Starbound beta lands on PC, Mac and Linux today
After raising over over $2.17 million via crowdfunding.
Sometimes all it takes is a good idea. How else to explain indie developer Chucklefish acquiring $2,175,719 for its Terraria-esque 2D randomly generated adventure Starbound? Chucklefish is far from famous with its most notable title being Wanderlust: Rebirth - though it's also collaborating on Treasure Adventure World with Robit Studios - yet it still raised over $600K in the first three days of its crowdfunding campaign last spring.
Now the 97,385 backers who believed in the project are being rewarded with beta keys on Steam. If you missed out, don't despair as you can still partake in the beta fun by pre-ordering Starbound on Chucklefish's official storefront for $15 (about £9).
The beta is missing some features, but it still contains multiplayer - one of the project's most exciting aspects where players can visit each other's planets. Further details about the beta are explained on the developer's forum.
To get a glimpse at what makes Starbound so appealing, check out the beta launch trailer for it below. What initially resembles a Terraria clone quickly reveals an almost unprecedented amount of variety ranging from dim dungeons, to bustling towns, lonely, snowy fields, gloomy caverns and more. There are even boss fights and vehicles. "The universe is waiting," indeed.
