3030 Deathwar
| 3030 Deathwar | |
|---|---|
 The Box Art for 3030 Deathwar Redux, with the main character John Falcon standing off-center to the right | |
| Developer(s) | Bird In Sky |
| Publisher(s) | Crunchy Leaf Games |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release date(s) |
2007 (Original) 2014 (Re-release) 2016 (Redux version) |
| Genre(s) | Space trading and combat simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
3030 Deathwar is a video game developed by Matt Griffiths and Mic Newsam of Bird in Sky and released in 2007. The game was re-released in collaboration with Max Dohme of Crunchy Leaf Games with updated graphics and rebalanced gameplay.[1] In April 2016 a "Redux" version of the game was launched on Steam Early Access, again with Crunchy Leaf Games as the publisher.[2]
Similar to games like Escape Velocity and Elite/Privateer, the game features Open World exploration, boarding stations and derelicts, NPCs the main character can talk to, and a variety of side- and plot-missions.
Plot
The game opens in the year 3029, with humanity and some friendly alien species having just barely survived the onslaught of mysterious nano-machines, known only as the "Cleaners". These machines have made Planets completely uninhabitable and so forced the survivors to live on ships and stations spread across space.
The player takes the role of John Falcon, a rogueish space adventurer, who just wants to make ends meet. Over the course of the game, the player joins the Taoists, an organization aiming to bring down the Cleaners and uncover the conspiracy behind them.
Gameplay
The game is an Open World 2D Space RPG. It is played from a top-down view and features an open world of star systems, with the player choosing freely when and where to travel. Some of the activities the player can partake in are trading, hunting pirates, search for derelicts and wormholes and take on various missions, ranging from cargo delivery to planet photography.
Over the course of the game, once the player has earned enough money, he is able to buy new ships, of various types such as: trader, interceptor and allrounder. He can then equip it with weapons such as guns and missiles and buy additional upgrades of a large variety, such as different types of scanners, tractor beams, shields, thrusters, fuel scoop and afterburner.
The player can board stations and walk around on them in a visual style similar to adventure games of the '90s like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Some of the possible actions are talking to characters on the station, trading, upgrading and taking missions. Besides the randomly generated side-missions there is also a main lot, split into 10 acts that the player can progress through.
Production
The game was originally developed and released by Matt Griffiths and Mic Newsam of Bird in Sky in 2007. The game was developed to be mod-able and extendable and received some attention, with reviews praising its potential.[3]
In 2014 game developer Max Dohme joined Matt Griffiths in creating an updated release for the game. They teamed up after Max had created a number of mods for the game and had gotten in touch with Matt about creating an updated version. The new version was launched on October 15, 2014, with Crunchy Leaf Games acting as the publisher for this re-release.[4]
Redux Version
In April 2016 Crunchy Leaf Games and Bird in Sky released the Redux Version of 3030 Deathwar on Steam Early Access. This version adds an extended adventure, extra characters and side quests, space races, graphical enhancements, balancing and gameplay changes, a polished tutorial and many minor improvements.[5]