Space Pirates and Zombies 2, a single player, space-based survival-exploration game from indie studio MinMax Games, is officially heading out of its year and a half-long stint in Steam Early Access on November 7th, including its fully featured VR port that supports the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

The third-person Space Pirates and Zombies 2 (SPAZ 2) may differ in gameplay mechanics from its top-down predecessor, Space Pirates and Zombies (2011), but it also includes a virtual reality mode that lets you play the entire game with SteamVR-compatible headsets.

In SPAZ 2, you must survive in an evolving post apocalyptic Galaxy where fuel is scarce, and you have to scavenge to survive. Hundreds of fleets populate the Galaxy, all with their own AI captains imbued with the ability to do everything you can.

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Because resources are inherently scarce, factions form and split, conflicts erupt due to starvation; stronger factions establish and defend territories, set up resource hubs, and establish star bases. Some factions become bandits to survive.

According to MinMax, when factions meet, “combat is usually the result. While the strategic side of SPAZ 2 is about exploration, territorial control, and faction building, the action side of SPAZ 2 is about ship construction, tactics, and salvage.”

Game Features

  • 200 persistent Captains that are able to do everything the player can, including forming dynamic factions, building structures, controlling territory and going to war.
  • A truly living galaxy that is not player-centric, developing differently each game through the interactions of the agents.
  • Build your own faction from nothing.
  • Randomly generated modular parts. Build the mothership that suits your play style, on the fly, in seconds.
  • Strategic ship building. The mass, location and shape of parts all matter, making ship design a meaningful decision.
  • A fully physics-based 3D environment where everything is destructible, takes damage from impacts, and can be grabbed and even thrown at enemies.

Check out the gameplay video below to get a better sense of what the game has to offer VR players.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Joe Black

    I finished the flat version long time already. Loved it. Will probably give it another go. I found the VR to be quite good. They warn that it can be disorienting, but I was shooting down missiles and taking out ships like a boss in no time. I still want to see if the controls can be changed a bit. I can imagine far better control schemes especially for rotating the view. That part of it felt a bit clumsy. I suppose if you play it while standing it would be better. The rest was okay.