Rishabh Borde
Who among us hasn’t dreamed of building our own rockets and blasting off to explore the mysteries of space as a child? This is pretty much exactly the wish-fulfillment that 2015’s space flight simulation game ‘Kerbal Space Program’ enabled, which is part of the reason why the game is so widely beloved by gamers and critics alike. It is considered to be one of the most successful PC games of the previous decade.
However, ‘Kerbal Space Program’ went beyond just being a fun game. Its remarkably accurate simulation mechanics and focus on authenticity means that the game became a fantastic educational tool, accurately representing the basic concepts of Newtonian physics through the interactive medium of a video game.
The immense success and goodwill garnered by ‘Kerbal Space Program’ led to the acquisition of the game and its license by industry giant Take-Two Interactive in mid-2017.
Now, nearly seven years after the original game’s Early Access release and five years after the full release, Take-Two and Star Theory Games are gearing up to release a fully featured sequel titled ‘Kerbal Space Program 2’. Read on to find out everything we know about the upcoming space flight cum space flight disaster simulator.
Kerbal Space Program 2 Gameplay: What to Expect?
Like its predecessor, ‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ is a space flight simulation game, where you are the director of a budding space program at the Kerbal Space Center (KSC). The KSC is located on the planet of Kerbin, an Earth-like planet with a tiny radius of only 600 kilometers.
The planet is home to a species of small green humanoid creatures known as Kerbals, and they make up the staff of your space program, as well as any manned space flight missions you may undertake.
The game features a true to real-life orbital physics engine that simulates all noncelestial bodies in the game using Newtonian mechanics, including the Kerbals themselves. Depending on what mission you embark upon, you must account for a whole range of real-world factors including atmospheric density, mass, acceleration, structural rigidity, aerodynamics and more, in order to ensure success.
The Steam page for ‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ describes it as follows:
“Kerbal Space Program 2 is the sequel to the acclaimed space-flight simulation game Kerbal Space Program. Enter the next generation of space exploration with exciting new parts, stunning visuals, colony building, interstellar travel, enhanced modding, and multiplayer.”
In ‘Kerbal Space Program 2’, you will once again take control of the Kerbal Space Center and the Kerbals, who are prodigious engineers despite being somewhat dim-witted otherwise. One of the biggest issues with the original ‘Kerbal Space Program’ is that it features a very steep learning curve due to the accuracy and depth of the space flight simulation mechanics.
‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ seeks to address this with an all-new tutorial section, complete with fully animated tutorials, an improved user interface and overhauled assembly and flight instructions. The basic idea is to make the game more accessible and less intimidating for newer players.
‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ also seeks to move beyond the constraints of old technology to introduce next-generation flight engines, parts, fuel technology and more, allowing for a whole host of new possibilities. One of these possibilities is the addition of interstellar travel for the first time in the series.
While the original game is (mostly) rooted in currently realistic technology, ‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ will feature plenty of conjectural and futuristic technology that will allow players to explore beyond the solar system.
There will be mysterious celestial bodies to discover including Charr, a heat-blasted world made entirely out of iron. Another possibility is the all-new colony system, which allows Kerbals to build space stations and habitable colonies on distant planets.
The original ‘Kerbal Space Program’ was widely lauded for its extensive mod support and you will be glad to know that the sequel will continue in that tradition, this time with the additional cherry on top, that is full multiplayer support. While we don’t know yet how exactly the multiplayer will play out, it does promise the ability to “share the challenges of deep space exploration” with your friends.
Kerbal Space Program 2 Developers: Who Are the People Behind the Game?
‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ is being developed by Bellevue based American video game development studio Star Theory Games. The studio was previously known as Uber Entertainment, and is best known for the real-time strategy game ‘Planetary Annihilation: Titans’ and the third person shooter game ‘Monday Night Combat’.
‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ is being published by Private Division, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive.
Kerbal Space Program 2 Release Date: When and Where Can I Play It?
‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ was initially set to release sometime in early 2020, but the game was delayed to Fiscal Year 2021 in November of 2019. This means that we can expect the game to be released anytime between April 2020 to March 2021.
‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ will be available to play on a number of platforms including PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Kerbal Space Program 2 Trailer:
You can watch the announcement trailer for ‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ right here.
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