Ukrainian developers announce a game about Galicians colonizing space

Lviv-based Hologryph studio has announced SAND, a multiplayer shooter set on a remote planet in an alternate past. The project has been under development for more than two years, but the developers claim that the game will soon be released. It is reported by Bird In Flight media.

According to Steam, the game’s characters come from Galicia, a region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire inhabited mainly by Ukrainians and Poles. In the early stages of space colonization, the Kaiser promised the Galicians a large part of the planet Sophie, luring them to volunteer to build space cities. Despite the ecological disaster, Galicians did not refuse the temptation to own their own space territories. The most persistent and desperate «Westerners» with little to lose resort to semi-legal ways to get to the planet, guided by «a determination to correct historical injustice and claim what they believe is rightfully theirs.»

In SAND, players enter the desolate deserts of the lost planet Sophie, where they begin a quest for resources and treasure. Players will travel the world on giant jumpers — machines that serve as homes and transportation. To effectively navigate the harsh terrain, players are given the opportunity to design and modify their own jumpers.

The trampoline serves as the player’s main base, both as a means of exploration and as an artifact collector. Gamers can customize their vehicles — from interior design to improving their power, armor, and weapons.

Recently, we talked about the Finnish gaming company Rockodile, which, together with the German publishing house Lesser Evil, launched a game about Ukrainian UAV operators called Death from Above. The game is set during Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.

The player will take on the role of a Ukrainian drone operator and control a Mavic UAV. The goal is to drop explosives on the Russians and their equipment. The gamer will also fight with enemy forces, burning the aggressor’s equipment and restoring the most important communication lines that were damaged during the fighting. The missions include destroying the occupiers' headquarters and tanks, neutralizing radio towers, finding washing machines stolen by the Russians, and more.