Older readers may recall that in February we took a peek at The Last Federation, the new space strategy game from Arcen Games. Even older readers may recall that Arcen first came to our attention for AI War – and lo, many a joke about Quintin and iron was spawned. After confusing everyone with A Valley Without Wind, and some appealing experiments in between, they’ve now returned to the genre which made them.

But what manner of beast is The Last Federation exactly? AI War too, or something very different? That’s the kind of question which can only be answered by watching an hour long (and change) alpha video. And also by saying that’s a hybrid of intergalactic simulation, grand strategy and RTS.





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Even if you can’t make it through a full 67 minutes of someone else playing spaceships, enough other people did to send a host of apparently useful feedback Arcen’s way, particularly in relation to the combat system, which two days later resulted in another, 16 minute video demonstrating brand new changes:



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Ooh, it does look impressively big, doesn’t it? Tons to do, and the promise that each campaign will constitute a unique story due to the game essentially simulating various space-governments co-operating, squabbling and fighting with each other. This is the overarching promise of The Last Federation, in fact – it’s “a strategy/tactics game set inside a simulation game.” I love the ambition, and I really hope it works.