Space Quest to relaunch in 2027 with original new installment

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Series reboot announced by the creator of the Mystery House 3D remake

After helping industry legends Ken and Roberta Williams produce the Colossal Cave graphic reimagining in 2023, indie developer Marcus Mera and his Guillotine Games studio are making full use of expired former Sierra trademarks. First announced was a Mystery House remake in 3D, and now it's a brand-new installment in the beloved Space Quest series. 

While little has been revealed about the story so far, players won't be walking in the space boots of Roger Wilco this time. Instead it's pilot Mayday McCoy in the lead role, a "reluctant hero who saves the galaxy by barely surviving it." Mayday represents humanity’s "last line of defense against the cosmic elite," and yet all too often he's "the cause of the emergency" himself. It doesn't help that his rickety old spaceship has a tendency to break down and its opinionated computer "absolutely should not be trusted." (Not surprising his name is "Mayday," under the circumstances.) But whenever he's able to get the craft up and running, expect plenty of comic hijinks to ensue as "every plan goes sideways in the funniest way possible," requiring you to "explore strange worlds, crack clever puzzles and talk your way out of trouble you mostly started."

Players can expect plenty of puzzling and other classic-styled point-and-click adventuring along the way, but the protagonist isn't the only thing that's changed since the original series' last adventure in 1995. Based on the AI-assisted early marketing material, the reboot will feature more of a realistic art style in its "handcrafted cinematic storytelling." That doesn't mean more serious, however, as the game promises a "comedic science-fiction tone from start to finish." There's no word yet on any involvement from series creators Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy, but observant listeners will recognize the voice of Mayday McCoy in the announcement teaser as none other than Josh Mandel, whose significant ties to the franchise date back to his writing and design contributions on Space Quests IV-VI. 

That's all we know about the new Space Quest for now, but it can already be wishlisted on Steam, where it will launch as early as sometime next year for Windows PC. In the meantime, you can keep an eye on its progress through the game's official website. 

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