If American Truck Simulator were in space, and it was called, uh, American Welder Simulator, then you'd have the right idea as to what Hardspace: Shipbreaker feels like. This space sandbox salvaging game comes from Blackbird Interactive, makers of Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak and Project Eagle: A 3D Interactive Mars Base. It went into Steam Early Access today, June 16, and is eventually making its way onto console.
You're in low earth orbit, space suit colored "safety yellow," with a cutting torch and a laser beam thingy. You've got enough debt to keep you lower class until the day you die—even though you can't die or that will simply put you in more debt when they revive you. And you've got some zero-gravity controls to get used to.
With all that in mind, your job is to salvage everything worth a few bucks on blocky, abandoned and/or decommissioned space ships. The tutorial starts you off with cutting open a lockbox of sorts, nothing complicated: shave off a couple antennae, slice open the box at the corners with your cutter, and sling the juiciest components into a barge net for collection.
While the game has a dry sense of humor, it's mostly work. You already know if you're in the mood for a video game whose "fun" equals "a job."
