Developer Pandora Technology has released ambitious new city builder Moons of Ardan, which can be easily described as Factorio but at the interplanetary level.

Moons of Ardan is currently available via a free demo on PC via Steam as part of Steam Next Fest, with its full early access release set for October 21st of this year.

While indie gem Factorio is focused on one region that you have to develop increasingly-complex production chains, Moons of Ardan has you stringing out economies cross various exoplanets.

Players control the Axonauts, a stranded race of aliens that have to re-connect with their homeworld via interplanetary travel. You accomplish this via interconnected production chains, so that your species can traverse the vastness of space.

Here’s the latest trailer for the game:

Here’s a rundown on the game:

Moons of Ardan is a city-building and management game where you rebuild and expand your civilization across moons in a real-time simulated planetary system.

You follow the Axonauts, the survivors of a generational ship that crashed on a lonely moon.
In the crash, most of the technology that served them got lost.

Help them restore their culture and reconnect with their homeworld by building a great wonder.

Build Cities

• Collect basic materials to build towns to provide shelter to your people.
• Collect resources and transform them to fulfil the people’s basic needs but also their most luxurious whims.

Tune Production Chains

• Balance the use of workers to create a powerful and efficient economy.
• Carefully lay an effective transporter network.

Explore New Planets

• Develop new technologies to uncover the space travel secret.
• Expand your empire in a real-time simulated planetary system.

Transport Resources

• Create new colonies to exploit discovered materials desired by your high-level citizens.
• Create efficient trade routes to send resources to the most needed location.

Build a Wonder

• Push your people to build that awesome building and become the new master of space.

Features

• Real-time planetary system with 3 different handcrafted moons.
• Great planetary views.
• 3 tiers of population progression.
• 25+ resources to collect and manage.
• Challenging production chains
• Gridless and organic city building.
• A space route system for resources to reach your stranded.
• A factory slot system to fine-tune your building outputs.
• Play at your own speed or even pause the game to plan your empire.
• Awesome tailor-made soundtrack.
• A basic tutorial system for players not used to this kind of game.

Roadmap

• Photo mode.
• Challenging achievement system.
• Meaningful sustainability choices that make the game harder but with a more satisfying output.
• Procedural planetary systems.
• Animated build visuals.