The looks of Bernband throughout final evening’s PC Gaming Present had just a few of us at RPS clicking our fingers and pointing at our displays yelling: “Bernband! Bernband!” This remake of the best sci-fi walking sim of 2014 has been within the works for some time. Creator Tom van den Boogaart has dipped out and in of engaged on the alien wanderer, usually switching focus to different tasks akin to Grunn. However now it appears to be like like we’re as soon as once more getting a trickle of candy extraterrestrial wanderlust. Here is a trailer.
“Bernband is a sci-fi exploration sim set in a bustling alien metropolis,” says the Steam page. “Wander the streets at your leisure. See the sights, from dodgy dive bars to sprawling mega-marts. Uncover secret areas, or hang around with the locals! There are not any missions or timers; your solely purpose is to take a stroll.”
That lack of objectives and aims places it as soon as once more firmly into strolling simulator turf, but when it shares even a little bit of the atmospheric richness of the unique walkabout, that’s completely grand. When Bernband first appeared, it supplied a crowded little world of alien barflies, evening golf equipment, excessive walkways, creepy alleys, xeno church buildings, faculty lecture rooms, and loads of elevators connecting all of it collectively.
It was an exquisite metropolis to get misplaced in, and a reminder that merely dandering round a wierd place might be thrilling with out having to gather something, and even converse to anybody. As Alice O put it on the time, it is “in regards to the freedom of being alone in a crowd, the enjoyment of noise washing over you and filling you, and the pleasure of wandering with no goal past desirous to have time to your self and see some attention-grabbing issues.”
The unique sport’s maker, Van den Boogaart, has periodically shared some of his ongoing work on the remake. However it might usually submerge once more for a while as he labored on different issues. In any case, the creator is a member of the busiest gang of Dutch sport tinkerers on the earth, the Sokpop Collective (who’re additionally credited as serving to on this remake). Sokpop are a a sort of romantic perfect of the video games trade – a crowd-funded independant gang of mates who’ve made over 100 games after asserting their plan to launch a new plaything every two weeks. Their many many works embrace village constructing card sport Stacklands, and tiny controller-friendly RTS King Pins.
No launch date for Nu-Bernband but, however we are going to keep ever vigilant. Bernband. Bernband!
