Maia is pretty much my wildest dream. The thought of travelling light-years from Earth to establish a colony on a new planet is basically the greatest thing ever. I mean, how cool would that be? But what happens when stuff starts to drift from the plans and things start to get complicated? Well, that’s where the nightmare part comes in. Maia is full of surprises, so I hope you’re ready for a space odyssey like no other.
At its core, Maia is a colony-building game infused with elements of the god-game genre. You play as the commander of a new colony established on the remote world 3452C[MAIA] and are responsible for the longevity of your colony and the safety of its inhabitants. The threats to your colony are numerous and in many respects, unusual. Sure, you’d expect native alien species to get a little peeved by your presence, but how could you anticipate a colonist having a mental breakdown and going on a murderous rampage? You couldn’t. That’s what makes Maia’s premise so incredible. The unpredictable nature of Maia’s AI is one of the game’s most electrifying features. Each AI human, beast, and alien has a mind of its own. Every asset in the game is important and plays a distinct role in the evolution of the game and its events. So if you thought you had your colony all figured out, think again.
Maia developer Simon Roth cites games like Dungeon Keeper and Dwarf Fortress as inspirations for the game’s design, but I was taken off-guard when he mentioned cinematic influences like 2001: A Space Odyssey. “Whoa, hold on a second”, I thought to myself. “Since when do games and culture mix?” Well, they mix wonderfully right here. While the build of the game I previewed is still definitely a work in progress, the atmospheric quality of Maia is already enticing. The soundscape and environment pull you into the world of 3452C[MAIA], which eerily glows with lights and technology. The game is still very early in development, but you can see the potential. The developers have a lot of work ahead of them to deliver on their goals, and it appears that they are on the right track. A new build is coming out in a few days (July 25th), and you can rest assured that I will be playing it the moment its released!
Maia‘s procedurally generated world and incredible AI are making this an absolute must-follow game on Greenlight. Few games push the boundaries of AI and atmosphere like this.