decrypt.co
Blowfish Studios’ mecha combat game Phantom Galaxies has launched in early access, with a free-to-play version of the Web3-enabled title launching on its official website and the Epic Games Store, while a non-Web3 version is available on Steam.
During early access, which is expected to last around 12 months, players of the sci-fi RPG will be able to get to grips with hours of core story gameplay and exploration on day one, plus PvE multiplayer bounties, PvP battles and additional future content updates.
Phantom Galaxies puts players in the shoes of a Ranger, an elite mecha pilot protecting human colonies on the galactic frontier. Rangers take to the stars in one of four mecha classes—Assault, Lancer, Buster, and Breacher—that can transform between humanoid and starfighter forms at the touch of a button.
The game’s storyline pits the player against pirate and alien factions, including the scavenging Junkers, paramilitary Brooksea, reviled Xanorra, and the zealous Sha’har, in pitched battles across space and planetside locations. Along the way, an RPG-style advancement tree allows you to customize your character and mecha with various weapons, mecha parts, and equipment.
“We’re launching with the most polished experience, so it’s only a small subset of what the full game experience will be,” Blowfish Studios Cofounder and Managing Director Ben Lee told Decrypt. “We plan on being in early access for about 12 months. We’ve got a roadmap of how we’re going to keep building out the game, but already there’s a really unique, fun, and engaging experience there.”
Web3 functionality
Published by Web3 gaming and interactive entertainment firm Animoca Brands, Phantom Galaxies features blockchain integration that affords players true ownership of in-game digital property. In-game property represented on the blockchain ranges from player Avatars and Starfighters to properties such as player quarters, Starfighter hangars, and whole planets—which can be upgraded with structures such as marketplaces and refineries.
In-game digital property can be bought using Phantom Galaxies’ currency, ASTRAFER—earned through completing missions, trading items, and participating in special events, and actively managing player-owned planets and asteroids.
Phantom Galaxies is available free-to-play, with the game’s Web3-enabled version available on the official Phantom Galaxies site and the Epic Games Store and a non-Web3 version available on Steam.