Space Pirates and Zombies 2 announced, goes 3D with Unity

Our verdict on Space Pirates and Zombies (SPAZ) , which mixes topdown shooter and 4X strategy elements, was that it had a cool idea that didn't quite live up to its potential.

, which mixes topdown shooter and 4X strategy elements, was that it had a cool idea that didn't quite live up to its potential. Announced today, SPAZ 2 seems like a much more serious effort to make good on the original's promise.

The biggest, most obvious difference here is that SPAZ 2 is now rendered in the Unity engine, with the same style and color palette of the original, only in 3D. However, this is only for looks. Space battles look more exciting with 3D ships blasting one another into space dust, but combat will work the same way it did in the first SPAZ. All ships and interactive elements still move along a 2D plane.

Overall, it's the same concept. You'll captain your ship in a huge, persistent galaxy containing hundreds of fleets. As the game progresses, resources will become more scarce and different factions will clash or form alliances to control different system and build permanent bases. It's up to you how to navigate this universe, as you scavenge for resources and randomly generated upgrades for your ship's modular design.

SPAZ 2 will also have multiplayer arena modes and a local, split-screen cooperative mode. Developer Minmax says they have worked on what you can see below for 16 months. No word on a release date just yet.