Kerbilization II

Immediately following the success of Kerbilization, on September 24th, 2018, **Kerbilization II**, a sequel to the beloved original, was released. Set in the 22nd century, Kerbilization II introduced many new features to the series such as the ability to explore space and a real-time game clock. It also boasted an additional level of polish not present in the first Kerbilization game. Despite these new features, the game was not as well-received as its predecessor and was ultimately shut down on June 24th, 2019 following an in-game "rocks fall, everyone dies" event.

## Setting and Story

Set approximately one century after the events of the original Kerbilization game, the planet of Kerbin is controlled by a world government organization known as the Republic of Gilead. At some point shortly before the start of Kerbilization II, the heads of government within Gilead decided to give grants to privately held space exploration organizations in order to encourage exploration of the solar system. The republic's end goal, which is revealed early on in the game, is to eventually colonize the entire solar system.

## Gameplay

Players take control of one of the many privately held space exploration corporations within the nation of Gilead. As Kerbilization II is text-based, most player actions are ordered by written commands, with their level of success being determined by a dice-roll, similar to tabletop role-playing games. The game contains some pre-scripted events meant to drive the narrative forward and/or point players in the right direction.

Players primarily focus on ordering the construction of spacecraft, directing said spacecraft on their intended course, researching new technology, and managing their income. As they direct their company, players must be wary of the game clock, which cannot be paused or sped up, and must time purchases, launches, and space maneuvers accordingly.

## Plot

The plot of Kerbilization II is strictly player-driven, baring a few events at the beginning and end of the game. As such, the specific narrative experienced by each player was unique to that player. However, this is not to say that there was an absence of plot in the game. There were many significant events that took place during the course of the game. Notably, player-controlled corporations SpaceY and CSE were able to successfully establish off-world manned bases and began work on permanent space colonies, Sandy Space LLC established a highly lucrative space tourism service, and the CEO of Foundation Spaceways was arrested for embezzlement, tax evasion, evading arrest, and jaywalking.

By mid-to-late game, it became clear to the developer of Kerbilization II that there simply was not enough player interaction or narrative building opportunities to make the game worth continuing. After an in-game accident occurred resulting in the loss of a massive CSE spacecraft, the Bacchus I, the developer discontinued the game by declaring that a Kessler Cloud had formed around Kerbin, preventing further opportunities to explore space.

## Reception

Undoubtedly the least well-received game in the Kerbilization series, Kerbilization II was met with generally negative reviews. Players complained that the game lacked the complexity to keep them constantly engaged and was paced horribly do to the game's use of a game clock. Due to the fact that the game operated in real-time instead of using a turn-based system, players reported having nothing whatsoever to do for extended periods of time.

## Spinoff and Sequel

Even before the infamous end of Kerbilization II, a player-created spinoff game was released. The game, Steam and the Stars (or Kerbilization: Steampunk Edition), took game mechanics from both the first and second Kerbilization games but did not base its plot in the official Kerbilization universe. Steam and the Stars was instead set in an alternate version of the 19th century.

During the summer of 2019, it was announced that an official sequel to Kerbilization II would be released in October of 2019. This game, Kerbilization III, was released on schedule and contained some of the features from Kerbilization II but was primarily based on the better-received mechanics of the original Kerbilization game.