If you loved Dorfromantik, or you just have a thing for sweet little resource management production games, then Star Birds is worth adding to your radar. Judging by the reveal trailer from the PC Gaming Show, this colourful, light-hearted game looks like the perfect addition to any cozy gamers' library.
Developed by Toukana Interactive in collaboration with the colorful edutainment video animation studio "Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell", Star Birds pairs resource management with exploration at an intergalactic level. So, rather than being restricted to one planet and focussing on building from the ground up, you'll be able to build your network of production facilities between star systems and various shaped planets. This colourful, procedurally generated star system comes in all shapes and sizes so you never know where your ship will take you next—but that's all part of the fun.
While resource management games often require a lot of concentration so you don't waste resources or time, Star Birds seems quite laid back and flexible. For example, the Hotbar which you pluck your desired structure from as shown in the trailer is incredibly simple in design, especially compared to similar games like Before We Leave which has a very intricate skill tree to master. You're also able to draw freehand connections between your structures rather than being locked to a grid.
It looks like you'll also be able to place your structures wherever you fancy, but even though this is quite freeing, it does mean that you will have to think strategically about how you harvest resources and transport them throughout your network. So, if you're just placing your buildings wherever and not thinking about it, this might come to peck you in the tail feathers when it comes to transporting goods and linking structures.
So if you want to go wild and have tangled networks that only make sense to you, you're free to do so. But, if you're like me and want a more relaxed experience, that is also achievable. You can advance your civilization through these networks in a way that suits you.
The trailer also hints that there's more to these planets than it seems, revealing the silhouette of a world covered in tentacles. Are they friendly tentacles? Or do they eat birds for lunch? It's a mystery for another day.
Star Birds is expected out in 2025, but beyond that we don't have a concrete release date yet. We've still got a while to go before we're able to travel beyond our solar system with our new feathered friends. But that doesn't mean it's not worth keeping an eye on should a demo bridge the gap between its announcement and its release.
