The space-themed sandbox, Starbound, has been in Early Access since late 2013, but a final release is imminent. The precise release date is unknown, but Chucklefish detailed the features of the 1.0 release in a development blog.
The final release will include a full, open-ended story mode without explicit progress gates. Players will have to decide when they’re ready based on their gear, equipment, and the difficulty of the mission. Planets will also now feature more varied biomes, and multiple types of environments on each world, including more varied villages and dungeons with greater rewards.
The game will also feature side quests including an arena, a museum of collectables, and test chambers which unlock weapon upgrades. A new quest tracker will update as you complete elements of multi-part quests, which can be granted by NPCs. Completing quests can give standard rewards and that most magical of bonuses, friendship.
A revamped crafting system will feature many more crafting tables with improved UI and more meaningful, useful recipes. A fossil station will allow you to collect underground bones and enshrine your discoveries in display cases.
An optional survival mode makes hunger a factor, requiring you to craft meals that then rot over time. Food will offer healing outside of survival mode. New weapons, pets, and augments, along with tweaks to the combat system and new crew and mercenary options, will make your adventure a more compelling experience.
Along with everything else, the 1.0 release will include a number of bug fixes and optimization tweaks, and will offer Steam integration for both the workshop and multiplayer.
