Larry Niven (Ringworld) Working On Free Fall

There was so much more I wanted to stuff into that title, but basically this is the story: Larry Niven, the sci-fi author best known for his Ringworld series, is working on a completely new game, together with the folks from Alchemic Productions. It's called Free Fall, it plays out in zero-gravity, and it's not based on any of his other books. Dunno about you, but I'm starting to feel the itch, drooling at this very first concept art.


If you're thinking about the old Ringworld adventure games from the early '90s, you can drop that thought right away. Kotaku managed to speak with Alchemic co-founder Rick Ernst about the project, and from what they write, Free Fall sounds like a lot more action-oriented game.

"Desiring more involvement than simply handing over his books as source material, Niven is working with Alchemic to create an entirely new fiction for the game, which will center around a nation of miners and spacers that inhabit Earth's Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt. You begin the game as newly immigrated Earther looking to get a fresh start as a miner who soon finds himself embroiled in miner revolution."

A miner revolution?... *cough*... All right, I'll pretend I didn't see that. So let's just move on.

"The gameplay takes place entirely in zero gravity - the only time you'll have your feet firmly planted on the ground is during the game's cutscenes. The player starts off as a miner just learning the ropes of zero-g movement, using tools, etc. The early stages of the game will introduce the mechanics that will turn you from a fledging miner into a zero-g warrior, and you'll have real technology to back you up.

(...) Expect plenty of entertaining physics using toys like the zero-g shotgun, which functions as both a weapon and a means of propulsion. If that's not enough to sell you on the title, I have three words for you. Crystallized floaty blood.

Hell yeah."

Couldn't have said it better myself. Free Fall is loosely planned for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Tags:  PS3, Xbox 360, action, sci-fi, shooter, space, Alchemic Productions