Say hola to ADIOS on PlayStation 4 this Autumn

Can’t wait for No Man’s Sky? How about 2D No Man’s Sky? I don’t even mind putting that reductive of a label on ADIOS because the developers themselves are pretty cheeky with how they define it. Their site calls Amazing Discoveries in Outer Space the world’s first “2D-space-simulator-platformer-rougelike-explore-em-up-hybrid-genre-did-we-mention-space-game (2DSSPREEUHGDWMSG)”. But it also, more succinctly, defines it as “a 2D space exploration game with a rich simulation grounded in astrophysics”. Ok, that’s a pitch I can get behind!

I first saw ADIOS in this year’s IGF entries back in January but it was a tiny demo of some physics and it didn’t grab me. Almost half a year later it now looks dead-on like something I could get into. The lighting and atmosphere look splendid and it’s got realistic newtonian physics that govern over celestial bodies, your spacecraft and the stuff you drag around with its tow cable. Best of all, no weapons or combat! Yes, that’s a big plus in my book these days. The peril comes in keeping your ship fueled as you hop from planet to planet, searching for a way to get back home.

And unlike most other indie games coming to consoles, ADIOS hasn’t been kicking around on PC for years. It may not be an exclusive forever but it will launch first on PlayStation 4 this autumn. Check out the first gameplay footage above if words and mental imagery aren’t exciting enough for you.