Starwraith 3D Games is an unusual studio for two key reasons; firstly that it’s an indie studio that has produced an entire series of shockingly detailed and good-looking space combat sims (which in turn have built up a small but very dedicated community), and secondly because it’s almost all the work of one man – Shawn Bower. Today, the latest in the growing space sim franchise was released; Arvoch Alliance, ambitiously billing itself as the definitive 3d space combat sim. Given the massive features list on the official site, it seems hard to argue.

Single-manned studio StarWraith 3D Games has revealed the latest installment in its Evochron space sim series, revealing Evochron Mercenary packed with a completely new graphics engine to step up the seamless atmospheric entries the series boasts.

New features to the series include player-built space stations in both singleplayer and multiplayer as well as deeper customization options and a dynamic soundtrack. Players will pilot their spacecraft through the game’s vast universe, performing actions and activities such as buying, trading, negotiating, bribing, spying, racing, escorting, transporting, mining, exploring, cleaning equipment, clearing paths through asteroid fields, recruiting, protecting, hiring crew members, fuel harvesting, building stations, and designing/selling ships. Trust me, despite the vast emptiness of space there’s plenty of stuff to do.

Evochron Mercenary is scheduled for release on PC this fall via digital distribution. Pricing has yet to be announced, though previous entries Evochron Legends and Evochron Renegades ran $24.95 at launch. Announcement trailer? Sure, since you asked.