Indie Game Alert: Skyjacker

A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon an indie game in development, Skyjacker. The closest I’ve ever come to a space simulator is Mass Effect, so this kind of game is new to me. After reading “You play Ael, the most feared and ruthless space-pirate human,” I was instantly intrigued. The main character was abducted by aliens, raised by space pirates, and is now the lone human in this dangerous galaxy.

You are not a hero; you will have to sabotage, kidnap, rob, infiltrate and extract your way to the top. Without a linear path to follow, players can pick and choose which jobs they want to complete. Want to upgrade your ship? Salvage and use weapons, engines, and other parts from ships you hijack. Depending on the type of parts you put on your ship, you can change the way you play the game: “. . . play it like an arcade game, like a classic space game, or with full inertia and momentum.” Ship customization is a welcome change to a flight game of this type. It appears to have a lot of depth to the customization; you can see each piece of your ship, allowing you to pick and choose the parts you want to equip.

To build your crew, you will be able to choose from various A.I. or invite your friends. With the co-op feature, players will be able to work with friends to become stronger and take on riskier missions. Along with the single-player and co-op modes, there is a multiplayer mode, which will include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Last Man Standing. Skyjacker will also allow players to create their own missions (no coding knowledge necessary) using art assets and a design framework.

Just by looking at the demo, I can tell a lot of thought has been put into this game. The universe is vibrant with colors instead of just being dark and cold. Space is littered with various asteroids and debris, and the planets stand out. The ships you encounter are well detailed and unique. You will fight against (or along side) 10 very different alien races. Each race has unique looks, abilities, technologies and histories.

If you’re looking for something different with a lot of potential, then you should back Skyjacker on its Kickstarter page. Funding ends on November 22, 2013, so you have to be quick. For more information, screenshots, and videos, checkout the Skyjacker website (download playable demo)and Eugene Zhukov’s (project lead) YouTube page.