Announced back in the summer of last year, developer Flying Wild Hog’s Borderlands-style looter shooter Space Punks has remained in Early Access for almost a year now. But starting today, Space Punks finally shifts from its Early Access phase into its open beta, which means that players can experience quite a few changes to the central gameplay loop. Additionally, the launch of the open beta means that the game is now free-to-play as the developers originally promised, and without pay-to-win mechanics to boot. Veteran players will undoubtedly want to learn more before jumping in, so Flying Wild Hog has laid out the gist of what to expect in Space Punks’ open beta.
By downloading the open beta update, which goes by the name “The Cracked One,” players will gain access to a brand new “Get-A-Job” feature that facilitates “easy quickplay.” In addition, the open beta streamlines the game’s crafting system, so players can obtain certain powerful weapons earlier than they could’ve in the Early Access version.
An infinite endgame
“The Crack” arguably serves as the most significant addition in the open beta. This new endgame content functions as an “endless dungeon mode” that takes place inside the titular “Crack” black hole. In this mode, players make their way from dimension to dimension while killing bad guys and uncovering whatever this limitless black hole has to offer. Players will encounter two types of dimensions. “Common” dimensions task players with killing certain numbers of foes before moving on, whereas “Milestone” dimensions pit players against an area boss.
As one would expect, the open beta for Space Punks implements several new bug fixes, with more to follow. All of these changes should freshen up the experience for veteran players, and they might lead to a more enjoyable game overall for those who felt sour on it the first time around.
