The Ultimate Nerd-Game Mashup Is Here
For a certain type of gamer, there are a few holy grails of game design: the intricate, player-driven economy of EVE Online, the endlessly deep item crafting of Path of Exile, and the logistical puzzle-solving of Factorio. These are games that demand hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to master. But what if you could get that same satisfying complexity in a single-player package that respects your time? That’s the incredibly ambitious idea behind Space War Economy Idle, a new game from Chasm Studios that blends three of the most complex games ever made into a casual, story-driven idle game.
An Idle Game You Can Actually Play
At first glance, the term “idle game” might seem at odds with the intense, active gameplay of its inspirations. But that’s the genius of the design. Space War Economy Idle is built for busy adults who love deep systems but don’t have time for the massive multiplayer grind. The core of the game is an auto-battler where you send out fully customized ships to fight through 300 levels of space combat, unlocking a story about the fate of humanity along the way. Your economy and production lines, inspired by Factorio, run in the background, even when you’re offline. This means you can make meaningful progress in short, 15-to-20-minute sessions each day. However, for those who want to dive deeper, active play is heavily rewarded, allowing you to fine-tune your logistics and optimize your crafting.
Crafting Like a Path of Exile Pro
The real magic lies in its ship customization. Instead of just finding better gear, you make it. The game features a crafting system that the developer says is directly inspired by Path of Exile’s much-loved Harvest league. This means you’re not just rolling the dice; you’re using deterministic crafting methods to build the perfect components for your ships. It’s a system that rewards planning, knowledge, and clever use of resources to create truly unique and powerful vessels. The developer has even announced that a simulator is coming in a future patch to help players theory-craft their builds and predict crafting outcomes, a feature that will be instantly familiar to any serious PoE player.
A Passion Project for a Specific Audience
This isn’t a game trying to be everything to everyone. It’s a passion project aimed squarely at players who love spreadsheets as much as they love spaceships. It’s for the person who finds joy in optimizing a production line or spending an hour crafting the perfect item. By stripping away the multiplayer demands and presenting these complex systems in a single-player, idle format, Space War Economy Idle offers a new way to engage with the mechanics that make these hardcore games so beloved. It’s a niche, for sure, but for players in that niche, it’s a dream come true.
FAQs About Space War Economy Idle
What kind of game is Space War Economy Idle?
It is a single-player incremental/idle game that combines auto-battler combat with deep economic and crafting systems.
What games inspired it?
The developer cites three main inspirations: the itemization of Path of Exile, the economy of EVE Online, and the logistics of Factorio.
Is it a multiplayer game?
No, it is a purely single-player experience designed to be played offline or in short, casual sessions.
How does the idle system work?
Your economy and resource production continue to run in the background even when you are not playing the game, allowing you to make progress while offline.
Is the crafting system really like Path of Exile?
Yes, the developer specifically compares it to the Harvest league, which was known for its deterministic crafting that gave players more control over the outcome of their items.
Where can I play it?
Space War Economy Idle was recently launched and is available for purchase on Steam for PC.
Conclusion
Space War Economy Idle is a bold and fascinating experiment. It takes some of the most daunting and time-consuming games on the market and reimagines them as an accessible, single-player adventure. It’s a love letter to complexity, a game that trusts its players to enjoy the intricate dance of numbers, resources, and strategic planning. If you’ve ever wanted to get lost in the deep end of a game’s systems without having to sacrifice your social life, this might just be the space odyssey you’ve been waiting for.