Summary
The distinction between soft and hard sci-fiis an important one, especially in video games, because “hard” sci-fi games are often heavily simulated, difficult to play, and generally inaccessible. That doesn’t mean every hard sci-fi game attempts to paint a scientifically accurate future likeChildren Of A Dead Earthor feature a complex flight simulator likeElite Dangerous; certain hard science fiction games may simply refrain from including hard sci-fi mechanics, instead using a hard sci-fi world as the backdrop for otherwise regular gameplay.
However, many players are simply looking for exciting adventures in futuristic settings, and that is where the soft science fiction category shines.
For the purposes of this article, it’s assumed that “soft” science fiction is much less concerned about scientific accuracy and explanations for its technologies. Among other things, soft science fiction may include unexplainable psychological powers, faster-than-light travel, alien empires, and spaceships that can move and shoot like an airplane.
This science fiction comedy FPS won’t be for everyone due to its often vulgar humor and non-stop dialogue from its array of colorful characters, including the player’s guns themselves. If it wasn’t apparent from the mention of talking guns,High On Lifeis decidedly a soft science fiction game.
High On Lifesees players taking up the role of bounty hunter as they attempt to save humanity from a gang of drug lord aliens attempting to use humans as a product. The game is ridiculous from the get-go in its tone and setting, packed with fun alien characters and a variety of detailed environments that evoke a sense of adventure.
While players may have to pay attention to the integrity of their spaceship,No Man’s Skyallows players to travel from planet to planet with extreme ease. The game contains some survival elements that help to ground it, but there’s no denying that the planets, basic space combat, and general looseness of the game’s technology place it firmly in the soft science fiction category.
This lack of scientific detail in the design ofNo Man’s Skyprevents players from getting bogged down, allowing them the freedom to travel around the game’s endless variety of planets. This makes it easy for players to get to the fun of the game quickly, exploring the game’s worlds with relative ease.
Developed by Remedy Entertainment(the studio behindAlan Wake 2),Controlis a game of supernatural phenomenon and cosmic horror that features an abundance of strange items, events, and creatures that populate the Oldest House.
Few elements ofControl’s weirdness are explained; even the scientists in the game struggle to explain much of what’s going on. This looseness is arguably what givesControla lot of its charm and helps to make it an atmospheric and unnerving experience throughout. For fans of telekinesis, secret government agencies, and extra-dimensional fiction,Controlis a must-play.
Although theHaloseries has gone on to explain specific parts of its technologies and history, the first threeentries in the serieswere a blend of military science fiction and loose, soft sci-fi that allowed for a sense of wonder and atmosphere through its vague descriptions of the Forerunners, the Flood, and the Covenant themselves.
Even aspects of the game’s lore, such as the origin of Spartans and the first contact with the Covenant, are loosely explained if at all in-game, shrouding the series in mystery and cementing it (the first three games, at least) as soft sci-fi.
This classic first-person RPG romp in space tasks players withexploring multiple planetsand completing quests in a corporate sci-fi setting.The Outer Worldsis classic soft science fiction with an entire subset of weapons being devoted to “science” weapons, including a “Mind Control Ray” and a “Shrink Ray,” among others.
The Outer Worldsalso allows players to slow down time in combat, something that is loosely explained as the player’s warped perception of time itself. This, along with the hyper-corporate nature of the game world and the array of strange creatures and weapons, makeThe Outer Worldsa soft sci-fi adventure worth having.
TheRatchet & Clankseries is arguably one of the best examples of a soft science fiction game; with its cartoonish graphics and light-hearted tone,Ratchet & Clankhas always been a series that’s focused on fast-paced fun and space-faring adventures.
The technology ofRatchet & Clankdoesn’t abide by the rules of physics, nor does it try to; with its notorious arsenal of whacky weapons and the comedic cast of charismatic aliens, theRatchet & Clankseries is full of pulpy adventures that transport players to a science fiction world that doesn’t play by the rules.
This classic real-time strategy gamefrom Relic Entertainmenttells an emotional story of the last remains of an entire people, and although it features innovative RTS mechanics on a 3D plane, allowing for advanced tactics and movement controls,Homeworld’ssetting is still decidedly soft sci-fi.
Homeworldfeatures plenty of hyperspace jumps in which spaceships are warped to and fro by mysterious blue rectangles that appear out of thin air on command, spaceships that fly around with the freedom of high-tech military jets, and an unexplained “firestorm” that destroys the surface of an entire planet in a matter of minutes.
