SHANGHAI, CHINA – September 5, 2024 – Publisher Astrolabe Games is excited to announce that Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is officially scheduled for release on February 20, 2025. Along with the release date announcement, Astrolabe Games has also revealed the latest trailer for the game, showcasing the all-new Full-Color mode. At the same time, the demo, previously available on Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, will receive a major update to become fully coloured! (Sep.5 for PlayStation 5, Sep.19 for Nintendo Switch)
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is set to launch on multiple platforms and will support French, Spanish, and German, in addition to the previously announced Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese localizations.
Additionally, a physical edition of the game will be released simultaneously, courtesy of publishing partners PM Studios Inc. in North America and Meridiem in Europe. Players are encouraged to keep an eye on the publishing partners’ sites for physical edition availability.
War is over. War is just beginning.
Planetary Calendar 214. Four years have passed since the end of the Solar War. Our protagonist, scarred from the loss of his crewmates in the war, is re-assigned to the Jovian patrol ship Gun-Dog as it’s dispatched with orders to investigate mysterious signals coming from the edge of Jovian Space.
Unknown to the Gun-Dog’s crew, a new danger looms deep in the ocean of stars, threatening not just the Gun-Dog but all her crew.
Take on the role of the Gun-Dog’s security officer as you attempt to save the ship from an unknown assailant whilst navigating the paranoia, conspiracies and vendettas that break out amongst the crew. As camaraderie falls apart can you overcome the challenges that await?
The Game – A love letter to retro anime and 80s Sci-Fi
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a visual novel adventure in the spirit of classic PC-9800 titles. Featuring a vintage green screen aesthetic, Space Colony Studios strives to create an “era-accurate” game that exudes retro vibes in every way, from the text to the visual effects. As the Jovian patrol ship sails into the darkness among the stars, the players will feel like they are on an adventure in an 80s Sci-Fi as they solve the mystery they find themselves in.
The Story – A new threat emerges from the void.
Humans have long since freed themselves from the grasp of gravity, but they are still unable to escape the hold of war.
It’s year 214 of the Planetary Calendar. Four years have passed since the end of the Solar War and an uneasy peace persists throughout the solar system. The Jovian patrol ship Gun-Dog is sent on a reconnaissance mission to investigate mysterious signals coming from the edge of Jovian space. What starts as a routine assignment quickly escalates into a battle for survival as an unknown threat terrorises the crew.
The Gameplay – Investigate. Interact. Analyse. Advance.
Utilising traditional point-and-click adventure mechanics, during your time on the Gun-Dog, you can navigate various locations on the ship, examine the details of the richly realised backgrounds or talk with the different crew members on board. You will need to listen closely to the characters’ words to reveal important clues or duplicitous intentions and keep your eyes peeled for key items and interactive elements in the backgrounds that you can use to advance the story.
The Characters – Get on board with the crew of the Gun-Dog!
All stories are about people, and the cast of The Gun-Dog brings the story to life, so much so that their charm and charisma convinced the team at Astrolabe Games to board the Gun-Dog and sign up to be the publisher. From the elegant yet distant Captain Bartermews, to the bubbly Lieutenant Commander Cassandra Quinn, to the assertive and domineering Chief Mackenzie Cathays, “The Gun-Dog” features an extensive cast of characters for you to meet. Each crew member has a distinct personality, role and history. Get to know them and their quirks and decide whether to work with or against them to unravel the mystery that lies at the story’s heart.
The Place – Adventure in an entirely explorable ship!
The main stage of the first installment in the “Stories from Sol” series, as the Jovian patrol ship Gun-Dog heads into deep space it serves as the setting for the game’s story. It has been exhaustively realised. Rich and evocative descriptions of the ship, including the constant rumble of the engine room, the bustle of the bridge, the silence of space pair with an extensive range of scenes that have been meticulously designed and animated in detail to deliver an immersive experience. Inspired by the best that anime has to offer the ship even features “Armoured Frames”, mechanised, human shaped, weapons of war.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog Steam Page
About Space Colony Studios
Based in Wales, Space Colony Studios is a collection of independent artists, writers and developers working together to create the Stories from Sol anthology of games; a multi part, narrative focused series created to express our love of old school anime, retro sci-fi and interactive storytelling.
About Astrolabe Games
Astrolabe Games is a global video game publisher that proudly strives to “align the stars” for talented developers worldwide, assisting them in realizing their creative visions and delivering fun, unique, and diverse gaming experiences across all platforms.
About Meridiem Games
Meridiem Games is an independent video game publisher and distributor for all platforms. The entire Meridiem Games team is focused on meeting the demand of players who are fond of physical editions, titles such as Fahrenheit 15Th Anniversary PS4, KUNAI Day One Edition NSW, Daymare: 1998 Black Edition PS4, Pang Adventures Buster Edition PS4 / NSW, etc. They have come out in their physical edition thanks to Meridiem Games.