Everspace came out in 2017 as a roguelike space shooter. The game gained a bit of popularity and was later put on Xbox Game Pass, where the title only benefited from the increased exposure. With the popularity of the first game, Rockfish Games started production on a sequel. Everspace 2 was initially slotted for a release this September, but delays as scrubbed that date. After a bit of a wait, Everspace 2 has a Steam page up. With the new Steam page comes a new release date of some time in December.
Everspace 2 deviates from the original. Instead of jumping to a procedurally generated section of space that offers a variety of encounters ranging from flying to giant space mining stations or being raided by pirates. Everspace 2 will be an open galaxy space for the player to explore at their own whims. The open space offers asteroid fields, the wreckage of large space battles, and planets that are on the brink of destruction.
There are atmospheric environments as well. Planets may host massive dust storms, colossal metropolises, or small mining colonies. The game will be narrative-focused with all a lot of the direction of the game being dictated by the player’s actions. Everspace 2 does have its spectrum of RPG elements from player skills to gear. The gear system revolves around the player jumping to high danger areas of space. With the added damage comes better loot which then helps min/max the player to their playstyle.
Everspace 2 promises to offer more in the way of customization than its predecessor. While the first game offered a few ships and modules along with upgrade paths, Everspace 2 has vastly expanded its roster. Players will be encouraged to collect as many ships as possible to truly expand the size of their fleet and to be prepared for every encounter.