Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space

The sequel to Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, Weird Worlds is a desktop starship game set in a randomly generated universe. The player begins their session by selecting a military, science, or pirate-themed mission and then choosing a 10, 20, or 30-year voyage. Players also determine the strength of enemy races and the amount of nebulas which clutter the starfield.

The game plays out over a starfield (larger or smaller depending on the length of the mission). The player begins at Glory, an Earth-type planet, and then uses point-and-click commands to travel to other planets. Each planet has a unique description and may contain rare artifacts or upgrades for the player’s ship. Planets may also be guarded by alien races, house intergalactic swap meets, or act as bases for mercenaries waiting to be hired by the player.

While the player begins with one of three ship types, each ship is fully customizable with a wide range of armor, equipment, and weaponry. Hiring mercenaries opens up a fleet management option, enabling the player to set a formation or swap equipment from ship to ship. Mercenaries may simply escort science vessels on their way towards exploring weird new worlds and meeting strange civilizations or, in pirate or military-themed missions, become part of a devastating flotilla.

Weird Worlds features tactical space battles, where ships engage enemy vessels, using hard points to knock down enemy shields and weapons systems. Weird Worlds is also full of random events, from supernovas to secret quests beyond the initial mission parameters. Weird Worlds is intended to be played in a single sitting, usually taking twenty minutes. Players are rewarded for exploring worlds, meeting alien races, acquiring alien technology and artifacts, and—above all—returning before the time limit. In addition to the core game, Weird Worlds has a tutorial mode for new players and a tactical battle simulator. Weird Worlds also supports mods.