Indie PC hit Eufloria is on it’s way to PSN, and it’ll be bringing us a real time strategy experience which should not only be fun to play, but also relaxing as well.
‘Relaxing’ and ‘real time strategy’ are usually not found within the same sentence, since a traditional RTS game often requires careful planning, management, and timing in order to conquer levels. However, that’s a combination which developer Omni Systems has apparently brought together in Eufloria, which is already available for PC via Steam. The title is coming our way now as a result of Sony’s Pub Fund, which has already brought us a number of other fun games for the platform.
Eurfloria is a real time strategy game focused on space exploration. The general goal of the game is to explore space, harvest resources from asteroids spread throughout level, and grow plant life. Each level in the game is randomly generated, and tree growth uses a fractal algorithm to branch out, which provides a different experience each time you dive in. As you progress, more asteroids can be taken over with which more trees can be grown, thus spreading your garden to the farthest reaches of space. However, you’re not alone in this conquest, and enemy AI will be competing for the same resources you’re after. Similar to some other games we’ve seen on PSN, there is a minimalist aesthetic to the game, which gives it a unique and clean look while making it easy to keep track of what’s going on in your space garden.
Eufloria PSN isn’t really like other games. It has strategic gameplay, but no technology trees or complicated interface. It allows for exploration and expansion without being punished for small mistakes. It offers challenges that are fun, but in a style that can be described as “ambient gameplay”. There is conquest but there are no space marines in sight. Instead, all of Eufloria’s gameplay is based on growing your strategic and colonising life forms on asteroids that you conquer throughout the game. That is right: you are basically playing a game of intergalactic guerrilla gardening. Oh, and you engage in massive battles against enemy plant life.
It definitely sounds like a unique take on the genre, and the game has already seen success on PC, so it should make for another great addition to the PSN line up. Don’t be mistaken in thinking this is just a simple port though. Several new features are to be included for the PSN version:
- New units: A new plant will automate troop movements, while a new tree type helps terraform asteroids (both visually and to change the attributes of the seedlings grown on it)
- Improved gameplay: Including rebalanced levels, improved AI, and a new 2x game speed that works like a fast-forward button
- New collectibles: Ancient Artifacts add flavor to the universe, as well as full Trophy support, natch
- More music: Including 100 additional minutes of completely new music by ambient specialist Milieu (the OST is particularly gorgeous)
- Enhanced graphics: Smoother, faster visuals with much more environmental and color diversity
- Updated controls: Completely redone PS3-specific interface and controls
It definitely makes a lot of sense to redo controls specifically for the PS3, since this is generally the main hindrance for any RTS game on a console. Eufloria is slated to release this summer in June, with a demo along side of it too! More information about Eufloria was also promised to show up at this year’s E3, and you can bet that PlayStation LifeStyle will be there to bring you the news on that later this summer. In the meantime, a demo is already available for windows, but keep in mind all the improvements coming to the PSN version later this year as you play. Does competitive gardening in space sound entertaining to you?
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