HARDSPACE: SHIPBREAKER

Cut it, strip it, cash out… and don’t die

In space, no one can hear you complaining about workplace safety practices. Hardspace: Shipbreaker puts you in the blue collar spacesuit of a humble worker tasked with breaking down decommissioned starships—and trying not to blow himself up in the process.

After neglecting to read the fine print of your contract, you find yourself heavily in debt to the LYNX Company—heavily as in to the tune of a billion credits. Working that off means keeping an eye out for and skilfully salvaging valuable parts such as reactors and fuel rods, using your handy cutting tool and grappling hook.

During my hands-on, I find myself thinking of the ships like great floating onions. Success comes in finding creative ways to peel back each layer, snatching up the best bits within each one. There’s an oddly zen quality to it as I meticulously dismantle these huge metal beasts. Well, at least it’s zen until I hit a fuel line, and before I know it half the ship’s exploded and my profits are floating out into space. Slicing and dicing ships for cash is pretty dangerous work, as it turns out.

The game is heading to Early Access later this year, and should boast plenty of variety by then—in addition to a sandbox mode that randomly generates new ships, there’ll be mod support allowing players to design new ones. And probably also put Macho Man Randy Savage’s face on a planet or something. Jorge Jiminez You see a dead ship, I 1 see a floating payday. Each one holds valuable resources you can use to pay off your ridiculous debt. Unlock certifications that give you access to bigger, fancier ships along with new tools that make your work a little easier. Just know that LYNX Corp will be nickel and diming you every step of the way. You need to use every part of a ship to 2 turn a profit. There are three salvage depositories: a processor for heavy metals like ship panels, a furnace for junk and soft metals, and a barge for high-value components like a ship’s reactor core. Just make sure everything is deposited in one piece, or the value of your salvage will drop. No one said stripping 3 down ships would be safe. One errant cut could catch a fuel line and you’ll quickly find out that the company did not pay for a flame-retardant space suit. Don’t fret though, even if you get vaporized when a reactor goes critical, LYNX Corp has your DNA on file and can deploy a clone of you to resume work. Your space grapple is how you’ll lug 4 around these huge parts. You can even tether all the scrap together in a daisy chain of volatile loot, to cut down on trips back and forth. Advanced players can do clever things using the tether/grapple combo to rip components from hard to reach places. When cutting, don’t 5 forget that the laws of physics do apply here. Loose panels can be given a little shove to build momentum. Pro-tip: Make sure you depressurize rooms before you start lasering on the side of a ship or prepare to get hit by the debris that’ll shoot out at often fatal speeds. Death by space junk: Not a great way to go.

I FIND MYSELF THINKING OF THE SHIPS LIKE GREAT FLOATING ONIONS