It's been almost eight years since the release of Crashlands, a top-down action-exploration game about an interstellar truck driver who crashes on an alien planet. There he makes friends and enmities, builds things and sets the world right, all in the relentless pursuit of getting back to work, which we will be able to experience again in Crashlands 2.
At first glance, Crashlands 2 looks similar to its predecessor, enriched with sharper and brighter graphics. But Sam Coster of Butterscotch Shenanigans points out that there are significant changes that are not immediately apparent. The biggest innovation lies in the fact that the entire game world of Crashlands 2 is "hand-built", as opposed to relying on procedural systems. Coster claims that this change allows the studio to provide a "richer experience with more exploration, deeper character relationships, and plenty of surprises."
Character interactions in Crashlands 2 are expanded compared to the previous game. Instead of playing the role of just quest givers or passive figures, certain NPCs in Crashlands 2 also seek friendship. Now you can make connections, socialize with them, invite them to stay with you and collect useful tips from them. Of course, crafting remains central to the game, and for those who don't prefer creating friendships, combat options are also available.
"The first two years of this game's production we spent in building tools, testing systemic designs, experimenting with art styles and pipelines, and basically overhauling our studio's entire gamedev approach so that we could actually make this game. A hand-built world with ecology (creatures attack each other, plants react to things, etc) that was actually explorable was core to the whole thing, so it wasn't really an option to not [change the studio's approach]—even if it meant rebuilding our whole operation from the ground-up to be able to achieve it."
Sam Coster for PC Gamer
Crashlands 2 is due out in 2024 on Steam and mobile devices via Netflix.
English (UK) 
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