Beyond These Stars: Everything We Know

If you thought you had swept the last of the unique city-building games beneath the rug, then wait till you get a load of Beyond These Stars, an entirely new gig that revolves around outer space, a mythical civilization, and a Space Whale named Kewa. That’s right, a Space Whale—a floating life form that players will have to not only transform into a full-fledged communal hub, but also use as a portal to explore vast twilight skies and galactic regions in search of “purpose and answers.” How’s that for a unique city-building game, then?

At the time of writing, we can’t say for certain when Beyond These Stars will touch down on PC. That said, we do know a great deal more about the IP—right down to its intricate gameplay elements and lore. Care to hear the whole shebang? Here’s everything you need to know about Beyond These Stars before putting down a pre-order.

What Is Beyond These Stars?

At its core, Beyond These Stars is an intergalactic city-building game, and one that involves having the overseer make vital decisions for the sake of turning a floating Space Whale into a communal vessel that has the power to drift endlessly through the galaxy. And in case you haven’t noticed yet, the game will serve as a direct sequel to Before We Leave—a city-building game in which players worked to launch a fallen civilization into the stars following a global catastrophe. As you can probably guess, this is where you’ll begin your next journey—in the stars, and on the back of a Space Whale ready to begin anew.

According to the press release posted by developer Balancing Monkey Games, “Beyond These Stars is a city building game set on the back of a giant Space Whale. Driven to explore the mysteries of the cosmos, the denizens of Beyond These Stars risk everything to settle on the back of Kewa, a majestic creature who travels the stars. Players will have limited room and materials with which to build their civilization, and the main question this spacefaring city builder asks is, how will players use this second chance they’ve been given?”

Story

In case you missed out on the first chapter in the book, Before We Leave, the ultimate goal behind it was to launch a civilization known as Peeps into space. Well, as it turns out, the upcoming sequel will take off from there, and will have players setting up shop in a new locale—a Space Whale known as Kewa. Like before, players will need to transform the old roots of a floating mythical creature into something that’s both prosperous and bursting with life.

“The Peeps have managed to establish a fledgling settlement on Kewa's back. Now you must grow your civilisation and relationship with Kewa if you are to survive the challenges of the greater universe, navigating the limited space and resources available on Kewa as best as possible,” the description reads in part. “Will you establish massive industries at the expense of your relationship with Kewa, or use Kewa primarily as a home, gathering resources at your settlements when possible instead?” Decisions, decisions!

Gameplay

From the looks of the footage, gameplay in Beyond These Stars will be slightly more complex than it was in Before We Leave, mainly down to the fact that players will not only need to balance out their Peeps’ basic needs, but also take Kewa’s overall health into consideration, too. And that’s where you’ll have to find the right balance; do you favor your folks over the Space Whale, or will you throw caution to the wind and strive to meet the demands of both?

Of course, it’s a city-building game at heart, so you can definitely expect to see your hefty share of planting, researching, and general maintenance elements. There won’t be any violence, though, as made clear back in 2020’s Before We Leave. Instead, the sequel will aim to prioritize growth and all-round development, and not, for example, ongoing conflicts and territorial disputes.

“Watch out for pollution that upsets Peeps and Kewa alike, and consider approaching city-building in a sustainable way to maintain the happiness of the Peeps without destroying their future,” the description elaborates. “Learn to harness the benefits of each season as Kewa travels closer to and further away from suns, but be wary of seasonal dangers to your survival, and the vagaries of Kewa's desires.”

Development

In case you’ve yet to brush up on your knowledge of Balancing Monkey Games’ works, then just know this: Beyond These Stars is the studio’s second project, and the direct follow-up segment to 2020’s Before We Leave. According to the press release, the game will be heading to PC in the not-so distant future, and will make its global debut on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Trailer

Luckily for us, Balancing Monkey Games actually went on to tease a gameplay trailer for Beyond These Stars a little earlier this year. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Beyond These Stars will be coming to PC at some point in 2024. Admittedly, that isn’t a whole lot to go on, but from the looks of Balancing Monkey Games’ latest trailer and information dump, it seems progress is nearing completion, so hopefully we get to see it arrive before Q2 2024. Don’t take our word for it, though; we’re pretty much left to speculate at this moment in time.

It is worth noting that, while Beyond These Stars has been given a PC launch window, we’ve yet to hear whether or not it will be available on other platforms. It seems likely, though, what with Before We Leave launching on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch in the nine or ten months after the initial Epic Games Store debut. Again, it’s hard to say at this point.

Interested in staying up to date with Beyond These Stars? If so, don’t forget to check in with the studio over on its official social handle for all the latest updates here. If anything changes ahead of its 2024 release, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the latest details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Beyond These Stars when it arrives on PC next year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.