Cliff Harris's [v]Gratuitous Space Battles 2 is now in beta, which means those who pre-order the game can get to play it a few weeks early, albeit not in its polished final form.
Not that this isn't some barely there early access title - Harris says the beta is a proper one, “not some super-early-access proof of concept thing where most of it doesn’t work.”
Although Harris admits there will be a few bugs and missing features, he will be adding extra voiceover and other bits and pieces over the coming months. Anyone who's pre-ordered will get a “download link, an online serial (for challenges, if you want to use them), and a steam code for its eventual steam release (the code obviously isn’t working yet).”
A sequel to the addictive and very simple 2009 original in which you built a fleet of space-ships and let them battle enemy vehicles in a top-down, hands-free mode, GSB2 adds an enhanced ship-editor for more personalised and unique designs, an increase number of ship classes, and a number of tactical changes.
No word yet on exactly when players will get their hands on the full game, though it's expected out sometime later this year.
