Angels Fall First
Image: Strangely Interactive Ltd

After nearly eleven years in Early Access, space combat sandbox FPS Angels Fall First is finally set to launch in full this on July 11th. One of the first games to bear the Early Access tag on Steam, Angels Fall First has roots that date even further back, starting life as an award-winning Unreal Tournament 3 mod way back in 2010.

Despite the retail version of AFF maintaining only low player counts (though you don't need many to play, thanks to good bot support), indie developers Strangely Interactive Ltd have kept the fires burning for this ambitious Battlefield-like sci-fi game for over two decades. Up to 64 players can pilot massive capital ships, starfighters, hovertanks and more in battles that span from high orbit to the insides of space stations all the way down to close-quarters battles in urban environments.

It's the kind of ambitious design that seemed common in mods of the time and led so many teams to overscoping and failure. But, with enough time and effort, the design can come together. Having played a bit of it on and off through the years, Angels Fall First is a genuinely solid shooter. More complex and involved than your average team FPS, but not too gritty and realistic as to render it inaccessible to casual players.

Whether flying a frigate around in high orbit or trundling around in a tank, the controls aren't remain straightforward and intuitive, although boarding actions are one of those things that don't quite feel right unless you're doing it with real human players. Personally, I've got my fingers crossed that the official launch breathes some fresh life into the game. While playable with a small group (each player can lead a full squad of NPC grunts), it'd be nice to see the game granted a second wind and some full 64-player servers.

Angels Fall First officially launches on July 11th, but is currently available at half price in the Steam Summer Sale. Check out the game's original 2018 trailer below, along with some new clips to celebrate the launch on Strangely Interactive's YouTube channel here.