Balancing Monkey Games has officially announced Beyond These Stars, a cosy city-building simulator that expands on the lore and mechanics of the studio’s previous title, Before We Leave. The actual twist in this sequel is that all of the action, and each city you build, forms on the back of the giant whale travelling through space.
The whale, referred to as Kewa, is more than just a roaming surface – you’ll be able to communicate with them, tell them where to swim in the galaxy, and chart a course through dangerous space. According to Sam Barham of Balancing Monkey Games, talking with PC Gamer, while you advance your relationship with Kewa you’ll have the ability to roam further and gather better resources.
‘Kewa is an intelligent being using their own desires and agenda. When the player wants to travel around the galaxy, they need to ask Kewa to take them where they want to go,’ Barham said. ‘While the player will always be in a position to reach their destination, if their relationship is poor then Kewa might choose to have a different path – perhaps with the cold depths of space or past a dangerous asteroid field.’
Players are required to care for Kewa, whilst providing a manageable home for his or her ‘Peeps’, who reside in dense cities subject to resource scarcity. It’s as much as players to gather these resources, and ensure that each a part of their whale-bound city is well-functioning, and well-supported.
Here’s the game’s official description, per Balancing Monkey Games:
‘Develop a new civilisation on the space whale in Beyond These Stars, Balancing Monkey Games' second title. Help your Peeps settle and enjoy the back of this massive creature while restoring a barren ecosystem. Build towns, collect resources, discover new technology, trade with aliens and learn more about your strange new companion while you discover new solar systems that lie a long way away at home.’
You may also search for a trailer for the upcoming city builder below:
Beyond These Stars will launch in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store later in 2023. It’s expected that this initial build contains around 10 hours of gameplay, via a unique sandbox mode.
Stay tuned for additional news about Beyond These Stars, including a firm release date.
