PAX Prime is almost upon us, set to take place in Seattle, Washington from August 29 to September 1. Amidst the madness of this popular gaming festival will be Polish developer 11 bit studios, who will be showcasing This War of Mine, Spacecom, and a third game that they are currently keeping under wraps.
Both games involve warfare in very different ways. This War of Mine tasks players with keeping a group of randomly generated survivors alive amidst a conflict not unlike the kinds seen throughout human history. 11 bit have emphasized that This War is an unusually different take on war compared to just about every other videogame in that it takes an unflinching, mature and realistic look at the subject matter.
The survivors allotted to the player in each playthrough have different characteristics and needs, such as being more emotionally vulnerable or being more prone to murder someone for necessities. 11 bit have gone through great pains to ensure that This War presents an accurate depiction of the civilian side of the story in war, namely by interviewing survivors of real-world conflicts, many of whom said that the hardest choices they had to make involved sacrificing individuals to ensure the survival of the group. The game will be available for the PC, Mac, Linux and iOS later this year.
Spacecom, on the other hand, takes the more expected approach by depicting warfare in a decidedly more detached manner. Adopting minimalist graphics and a no-frills strategic gameplay model, Spacecom requires long term planning and strategic thinking from players, rather than micromanaging and other forms of traditional RTS elements. The game is being developed by Flow Combine and published by 11 bit launchpad, the publishing arm of 11 bit studios.
11 bit are also showcasing a third game at their booth at PAX Prime, but as their cryptic press release says, “I’m not giving you any details yet.”
More background on This War of Mine and Spacecom can be read from our previous coverage.