Rebel Galaxy Outlaw announced and looking excitingly like Wing Commander: Privateer
Han may not have shot first, but I will
While I loved its space-trucker aesthetic and grimy rock soundtrack, Double Damage's space combat and trading sandbox Rebel Galaxy never really grabbed me. Its prequel - Rebel Galaxy Outlaw - on the other hand, has my full attention.
Announced today, Outlaw puts the player in the cockpits of smaller, more agile craft than the first game (now with fully 3D flight), making it look and sound deliciously similar to DOS classic Wing Commander: Privateer. Below, an announcement PSA featuring snarky alien Sandar D'Truz, some more choice screenshots and some bite-sized gameplay clips.
Update: And now a trailer showing off some in-game action too, because you're all lovely and deserve the best.
Set a generation before the original Rebel Galaxy, Outlaw puts players in the boots of Juno Markev, a roguish outlaw sort, down on her luck and making her way back up the criminal ladder from scratch. There's smuggling to do, dogfights to get into with pirates and other criminal sorts and grimy bars to hang out in. The bars are more than just mission hubs, and even feature arcade games, gambling and billiards. The game also promises a twenty-hour rock and blues-heavy soundtrack, which as anyone who heard the tunes in the first game can confirm is damn good news.
And here's that new trailer. Gotta love that soundtrack.
And here's a trio of spaceflight clips, sadly mangled by Twitter's video compression, but still exciting. The first gives us a peek at what third-person flight looks like, including some deliciously swirly swarm missiles.
This second clip features a bit more dogfighting and apparently looting from an enemy wreck mid-flight.
And this last clip is just sassy. Come for the raised middle finger, stay for the player switching to a turret on the fly-by so they can blast an ejected enemy pilot.
And here's a few more screenshots, featuring more cockpits, minigames, space-scoundrels and explosions.
It all looks rather lovely, and very nostalgic for anyone who grew up through the 'golden age' of space combat games. Double Damage say that while Rebel Galaxy Outlaw's space combat should be accessible to all, those with a HOTAS setup to hand won't feel left out either.
Being roguish sorts, Double Damage aren't quite wiling to pin down a release date, but reckon the game should be launching in the first quarter of 2019. One thing they can confirm - and mentioned in the PSA above - is a $30 price tag.