Descent is Getting a Reboot Through Kickstarter

Amazingly enough, over 20 years have passed since the original Descent and it's vehicle based, first-person shooter gameplay launched on PC. But starting today, the franchise may have new life as Descent: Underground, thanks to a current Kickstarter campaign.

Eric Peterson, who most recently stepped away from his job as president of production on Star Citizen, is spearheading the development of Descent: Underground. His team at Descendent Studios includes experienced developers who have worked on games like Wing Commander, Starlancer, and Ultima Online."We are bringing back that sensational feeling of fighting with six degrees of freedom while playing Descent," said Peterson. "But we aren’t stopping there, we aim to take it up a few notches, by allowing players to dynamically change the map & customize their ships, to play as a part of a team or simply battle it out rogue style all alone. In addition, players will be able to create items and maps for the universe and get their own creations into the game."

For the uninitiated, Descent tasks the player with piloting a ship through cavernous mines, taking out other ships and robots, while collecting resources and ultimately escaping with your ship intact. Underground will apparently bring back many of those beloved game mechanics, while updating the game with fresh visuals and the ability to play with far more competitors.

The Kickstarter campaign is seeking $600,000 USD for development, and offers a number of tier rewards including boxed editions of Descent: Underground and beta access.

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.