Will Star Citizen’s long-promised and much-delayed single-player campaign Squadron 42 ever actually come to fruition? Well, we seem to have got a step closer, as developer Cloud Imperium Games now claims the game is “feature complete” and is entering the “polishing phase.”
“We are excited to announce that Squadron 42 is now feature-complete! As we move into the polishing phase, we’re fully focused on optimizing and fine-tuning all aspects of the gameplay experience to deliver an unprecedented cinematic adventure. To celebrate this milestone, we have gathered our core development leadership from around the globe to share what this means. Thank you for your continued support of Squadron 42.”
This announcement came with a new Squadron 42 video, featuring a lot of new gameplay. You can check the full video out for yourself, below.
For those who don’t have time to watch the video, we’re treated to some cutscenes featuring the game’s high-profile cast, including Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, and Gillian Anderson, space flight and combat, ground-based combat and destructible environments, and planetary exploration that offers a variety of tools, including what looks to be a version of Half-Life’s gravity gun. Frankly, it all looks rather impressive! But then, gaming has a history of not quite delivering on impressive early “gameplay” reveals. Given the history of the Star Citizen project, one should perhaps maintain a healthy skepticism about Squadron 42. That said, Cloud Imperium has also released this impressive video showing off their StarEngine, so they have the tech to make their vision happen.
Squadron 42 director Richard Tryer provided a bit of an overview of what the polish phase will actually entail…
“With the aim now on polish, we’ve organized the project into self-sufficient strike teams so we can focus on individual areas to deliver the best experience. This allows us to bring all disciplines together with a unified vision of enhancing the gameplay by seamlessly blending it with polished visuals, final cinematic performances, and our ever-improving technology. […] Ultimately, this is the final phase of gameplay iteration before we fully transition into optimization and stability on the road to release.”
Star Citizen and Squadron 42 have been in development for over a decade, accumulating over $600 million in funding from fans. Despite that, the main MMO version of Star Citizen remains in alpha with no hint of a full release in sight.
Star Citizen can be played in alpha form on PC. Squadron 42 will also be playable on the platform whenever it might arrive.
