Everspace's Hardcore Mode has landed

Rockfish Games has launched the standalone Hardcore Mode for their title Everspace, meaning players on PC and Xbox can get a fresh challenge as a new, standalone experience, all of which is part of a free update.

A run in Hardcore Mode begins with a fixed set of perks that can only be upgraded once a sector is complete, and players will have to choose from a set of handicap modifiers each time they go into a new sector, whether that be fuel leaking, jump suppressors, or even one game mode with retro visuals and sound effects (a screenshot of which we've included below).

There's a revamped end sector and final battle as well, and if you're playing on Xbox you might see some "familiar mechanics" in the final battle, reminiscent of the game's early days, although with "a healthy number of twists."

"We are excited about Hardcore Mode bringing a fresh challenge to veteran Everspace pilots on Xbox One and Windows 10 including continued XPA support," said Chris Charla, Director ID@Xbox at Microsoft. "Everspace has come a long way since it launched as Xbox Game Preview more than a year ago and we can't wait to hear what else Rockfish got up their sleeves for the future of Everspace."

"By releasing Hardcore Mode on Xbox One, we successfully delivered on our last remaining promise from our Kickstarter in 2015," added Michael Schade, CEO and co-founder of Rockfish Games. "But, there is even more to come. Currently, we are migrating the project to Unreal Engine 4.17 to support Xbox One X in native 4K resolution It will come as another free upgrade right in time when the highly-anticipated Everspace - Encounters add-on will be released on the entire Xbox One family of devices in Q1 next year."

Are you tough enough to try Everspace?