This PAX East, I had a chance to talk to Michael from Mi Clos about their survival space game Out There. Out There is a fascinating experience about loneliness and the hostility of space.
Currently, you can get access to the game on iOS and Android, but Mi Clos was showing off the PC build of the game at PAX. While the PC version is not currently out they were ready to talk about new features and improvements that are being made for the port.
It’s easy to quickly assume that Out There bears resemblances to the space simulation survival game FTL. This would do a disservice to both games. The only real commonality is that they take place in space. FTL, while it does other things, focuses predominately on space combat.
Out There is about the loneliness of space, with a greater feeling of realism. Because of that, it’s a pretty dark game. Permadeath, one of the attributes of Out There, lends itself well to games about space. With a focus on loneliness and the brutality of space, dying in the game takes a lot of sense.
Based on casual observation, mobile games seem to be making a huge turn towards quality, premium games featuring unusual themes. From the non-combatant war game This War of Mine to Out There, there seem to be a lot of great mobile experiences. Michael spoke about how tablet gaming is a different experience than standard PC experiences, and that he found it more relaxing. He spoke about the movement of indie games to mobile, and the desire to create deeper experiences.
The PC version of Out There will feature updated graphics, more environments, new content, new ships. When the PC release is complete, the changes will also be pushed to mobile users.
Want to know more? Check it out on the Mi Clos website.
