At the core of Remnant Protocol is a relentless, slow-turn tension. A first-person space dogfight shooter in the vein of TIE Fighter and Wing Commander, at the start of your missions, the gorgeous pink-and-orange galaxy feels boundless. The controls are smooth. The engine hums along. You can hold the trigger to freely turn your head in the cockpit, and ire the sights and stars around you. But then the enemy drops out of warp speed and everything becomes a desperate scramble. You've trained these pilots. You've built these ships. And now they're being soundlessly plucked out of the cosmos by missiles and laser fire. After the battle is won, the pressure stays high – blending combat with XCOM-style base and squad strategy, in Remnant Protocol, the burden of command lies heavy.
The benevolent ruler of the galaxy has been dethroned and murdered, triggering the eponymous strategy game. While you're out on a sortie, it plays like the combat sections of Elite Dangerous, or Totally Games' 1994 Star Wars classic. Once you're back at base, the difficult choices begin.
As the commander of Sanctuary, one of the Remnant Protocol's few hidden bases, it's up to you to direct the war effort. Do you commit your resources to training? Do you build better ships? Do you research better flight and weapons technology? You can send your operatives on espionage missions, but everything comes at a cost. If someone dies, they're gone for good. Similarly, every time you attack the enemy, you risk giving away your position.
And so Remnant Protocol's campaign becomes a slow-motion chase across the universe – for every successful mission or risky black op, the empire gets closer to discovering Sanctuary, and if they find you, well, that could mean the end. It means that the decision to act is not always the right one. You need to find a balance between strength and subterfuge.
Developed by Progenitor Game Studios, at last year's GDC we spoke with co-creator Scott McCallum about the inspirations behind Remnant Protocol and the team's long-term ambitions. Now, PCGamesN has an exclusive trailer showcasing the game's opening prologue mission, where a routine training exercise turns into a near-death ambush.
As well as skillful flying and a sharp aim, during battle, you also need to manage your ship's systems, redirecting the power from your weapons to your engines if you have to make a quick escape, or plugging everything into the main guns when it's time to make a bombing run. You can see it all in action in the video below. Just note, the current voiceovers are placeholders – that's McCallum and the rest of Progenitor talking, and they'll later be replaced by professional actors.
There's no specific release date for Remnant Protocol yet, but Progenitor is provisionally aiming to launch the game before the end of 2025. If you want to keep it on your radar, you can add it to your Steam wishlist right here.
Otherwise, you might want to try some of the PC games on the way in the near future.
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