Race The Sun devs reveal stunning neon Star Fox-like, hits early access next month
Whisker Squadrons: Survivor speeds onto PC on August 21st
The developers behind Race The Sun's minimalist gliding are now taking those high speeds to space in Whisker Squadron: Survivor, a neon-drenched homage to Star Fox. There are feline pilots, low-poly levels, and barrel-rolling in bullet hell heaven. Check, check, and check. Hopefully, the gorgeous animation from the trailer (below) shows up in Whisker Squadron: Survivor’s early access launch on August 21st.
Whisker Squadron: Survivor’s spaceship steering operates differently to Star Fox, though, since there’s a roguelite twist here. Every 20-30 minute run is procedurally generated, so no two on-rails corridors are too alike. You can also customise runs with ship upgrades and modifiers that unlock throughout. Oh, and keep an eye out for portals that might pop up and funnel you through tougher secret areas. Maybe one of them hides a murderous slot machine.
The feline shooter is actually one of two upcoming games in the Whisker Squadron series. Developers Flippfly launched a Kickstarter campaign for the series back in 2020, but at that time, they had only announced the un-subtitled Whisker Squadron, which is still set to launch next year. That follow-up also has procedurally generated boss battles and a free-roam-in-space mode.
Regardless, the two games seem to carry over the DNA of Race The Sun, with some speedy evasive manoeuvres to dodge collapsing polygons. Craig Pearson (RPS in peace) enjoyed the endless dasher ten years ago: “I dodged rolling boulders, squeezed through closing gaps, and was blinded after flying through the explosion a meteor left behind.”
Whisker Squadron: Survivor can be found on Steam ahead of its early access release on August 21st, and you can download a demo right now. Its follow-up Whisker Squadron comes out next year, also on Steam.