Hey inmates,
In today’s post, we'll explore further three key aspects of the game: the setting of the Space Prison itself, the playable races within it, and the crimes you committed.
The Space Prison setting
Space Prison is not your average hellhole. It's an experimental penitentiary located on a space station, housing the most notorious criminals from across the galaxy. Imagine being locked up—truly guilty or not—in a huge metal can with inhumane living conditions, vicious alien creatures, tough convicts, and sadistic guards. Will you survive? Will you rise in the gang hierarchy, or have the will to attempt a daring escape? Only one person has managed to pull that out before. Supposedly.
The game features a colorful cast of criminals, each with their own personal quest chain; survival mechanics like crafting and building up your prison cell; turn-based brawls for setting up arguments and a bunch of roguelite elements. But why a Space Prison, you may ask. Four years ago, when we sat at a drawing board, we already knew what kind of games we wanted to make. We strive to make distinct titles—games that offer an experience and atmosphere that no other games do. We didn’t want to make another fantasy RPG or Souls-like. From all the ideas we had, Space Prison was an obvious choice—its distinct setting, mechanics, and art style make it a unique and fun experience.
And for rest? Well, we’ll keep the mystery so you can enjoy it yourself!
The playable races
In Space Prison, you can choose from three distinct races, each with its own background, abilities, and playstyle. We needed them to differ so strongly that it would be easy to assign various skills, perks, and stats to them. Why three races? Because three is the magic number! In all seriousness, if you get locked in Space Prison, you will see that in the game we have over a dozen various alien races. We selected the three that we believe to be the most distinct and appealing as playable races.
The races were definitely the team’s joint effort. They were born with the vision of our art team, who designed them visually. When we had these distinct and interesting looking races, then our narration and design team took them under their care to make them distinct from each other and other races we have in the game. We added their backgrounds and set them apart for different playstyles. What’s very important to us, we didn’t want any race (or sex for that matter) to define any of the characters. That’s why, even though they have distinct backgrounds, you can see that all of them have equal chances to become any type of criminal they want.
We're very interested in finding out which alien races you will like the most. Although I must admit that “muscle alien ladies” already have an impressive fanbase.
Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at these big baddies:
Ferath
Feraths are on the verge of extinction after a gene mutation entwined a life-threatening disease with the chromosome Y. There are few male individuals left in the universe, and they are imprisoned on Ferra (their origin planet) and forced to reproduce as much as possible with selected female Ferraths, to produce more boys. They are known for having one horn, fur on their torsos and hands, and a large tail. Some of them believe that their predecessors were the infamous, intergalactic Yetis, but the theory has never been confirmed.
Nex
Nex are cyborgs from the Nexus galaxy that are actively looking for their Inventor and answers regarding the ‘how’ and ‘why’ they were created. They undergo physical transformations to imitate their prophet, who rejected a biological body for a cybernetic one. Her reasons for doing that are unknown, because there is scarcely any knowledge left from the time she lived. Nex have cellular bodies merged with artificial parts. They modify their organisms and use various enhancements to reach individual goals. The enhancements are fueled by a special substance - one that is very efficient, however very scarce in the Nexus galaxy.
Human
Ah, the good ol’ typical biped mammal that we all are! The human race has finally reached technological advancement, allowing them to travel between different galaxies in the universe. When they had first crawled out of the Milky Way, they started to rapidly expand their territory and appear all over the universe. Thus, some alien races began to think of them as lower evolutionary species, hardly resilient on their own, but stronger in packs.
The crimes
In Space Prison, every character has their own criminal background, determining their skills and challenges.
Smuggler
Smugglers are experts in the art of concealment. They are skilled in hiding contraband and avoiding inspections, however they are sometimes too slow on their feet.
- Secret Pockets - You start your sentence with one contraband item smuggled in
- Slow Reflexes - Takes 50% more damage from hazards
Assassin
Assassins believe their bodies are living weapons. They rely on the momentum of their movements to kill their targets. Unsurprisingly, this way of life comes with a grim outlook on the world.
- Deadly Maneuvers - After Moving: Next Attack +30% damage, Duration: Infinite
- Fatalist - Hope Gain: Decreased by -20%
Saboteur
Saboteurs use rats and other goons to wreak havoc on their targets. They believe in strength in numbers and that life is expandable. As a result, freelancers charge them higher fees.
- Give all your rats additional combat slots
- Fodders Hire Price: Increased by 50%
Thief
Driven by greed and the prospect of easy money, they employ their talents to steal credits and valuable artifacts. People know not to trust them with their possessions, that is why it’s hard for them to form any kind of business relations.
- Meticulous - Has 100% chance of double loot from Loot Boxes
- Relation Gain: -10%
Con Artist
Con Artists are criminals who make their living out of deception. They know how to put up a facade in front of others, but are less resilient to physical harm.
- Relation Gain: +20%
- Feeble: Damage +20%
Each crime offers unique bonuses and challenges, allowing you to choose the kind of criminal you want to be and customize your experience in the Space Prison.
With Space Prison, we want to create a thrilling blend of survival, strategy, and storytelling in a unique setting. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to develop Space Prison (and the Early Access release is fast approaching already)!
See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team