker will be the players’ ability to custom paint the miniatures themselves. This is a mechanic that will undoubtedly appeal to lovers of real-life tabletop turn-based tactics games such as Warhammer 40,000. The game will also include plenty of audio drama that players can tune into as they’re actually painting their figurines, all developed and crafted with the help of Brandon Sanderson. The painting aspect of this game is certain to draw in the crowds, with a huge variety of shades, brushes, and professional color schemes at hand for those who like to really nail down their artistic skills.
Players will work to build rosters full of different miniatures that they can use in their units as they embark on a series of turn-based battles. Units will be made up of Captains, Crew, and Ship Assists, which will combine to form the ultimate battle-ready roster of champions. These will be fought against either AI enemies or as a PvP mode via online matchmaking or in private games. The game will also feature a roguelike component called Cargo Run, which will be a single-player-only mode. The miniatures themselves don’t appear to sport full animations, however, it looks as though they’re designed to replicate the vibe of a real-life tabletop-style game, so are perhaps only animated in part for this reason.
Moonbreaker will be heading into Early Access on Steam on September 29, after around five years in development. There’s a playtest available for players to sign up for now over on the game’s Steam page for those who are keen to get a head start on the action. The game is expected to remain in Early Access for one to two years. You can check out more information on the intriguing-looking title over on the official Moonbreaker blog.
Moonbreaker will be released on PC and Mac on Steam Early Access on September 29.
