Jamestown+ Takes British Colonization To the Stars

Philadelphia-based developer Final Form Games released the game Jamestown on Steam back in 2011, “after two years of bare-knuckle development in an unused law office.” Although it was a PC game, it had a console aesthetic, and “put local co-op front and center on a platform that is best suited to solitary play.” It was a critical and commercial success, but in spite of this, the devs were never entirely satisfied.

on Steam back in 2011, “after two years of bare-knuckle development in an unused law office.” Although it was a PC game, it had a console aesthetic, and “put local co-op front and center on a platform that is best suited to solitary play.” It was a critical and commercial success, but in spite of this, the devs were never entirely satisfied. It was so close to being what they envisioned, but wasn’t quite there.

Fast forward to March 2015, and they are proudly unveiling Jamestown+ , which is, “in many ways, the game that Jamestown was always intended to be.” Exclusively available for the PlayStation 4, Jamestown+ sheds the PC skin to reveal the game’s console soul.

It is the 17th century, and British colonialism has been taken to the extreme – they’ve established a settlement on Mars. Up to four players can participate in what the developers describe as “a neoclassical shoot-em-up” which has been three years in the making. Players wield the finest in steampunk weaponry as they battle across the Martian frontier in classic top-down shooting gameplay.

But while the story remains largely the same as in the original Jamestown , Jamestown+ is more than just a mere remake. The + in the game’s title represents the many months of work that the developers have put into creating the new content, adjusting to the new platform, and reworking the entire UI to accommodate the changes. In addition to missions across the face of Mars itself, new levels will also take players to the red planet’s moons, Phobos and Deimos. They’ll be able to explore in new ships, each with their own weapon systems that can be customized. Three new characters have been added, and can be configured by the player for more than thirty potential combinations of shot and special weapon. Plus, the original Jamestown story receives “a new chapter that spans space and time, adds new dimension to established characters and locations, and finishes what the original game started.” All of this is accompanied by the completely remastered soundtrack composed by the renowned Francisco Cerda.

Whether you’re a longtime Jamestown fan or are just learning about it for the first time, shmup enthusiasts will want to take a look at Jamestown+. It’s available in the PlayStation storefor easy purchase and download; the main game is $11.99 USD, with an optional DLC pack for an additional $1.99. You can also see what else Final Form Games is concocting on their Twitterfeed and Facebookpage.