BETS AND DREAMS - Jump Ship is the co-op game of our dreams
Synergistic crews.
By Jonathan Garrett
25/07/24
For the longest time, we’ve had a game concept rattling around in our subconscious wish list called “Space of Thieves”, which essentially takes the vibes of Rare’s actual pirate adventure and transports them to an original sci-fi sandbox. Jump Ship is the closest thing we’ve seen to achieving this lofty pitch, and our minds are spinning with possibilities. If there’s palpable synergy between you and your shipmates, and there’s breathing room to simply exist in this universe without being under constant threat of danger, then this could very well be a dream made real.
BETS
UNRAVELLING MYSTERY - We’ve seen a lot on the mechanics and how there will be equal time for first person exploration as there is third person space flight. But we’d be willing to bet space money (?) that some kind of environmental storytelling will hint at a deeper lore and context to the universe than what we’ve seen so far.
MODULAR DESIGN - We wouldn’t be surprised if Jump Ship ultimately let you tweak interiors and exteriors to match an agreed look between your crew, in much the same vein as Starfield’s modular editor. There’s a lot of potential here for future updates and expansion content, as players are given broader scope to remake their ship how they see fit.
ALIEN MENACE - There has only been confirmation of drone like robotic enemies as antagonists in the footage we’ve seen, but we reckon a major alien faction could be the other major player in this sandbox. It makes sense to diversify as much as possible, since this is likely going to be a title that developer Keepsake Games is going to want you coming back to again and again.
DREAMS
ABANDON SHIP - When things are looking dire, and systems are failing left, right and centre, please let us hop into the escape pods and jettison ourselves into space. Imagine having to run some kind of salvage operation to recover the husk of your vessel, or perhaps you’re forced to crash land on a nearby planet and you have to complete a survival scenario in order to progress?
DOWNTIME - Beyond missions and combat, we’d love some non combat exploratory spaces that don’t rely on survival as a central mechanic. I’m thinking of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Risa” - a planet of relaxation where Trek crews would routinely kick back on shore leave. Perhaps a Mass Effect style Citadel, with stores and spaces to explore away from the critical path?
MOD SUPPORT - The ultimate dream would be to turn this into “Star Trek: Bridge Commander 2”, where extensive mods could lead to the ultimate 90’s era Trek simulator. Beyond our obvious fanboy-ism, extensive mod support would be another great way to galvanise the community. It could even be treated as a separate mode, where players with modded games can interact away from the main campaign.
Make it so NOW, Number One.