Hooded Horse has thrown its considerable weight behind Distant Light Games' C-Beams, a top-down space action-RPG explicitly positioned as both a Blade Runner nod and a spiritual successor to Ambrosia Software's Escape Velocity series. The black hole system setting promises asteroid fields for cover, Newtonian-style ship handling that demands retro burns and stealth engine cuts, and combat ranging from close-range gatling fire to long-range railguns and the titular C-Beams weapons. Faction-controlled jump points, mining for rare elements, a hangar for ship-swapping, and skill progression round out the loop, all rendered in visuals far beyond the Mac shareware era while preserving that familiar 2.5D plane and HUD sensibility.
The announcement lands with developer pedigree: Distant Light Games was founded by longtime friends including YouTuber Charlie Goldberg (LevelCapGaming), who has documented the project through weekly devlogs since its 2024 reveal. The Steam page lists full controller support and a broad language roster, with no user reviews yet as the title remains "coming soon" and slated for PC early access. Japanese coverage has already flagged the localization support, and X posts from Hooded Horse itself highlight the partnership's focus on advanced ship-to-ship combat amid anomalies and derelicts.
Escape Velocity fans will recognize the web of stations, contracts, and uncharted rewards, though C-Beams leans harder into narrative mystery and environmental hazards than pure trading sim roots. The project has already cleared 100,000 wishlists pre-publisher deal, a quiet signal that the niche for realistic-handling space action with RPG progression remains underserved. Hooded Horse's track record with strategic and tactical titles suggests they see a clear path for this one beyond the trailer hype.
