Stars of Icarus throws chaotic 5v5 space battles—for now, only in playtests. The multiplayer shooter’s next test run starts today, and to mark the occasion, the team has released a new gameplay trailer made from community footage.

To me, multiplayer shooters are a bit like early TV entertainment. They don’t tell jokes, sure, but they’re just as stripped-down. At its core, Stars of Icarus doesn’t have much more going on than "pew, pew" either—and yet I still think it’s worth a quick news post. Why? Well: it’s anime guys blasting each other in space.

In spaceships, obviously. And since we’re talking crew-based 5v5 battles, that sounds like a good time. Every single crew member is controlled by a real player, and ever since Pulsar: Lost Colony, we’ve known exactly why ideas like this can click.

Stars of Icarus isn’t properly taking off just yet, though, since the game is still in alpha. That’s why developer Muse Games is still collecting player feedback through playtests. As you’re reading this, another one is already underway, running from May 29 to June 8. And it’s not just another routine test; quite a bit has changed since last time.

Here’s what’s new in the May / June playtest

A press email singled out the new map Omicron as one of the fresh additions, though it didn’t go into any detail. Maybe because, with a space setting, it doesn’t really matter where the ship fights happen anyway. 😉 Muse Games also says it has overhauled the exterior ship models and the UI. The team has also made a round of balance changes, including tweaks to health, ammo, and damage.

A new trailer launched alongside the playtest, and you can watch it further down. According to the Stars of Icarus team, the video is made entirely from community and playtester footage—so the developers didn’t even have to lift a finger themselves. They did at least put together a temporary onboarding tutorial to help new players get their bearings.

Stars of Icarus has a backstory

There’s a good chance this is the first time you’re reading about Stars of Icarus. The PvP space shooter hasn’t just appeared out of nowhere, though—the Icarus series actually has a longer history behind it. It started back in 2010 with the single-player game Flight of the Icarus, which never really took off thanks to clumsy design and a whole lot of bugs.

Then came Guns of Icarus Online, which picked up the post-apocalyptic airship concept and turned it into a multiplayer game. Thanks to its weighty 4v4 battles, this version was far more successful than its predecessor, even if critics at the time called it a rather bumpy ride.

So Stars of Icarus basically moves its predecessor’s chaos into space, where it’ll hopefully get plenty of things right. For now, the futuristic blasting will stay on PC. Depending on player feedback and sales, console versions could follow later.