A dodge ’em up speedrunner action game created by Pixelnauts, Lost Orbit will be releasing for the PlayStation 4 and PC on May 12 in North America and Europe for $11.99.
Here’s the description for Lost Orbit:
Lost Orbit is a fast paced and deadly dodge ’em up action game set in a world filled with risk, loneliness, wonder and death. Players take control of a lone astronaut, Harrison, who embarks on a dangerous journey to rejoin his civilization after a devastating space wreck. Armed with only an improvised set of equipment and a relentless spirit, astronauts will need to boost, leap and teleport their way across four systems, survive more than 40 levels of intense challenges, and confront not only their mortality, but also what lurks in the darkness.
Over on the PS Blog, Pixelnauts Co-Founder Chris Iacobucci talked about balancing the journey of a doomed astronaut and making a rewarding game:
Good designers want to immerse players in a world of their creation without boring them with endless cutscenes and backstories. The universe of Lost Orbit couples beautiful environments with the hopelessness of being stranded in space. It would have been easy for the game to take on a monotonously dark tone, but all too often games that take themselves too seriously end up being the biggest jokes.
He later added:
In Lost Orbit, no one expects you to live. Light Spans away from nowhere, without equipment, support, food, or even a convenient way to go to the bathroom, you’re essentially doomed. Even your side-kick Atley, an alien space Probe, reminds you of this on a regular basis.
Desperate to prove you’re talented enough to make it through, you’ll press on. When the split second juicy explosion abruptly ends your story and ambitions, you can’t help but laugh. It pulls you back to the reality of the situation: you barely had a chance to begin with.
They created dozens of specific death sequences to keep dying fresh in Lost Orbit and, because Harrison has so much blood, any crash will leave a lasting mark on any asteroid.
[Source: PS Blog]
