Originally launched all the way back in 2012, FTL: Faster Than Light is arguably the king of the top-down roguelike space battle genre with an overwhelmingly positive review rating on Steam (96% out of almost 34,000 Steam reviews were positive). More than a year after its initial release on PC, the game made its way to iOS and was also met with great success.
Now, however, it looks like the game is getting some fresh competition on the platform as California-based developer Choice Provisions – the same studio behind the quirky rhythm-based runner games Bit.Trip – is launching its own turn-based sci-fi roguelike game titled Tharsis for iPad this Thursday.
The story of Tharsis is set in a distant future when humanity’s reach has extended to the furthest corner of space. Naturally, we set out on journeys across the universe to search for extraterrestrial life, but it looks like what we’ve been trying to find has been right under our noses the entire time.
Tharsis is set in a distant future when humanity tries to search for extraterrestrial life
After receiving a mysterious signal radiating from Mars, you set out on a mission to get to its root. Unfortunately, your spaceship is caught in a micro-meteoroid storm along the way, suffering severe damage.
As the captain, your responsibility is to lead your crew to survival, and that involves avoiding several disasters, dealing with food shortages, and keeping everyone from going insane. Oh, and don’t forget the reason you came here in the first place: looking into that Mars signal. Check out the game’s trailer below:
Tharsis first made an appearance as a game for PC and PS4, and it looks like the developer has done a solid job with the iPad port this time. The gameplay experience still remains pretty much the same, it’s just that the UI and control scheme have been tweaked to better suit the touch-based nature of the platform.
The game is launching this Thursday, June 27, and it will be a premium app with a price tag of $7.99 (Rs 555). Of course, that means no ads or IAPs will be included. For more information about Tharsis, check out its official website.