Little Rocket Lab: Everything We Know

Merge Factorio and Stardew Valley, and you’ll get Little Rocket Lab. Or at least a really cute version of factory-building and life simulation. If the final game is exactly like the trailer video, you’re looking at enjoying an extremely adorable adventure, helping out, and bonding with the townsfolk at your in-game childhood home. But what exactly does the game promise to bring to the table? Just how deep are the factory-building and life simulation elements of the game going to be? Let’s find out in our Little Rocket Lab: Everything We Know article below.

What is Little Rocket Lab?

Little Rocket Lab is an upcoming merge of factory-building and life simulation. The gameplay leans heavily on the most adorable and charming aesthetic. It’s the kind of game that kids will enjoy, but grown-up folk are also looking to have a cozy time. But the gameplay seems also to be surprisingly deep, emulating the likes of Factorio and Stardew Valley. By those inspirations, there’s a high chance you’ll be sinking hundreds of hours into the game. 

According to Steam’s description, Little Rocket Lab takes you back to your childhood home, where you’ll build various factories for the townsfolk. Along the way, you’ll forge lasting friendships while helping the community. At the heart of the story is your family’s dream of building a rocket ship—a project started by your mother but left unfinished. Now, it’s up to you to revitalize the town and bring your family’s vision to life.

Story

Help Morgan build a rocket and save St. Ambroise! Morgan, your main character, is an aspiring engineer who’s just returned to her childhood home. On your priority list is finishing building your family’s rocket ship. However, upon arrival at St Ambroise, you quickly realize that there are more urgent matters that need your attention. And so you begin to multi-task, setting up and running different projects. 

Among your day-to-day tasks will be researching new equipment. You’ll then build factories with automated production chains. These will be in service to the townsfolk, who’ll have diverse tasks they need help with. While your projects will start simple, such as building a drill and furnace, they’ll soon grow complex. You’ll assemble equipment using cranes and set up conveyor belts. Using resources in your environment, you’ll create valuable materials that transform St. Ambroise into a thriving town. 

Gameplay

Little Rocket Lab’s gameplay combines cozy factory and life simulation. Here are the key gameplay elements you can expect in the final game:

• Build and construct factories, incorporating strategies and scaling them to combat the town’s challenges.
• Make long-lasting friendships with the townsfolk by helping them with their needs.
• Research better ways to enhance production and develop more efficient equipment and energy sources.
• Unravel an engaging story following Morgan and her dreams to transform her childhood home into a thriving town.
• Complete your family’s project of building and launching a rocket ship.

While you’ll spend your time putting together different equipment to complete various tasks, you’ll also need to gather resources. You can do so through mining, which allows you to explore diverse environments, from railyards to quarries and dungeons. 

Meanwhile, the game will also structure your playthrough using challenges. You’ll have some guidance on how to proceed, whether that’s automating production, installing efficient energy, setting up cranes, and more. 

Development

Developer Teenage Astronauts and publisher No More Robots will be working in tandem to bring Little Rocket Lab to market. Teenage Astronauts hails from Canada, while No More Robots is from England. The developer seems to be new to the scene, with a focus on astronaut-oriented games. With No More Robots’ expertise, though, having worked on lots of games, including Descenders, Not Tonight, Nowhere Prophet, Let’s Build a Zoo, and more, Little Rocket Lab should come out with a potentially addicting experience to fill up boring afternoons.

Trailer

Little Rocket Lab’s announcement trailer is out now on YouTube. It’s a one-minute trailer expounding quite deep into the gameplay. Morgan prances around her childhood home with her pet puppy in tow. While she explores, the world opens up into complex factories and machines. From trains to snaking conveyor belts, St. Ambroise appears pretty production-heavy. And while the factories may appear gigantic, the gameplay seems to narrow it down to aspects as simple as researching a robotic arm. 

The graphics and general UI presentation are perfect. The video simply oozes charm and cute animation. You’re guaranteed a cozy time if the final game looks as good as the trailer. You’ll meet plenty of characters who fill up your adventure with things to do. You’ll also tinker around with robots and all. Whether setting up a lighthouse or repairing a broken beaker, Little Rocket Lab seems to propose a wholesome experience. Plus, it’ll have day and night cycles, suggesting an element of progress over time.

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

Little Rocket Lab will be coming in 2025. Yes, well, at this point, we’re resorting to accepting that nearly all the upcoming games are launching next year with no specifics. That’s fine, as long as there are constant updates on development progress. One way you can keep track of development is by joining the game’s Discord community right here. This will allow you to give feedback to the developers and even participate in the metagame. 

Alternatively, the developer is calling on you to sign up for the game’s Playtest sessions before it’s too late. A third option is to add Little Rocket Lab to your Steam wishlist so you’ll receive a code the moment the game drops. Little Rocket Lab will be coming to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One via Xbox Game Pass, Switch, and PC platforms via Steam. However, no editions have been confirmed at this time.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of Little Rocket Lab when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.