City builders have all sorts of ways to distinguish themselves. Some pride themselves on high-fidelity simulations, others like Manor Lords find interesting time periods to take place in, and for Beyond These Stars the game finds its home in an unlikely location: the back of a whale named Kewa soaring through space.
Game Rant spoke to developers at Balancing Monkey Games, primarily Lia Patsakos, Anna Barham, and Emily Latta, who answered questions collectively about Beyond These Stars, Kewa, and what the game is trying to express. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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A Whale of a Time
It’s also not too surprising to have a city builder on the back of a creature, as The Wandering Village builds on the back of a tortoise for example. Kewa, though, is a space whale, an iconic science fiction creature that has featured in everything from Star Wars to Doctor Who. And Kewa isn’t just a setting, but the game’s de facto main character. Kewa lets players explore space, build a community, and so much more.
Q: What inspired Beyond These Stars ?
A: A lantern in Dunedin’s Midwinter Festival in New Zealand in 2016, along with a love for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, board games, and city-builders like Anno 1404.
Q: Why center a city builder on a space whale?
A: In the wise words of our creative director and studio founder, Sam Barham – “because Space Whales are cool.”…or at least, that was the initial spark that lit the keg of Beyond These Stars. Exploring the gameplay and narrative implications of building on a sentient creature, particularly one that can travel through space, is the cornerstone of what makes our game exciting. Exploration, rejuvenation, and symbiosis together form a solid gameplay loop that keeps the player hooked – especially when you’re working with a genre that can get a little repetitive!
Q: The whale, Kewa, has its own hopes and dreams. How is that expressed in gameplay?
A: We must be vague here because of spoilers! Kewa’s hopes and dreams come to the forefront after you’ve spent some time with them, building trust and rapport. Cultivating a good relationship with your large, rocky companion will unlock quests and other story beats. If you mistreat Kewa, your adventure across the galaxy together might come to a screeching halt…
Q: Does city development risk hurting Kewa?
A: Absolutely! You must manage the more industrial needs of your Peeps’ civilization against safekeeping Kewa’s natural biome. Pollution is a very real threat not only to the Peeps and their happiness, but to Kewa’s wellbeing too.
What Lies Beyond These Stars
Kewa takes players across the cosmos to explore space, letting them explore planets, meet aliens, and develop a future for the player’s Peeps. But Kewa is also a symbol of hope, harmony, and environmental beauty all in one.
Q: What strengths does this setting afford the game?
A: In Before We Leave, the first game in this series, you were constrained to a single solar system. Now we have access to the back of a speedy Space Whale (though Kewa does insist they were faster when they were younger, very relatable to us all) and a whole galaxy full of opportunities. This expansion on our initial setting has allowed us to flesh out the lore of the world, but introduce mechanics like space exploration, trade and diplomatic relations with different races of aliens, and going on an adventure with a Space Whale, a species that served as antagonists in the previous game.
Q: Aside from its setting, how does Beyond These Stars compare to other city builders?
A: Our emphasis on non-violence is fundamental to the games that we make. There’s no combat, no destruction of life that can be executed by the player. Tension and challenge are experienced through maintaining a delicate balance between the needs of the player, Kewa, and other NPCs.
Q: Beyond These Stars features a non-colonialist take on visiting planets. Can you go into detail on what that means?
A: One thing we’ve been quite dogged about is that you can’t use, or reclaim, anything that you didn’t get permission to use (like using Kewa’s back as your home) or don’t have some sort of ancestral tie to (like your ancestors’ old planets). Every planet that you settle on has a strong ancestral tie to you – you cannot take territory that is not yours.
Q: Is there a message you hope the game communicates to players?
A: Well, yes! Hope is at the center of it: believing in a better future and building community in the face of great loneliness, even if it means leaving your comfort zone in a big way. Thematically, the environmental impact of civilisation-building activity is also a biggie – climate change is kind of terrifying! Basically: have compassion and plant some trees, folks.
Q: What are you hoping to add to the game before launch?
A: So much! Galaxy exploration, cool aliens, a quest system, branching tech paths, strange and unusual planets to settle, many new buildings and resources to unlock… the list goes on. Even with an Early Access release, we think it’s important to launch with an engaging gameplay loop and plenty to keep you busy.
Q: Can you tease anything about a launch date?
A: Early-ish next year, all going to plan!
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: We have a demo up on Steam – go play it! And if you want to support us, a wishlist goes a long way.
[END]
Beyond These Stars is in development.