Eufloria HD Now On PC, Free To Buyers Of The Original

Eufloria grew from PC indie development, before snapping loose a seedling and floating off to colonise more mobile asteroids with Eufloria HD. Now it's returning. The neat strategy game about expansive space gardening launches its expanded remake today on Steam, and features a new 25-level story mode, a 'relaxed mode' for ambient experiences', and more. It's also free to anyone who purchased the original game.

Here's a trailer for Eufloria HD from November 2012, when it was first released on yer iPads and mobiles:

And here's the full list of features for Eufloria HD:

• Gorgeous high-definition visuals
• A 25-level Story Mode with many hours of gameplay
• Relaxed Mode for a more ambient experience which anyone can enjoy
• Skirmish levels that can be played again and again
• Dark Matter Mode for a stylish, more challenging way to play
• Original ambient soundtrack by Brian Grainger (Milieu)
• Procedurally-generated levels which are different every time

As far as indie games go, Eufloria dates back to the movement's initial heyday. Here's Jim writing about the game in its freeware form in 2008, when it was called Dyson. (The download link on that page still works, unusually). He described it as "soft yet strategic, fierce yet calm", which held true for the eventual, greatly expanded retail release. I always thought of it as a graceful counter-point to the brute force and neon of Galcon Fusion. Both games scratch the same sense of satisfaction for me, one that comes from commanding swarms of things.

If you've never owned any previous version, Eufloria HD is will be $15 from Steam or $20 for the Deluxe Edition with the original game and a soundtrack. Alternatively you can buy both direct from the developer now, with the basic HD version costing £10.06.