Stranded: Alien Dawn is a marooned sim game from the Surviving Mars team

That’s quite a jam to get out of

Keeping a band of survivors alive on earth can be a tall enough order, but what about a game set on an alien world? That’s the premise of Stranded: Alien Dawn, a simulation-minded survival strategy game from Haemimont Games, the developer of Surviving Mars.

We got our first look at Gamescom Opening Night Live.

As much as the art direction isn’t blowing me away, it’s a solid concept.

Players will need to face random story events, alien attacks, and adverse weather in Stranded: Alien Dawn, according to the team. “However, actions have consequences and as you strive to plan ahead, you must make difficult choices to shape the story of your survivors, balancing short and long-term outcomes with risk and reward.”

If you keep your marooned survivors around long enough, you’ll be able to upgrade a “simple shelter” into a “high-tech outpost,” complete with automated defenses and a space pad. They might not make it easy, though — your people have positive and negative traits. “Only by improving their skills and maximizing their potential will you survive.”

Stranded: Alien Dawn will launch on PC with a Steam Early Access version in October 2022.

Haemimont plans to take “at least six months” to finish building out the game before its finalized PC release, with a price increase expected when that day comes.