Strange Adventures in Infinite Space

Last updated

Strange Adventures in Infinite Space
StrangeAdventuresInInfiniteSpace logo.jpg
Developer(s) Digital Eel
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)
Programmer(s) Iikka Keränen
Artist(s) Bill Sears
Composer(s) Rich Carlson
SeriesInfinite Space
Engine Proprietary
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS, Palm Pilot, Linux
Release2002
Genre(s) Roguelike
Mode(s) Single-player

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space is a roguelike video game created by the indie developer Digital Eel and released for Windows and Mac on March 15, 2002, by boardgame developer-publisher, Cheapass Games. Releases for Pocket PC and Palm by British developer-publisher Astraware followed. In 2020, the game was updated to run on current computer operating systems of the day. It remains free to download and share.

Contents

Strange Adventures is considered one of the first rogue-lite games, a hybrid of roguelikes and other types of games.

Gameplay

In Strange Adventures In Infinite Space the game players explore a "plausibly implausible" fictional region of the Milky Way galaxy called The Purple Void.

The game is non-linear, with turn-based movement and real-time combat. [1]

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space sets itself up differently each time it is played. Stars, black holes, planets, nebulae, artifacts, alien patrols, gadgets, lifeforms and dozens of events and encounters are randomized for each game session. Unlike conventional roguelikes, Strange Adventures In Infinite Space features graphics, music and sound, and game sessions typically last from 3 to 20 minutes, hence the game's tagline "Explore the galaxy in 20 minutes or less!"

Development

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space was created by Digital Eel, a studio that included Richard Carlson, Iikka Keränen, and Bill Sears (creating under the name Phosphorous). The team had previously made a game called Plasmaworm, after abandoning six months of work on 4X space game. As they began work on Strange Adventures In Infinite Space, they wanted to make roguelike game with a randomized world, similar to board games such as Source of the Nile , Tales of the Arabian Nights and Voyage of the BSM Pandora . The studio realized they could re-use some of the assets from their previously abandoned space game, with the goal of creating a space opera experience that could be completed in less than 20 minutes. [1] In addition to inspiration from board games, the studio was inspired Star Trek creator Gene Roddenbury, and Star Control creators Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III. [1] [2] [3]

With game mechanics and graphics from their old project, the team quickly established the style of the game's ships, combat, and interface. Designer Iikka Keränen was keen to minimize the number of clicks required to complete any action, and the team decided to hide most numbers to keep players immersed in the fictional experience. The team also strived to create a consistent science-fiction universe, with environments, abilities, and technologies based on current scientific theories. Bill Sears was given freedom to create the game's graphics, and its humor and mystery led the game's fiction to follow the artwork. [1]

Although the game's development had no deadline, it was completed with part-time work from three people over six months, or the equivalent of two full-time months. Designer Rich Carlson credits the team's efficiency to their small size, which also allowed them to listen closely to feedback from testers. [1]

Release

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space was released on March 15, 2002, by boardgame developer-publisher Cheapass Games. [4] [1]

Sequels

Digital Eel followed Strange Adventures In Infinite Space with a self-funded sequel, working on the game for one and a half years part-time. [5] Designer Rich Carlson described the game as "a hybrid, part strategy game, part adventure game and part starship combat game, similar in some ways to games like Pirates! and Star Control II". [5] Their goal for the game's development was to add features that had previously been left out of their previous game, and to improve the game's depth and graphical quality. [5] Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space was released for the PC and iPad in 2005. [6]

By 2013, the crowd-funded Infinite Space III: Sea of Stars was developed using crowdfunding. [7] The game was later released in 2015.

Re-releases

On November 11, 2005, the source code became freely available under the GNU GPL, [8] [9] though without the other game content. Since September 2009, Strange Adventures In Infinite Space was made available as freeware, including the game content. [10] It was also released for Pocket PC and Palm by British developer and publisher, Astraware.

In 2020, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space was reissued by Digital Eel and Chris Collins with support for contemporary Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Digital Eel opted to make the release for free, and included community mods that were developed to expand the game on its original release. [4]

Reception

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space

Strange Adventures in Infinite Space received a 77 score on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11] Computer Games Magazine praised it as a "light but oddly entertaining gaming hors d'oeuvre". [12] Writing for GameSpot, Bruce Geryk felt that "the game's short length is what makes it so engaging". [13] Tom Chick of GameSpy called it "a clever and engaging take on strategy and adventure gaming", while noting that players will see most of the game's content after a dozen play-throughs. [14] Scot Krol of PC Game World recommended the game for providing "more enjoyment in fifteen minutes than most games have in fifteen hours of play [and] a perfect example of what good gameplay means in a game". [15] Ernest Adams, writing for Gamasutra in 2005, described Strange Adventures In Infinite Space as "the perfect short game". [16] Upon the game's free re-release, Kotaku praised it as "an excellent mix of Master Of Orion-lite strategy and Star Control -inspired arcade combat". [17]

Strange Adventures In Infinite Space was a 2003 Independent Games Festival finalist for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. [18]

Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space

The sequel, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, has received a 79 score on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [6] Finnish gaming publication Pelit felt that the game captured the feeling of space exploration, but was in need of more content. [19] GameZilla called it "a worthy sequel to the original excellent title", and recommended the game "for those who miss the simplicity, yet complex nature of the old Star Control titles". [20] Tyler Sager of Gaming Nexus praised the game for its short experience of exploration. [21] Computer Games Magazine was critical of the game's randomness and lack of adventure, calling it a "CliffsNotes version of Star Control ". [22] Kieron Gillen from Eurogamer praised the game for its "variety, excitement, thought and pace all in tiny bundle you can wolf down in a sandwich break". [23] Writing for Gamasutra, Ernest Adams praised the game for the balance between its different layers. [24]

Weird Worlds won the award for Innovation In Audio at the 2006 Independent Games Festival, [25] and was nominated for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize that same year. [5]

Legacy

The game has been considered to be one of the first "rogue-lite" games, games that took core roguelike such as permadeath and procedural generation but adopted them to different gameplay styles that forwent the tile-based and hack-and-slash gameplay. [26] [27] Writing for PC Gamer, Jody McGregor called it the "original spaceship roguelike", tracing its lineage from the Star Control series to FTL: Faster than Light . [4] FTL developer Justin Ma has cited Weird Worlds as an influence on the game's development. [28] Journalists have since made favorable comparisons between FTL and Weird Worlds. [29] [4] Rock Paper Shotgun also noted the influence of Weird Worlds on The Long Journey Home, another procedurally generated space game influenced by FTL. [30] [31]

Reviews

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roguelike</span> Subgenre of role-playing video games

Roguelike is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most roguelikes are based on a high fantasy narrative, reflecting their influence from tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Games Festival</span> Annual video games festival

The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, and innovation in video game development by CMP Media, later known as UBM Technology Group, IGF is now owned by Informa after UBM's acquisition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Eel</span>

Digital Eel is a self-funded independent video game development team located in the Seattle, Washington area. Digital Eel is best known for its Infinite Space series of space roguelikes.

Dwarf Fortress is a construction and management simulation and roguelike indie video game created by Bay 12 Games. Available as freeware and in development since 2002, its first alpha version was released in 2006 and received attention for being a two-member project surviving solely on donations. The primary game mode is set in a procedurally generated fantasy world in which the player indirectly controls a group of dwarves, and attempts to construct a successful and wealthy fortress. Critics praised its complex and emergent gameplay but had mixed reactions to its difficulty. The game influenced Minecraft, Rimworld, and others, and was selected among other games to be featured in the Museum of Modern Art to show the history of video gaming in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indie game</span> Class of video game, generally independently published

An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. Because of their independence and freedom to develop, indie games often focus on innovation, experimental gameplay, and taking risks not usually afforded in AAA games. Indie games tend to be sold through digital distribution channels rather than at retail due to a lack of publisher support. The term is synonymous with that of independent music or independent film in those respective mediums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acquire (company)</span> Japanese video game developer

Acquire Corp. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher, mainly known for their Tenchu and Way of the Samurai series. Acquire was founded on December 6, 1994, and in 1998 developed Tenchu: Stealth Assassins for the PlayStation, which turned into a franchise. The developer pushed for a more sandbox approach to the level design, which found its way in other Acquire titles like Way of the Samurai and Shinobido: Way of the Ninja. In 2011, the company was acquired by GungHo Online Entertainment. Acquire co-developed Octopath Traveler with Square Enix, releasing in 2018. Acquire was chosen as development partner for the game based on their affinity with pixel-art and prior work on the What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? series. Acquire developed Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story, which released in 2020, following the cancellation of a fifth Way of the Samurai entry. In 2024, the company was acquired by Kadokawa Corporation.

<i>Spelunky</i> 2008 video game

Spelunky is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, fighting enemies, and dodging traps. The caves are procedurally generated, making each run-through of the game unique.

Iikka Keränen, a native of Finland, lives in Seattle, Washington with his dog. He is a level designer at Valve. He also co-founded Digital Eel, an independent video game development group, in 2001. His range of professional skills include illustration, 2D game art, 3D modeling, programming and game design.

Western role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, including The Americas and Europe. They originated on mainframe university computer systems in the 1970s, were later popularized by titles such as Ultima and Wizardry in the early- to mid-1980s, and continue to be produced for modern home computer and video game console systems. The genre's "Golden Age" occurred in the mid- to late-1980s, and its popularity suffered a downturn in the mid-1990s as developers struggled to keep up with changing fashion, hardware evolution and increasing development costs. A later series of isometric role-playing games, published by Interplay Productions and Blizzard Entertainment, was developed over a longer time period and set new standards of production quality.

<i>FTL: Faster Than Light</i> 2012 video game

FTL: Faster Than Light is a real-time strategy roguelite game created by indie developer Subset Games, which was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2012. In the game, the player controls the crew of a single spacecraft, holding critical information to be delivered to an allied fleet, while being pursued by a large rebel fleet. The player must guide the spacecraft through eight sectors, each with planetary systems and events procedurally generated in a roguelike fashion, while facing rebel and other hostile forces, recruiting new crew, and outfitting and upgrading their ship. Combat takes place in pausable real time, and if the ship is destroyed or all of its crew lost, the game ends, forcing the player to restart with a new ship.

<i>The Long Journey Home</i> (video game) 2017 video game

The Long Journey Home is a 2017 space exploration video game by Daedalic Entertainment for Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

No More Robots British video game publisher

No More Robots Ltd is a British video game publisher based in Manchester, England. The company was founded by Mike Rose, previously of publishing company tinyBuild, alongside investors Simon Carless and Jas Purewal. The publishing label originally found success with digital games Not Tonight and Descenders, and now works with various development studios for titles across PC and console gaming platforms.

A roguelike deck-building game is a hybrid genre of video games that combines the nature of deck-building card games with procedural-generated randomness from roguelike games.

<i>Noita</i> (video game) 2020 video game by Nolla Games

Noita is a platform roguelike game developed by Nolla Games. Players control a sorcerer that can create and cast spells in order to defeat enemies named after Finnish mythological creatures. It was released in early access for Microsoft Windows on 24 September 2019. Noita left early access as the 1.0 version was released on 15 October 2020.

The Electronic Entertainment Experience 2021 was the 26th and final E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products. The event, organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), ran as a virtual, online-only event with free access to all, from June 12–15, 2021.

<i>Crying Suns</i> 2019 video game

Crying Suns is a 2019 roguelike strategy video game developed by Montpellier-based developer Alt Shift and published by Humble Bundle. The protagonist, space admiral Ellys Idaho, awakes in a cloning facility decades after the interstellar empire he fought for has collapsed, and travels the empire's galaxy in a battleship in search of answers why. The game is split into six chapters, with three sectors each; Idaho and his crew travel through each sector and its star systems to reach the sector exits while staying ahead of a pursuing threat. During the course of their travels, players battle other battleships in pausable real-time.

<i>Delver</i> 2018 video game

Delver is a 2018 first-person roguelike action dungeon crawler video game developed by Priority Interrupt. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux on February 2, 2018.

<i>Star Traders: Frontiers</i> 2018 video game

Star Traders: Frontiers is a hybrid space trading and tactical role-playing game designed by Trese Brothers, a two-man independent video game studio. Players control a spaceship captain in an open world setting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carlson, Richard (May 13, 2002). "Postmortem: Strange Adventures In Infinite Space". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 7, 2003. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space (2002) Windows credits". MobyGames. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  3. ↑ Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. Digital Eel. 2002.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Macgregor, Jody (July 19, 2020). "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space is back, free". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hong, Quang (March 8, 2006). "Road To The IGF: Rich Carlson, Digital Eel". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  7. ↑ "About Space Time: Infinite Space 3: Sea of Stars Footage". Rock Paper Shotgun. September 30, 2013. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  8. ↑ Keränen, Iikka (November 11, 2005). "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space". www.digital-eel.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space by Digital Eel". infinitespacegames.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2023. After being sold for several years by Cheapass Games, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space was released as FREE software and its source code was made available under the GNU General Public License.
  10. ↑ Gillen, Kieron (October 7, 2009). "Strange Adventures In Infinite Space! Free!". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space". Computer Games Magazine. October 2002. p. 75.
  13. ↑ Geryk, Bruce (May 30, 2003). "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 10, 2002. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  14. ↑ Chick, Tom (February 2002). "GameSpy.com - Reviews: Strange Adventures in Infinite Space (PC)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on August 10, 2002. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  15. ↑ Krol, Scott (August 2, 2002). "Strange Adventures in Infinite Space". PC Game World. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  16. ↑ Adams, Ernest (September 15, 2004). "The Designer's Notebook: A Perfect Short Game". Game Developer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  17. ↑ Wildgoose, David (September 30, 2009). "LunchTimeWaster: Explore The Galaxy, For Free". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  18. ↑ "IGF Competition Finalists". Archived from the original on June 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ Nirvi, Niko (April 2006). "Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space". Pelit.
  20. ↑ Buck, Daniel (March 11, 2006). "Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space". Gamezilla. Archived from the original on March 19, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  21. ↑ Sager, Tyler (March 31, 2006). "Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space". Gaming Nexus. Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space". Computer Games Magazine. March 2006. p. 64.
  23. ↑ Gillen, Kieron (December 24, 2005). "Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  24. ↑ "The Designer's Notebook: Multi-level Gameplay". www.gamasutra.com. January 30, 2006. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Weird Worlds Soundtrack Lands on Your iPod". IGN. June 2, 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  26. ↑ Carlson, Rich (May 2, 2005). "Making a Case for Short Games". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  27. ↑ Harris, John (March 22, 2016). "@Play 85: A Talk with Digital Eel, Makers of the Infinite Space Games". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  28. ↑ "IGF awards 2013: FTL acceptance speech for Excellence in Design award". Game Developers Conference. March 28, 2013. p. 38:42. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Bon Voyage: Weird Worlds - Return To Infinite Space". Rock Paper Shotgun. December 3, 2012. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  30. ↑ "The Long Journey home review". Rock Paper Shotgun. May 30, 2017. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  31. ↑ "The Long Journey Home is a wonderful space odyssey". Rock Paper Shotgun. May 11, 2017. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Pyramid: Pyramid Review: Strange Adventures in Infinite Space Computer Game". Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.