In Earthfall, You Fend Off Aliens with 3D-Printed Guns

For fans of co-op, squad-based survival shooters, Holospark’s Earthfall will, in some ways, present a welcome return to a beloved formula: a team of four is tasked with fending off wave after wave of foes (in Earthfall’s case, hostile aliens) while gathering weapons and resources along the way to aid in their survival. There’s a unique twist, however—players can also build fences and barriers to help fortify their positions, a mechanic that leads to tense battles and adds a refreshingly novel dimension of strategy to the genre.  

Earthfall had been on Steam’s Early Access for over a year, and Holospark took its fans’ concerns to heart. Chris Archer, the game’s executive producer and weapons/combat designer, noted that the building mechanic in particular was something that players appreciated during the game’s tenure in Early Access but that needed adjustment before official release. “They loved buildables and putting up fences,” he said. “So we said to ourselves, ‘Why don’t we add more flare to that?’

To make the feature more lively, the designers allowed players to combine resources with the fences to create deadly, elemental barriers—electric grenades produce electric fences, propane tanks produce literal firewalls, etc. They also included snap-to locations to make placing buildables less of a hassle and added the ability to edit a buildable’s position should a player be dissatisfied with its location. “These are the kinds of things we hear as feedback and make sure to actually incorporate in the game,” Archer said.

These thoughtful touches prove that Holospark is constantly listening to their players and making sure to add changes that will let them feel like their concerns are being heard. The result is a game to which fans of the genre will no doubt return time and time again. “My goal during the development of this game was to engender a particular feeling in the players,” Archer said. “It’s the emotional feeling you get when one of your friends goes down during a lengthy fight with your enemies, and you have to choose whether to save them or avoid risking your life and leave them behind. I think we made that happen.”

The good news is that Holospark has a lot of additional content planned for down the line. “We definitely plan on continuing to support the community, and all of the DLC will be free—including new levels and game modes,” Archer promised. The team-based co-op shooter genre has been aching for a new title to mix-up its tried-and-true standard format, and Earthfall is just what the doctor ordered.