SpaceVenture

Last updated: March 11, 2026

Overview

SpaceVenture is a science fiction comedy adventure game developed by the Two Guys from Andromeda, the original creators of Sierra’s classic Space Quest series¹. After a brief 25+ year hiatus, Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy joined forces once again to create this spiritual successor to their beloved adventure game franchise². The game follows Ace Hardway, a “Life Support Systems technician” (essentially a space plumber), and his robotic dog Rooter on an epic intergalactic misadventure³.

Originally announced in April 2012 and successfully funded through Kickstarter in June 2012 with $539,767⁴, SpaceVenture experienced a tumultuous decade-long development cycle marked by numerous delays, technical challenges, and personal setbacks for the developers⁵. The game finally released to Kickstarter backers in September 2022⁶. On December 23, 2025, the team publicly released SpaceVenture v2 (v2.08.01) on Steam, featuring a complete Unity engine upgrade, extensive QA testing, and numerous bug fixes⁷.

Game Info

Developer: Guys from Andromeda⁸ Designer: Mark Crowe, Scott Murphy⁹ Publisher: Guys from Andromeda⁸ Platforms: PC, Steam, Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, iOS⁸ Release Year: 2022 (backers), 2025 (Steam public release) Series: null Sierra Lineage: Spiritual Successor

Story Summary

SpaceVenture takes players on a sci-fi comedy adventure that combines interplanetary exploration, puzzle-solving, and space travel, featuring “pant loads” of pop culture satire and clean “potty” humor characteristic of the Space Quest series⁸. The game follows protagonist Ace Hardway, described as a space plumber or “Life Support Systems technician,” accompanied by his robotic companion Rooter³. The narrative maintains the irreverent tone and pop culture references that made the original Space Quest games memorable, with various easter eggs and parodies throughout the experience¹⁰.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

SpaceVenture utilizes a traditional point-and-click adventure game interface reminiscent of classic Sierra titles¹¹. The game features a “point and select” control scheme with a third-person perspective⁸. However, reviewers have noted significant issues with the user interface, with one critic describing it as “a daft user interface” that detracts from the overall experience¹².

Structure and Progression

The game is described as offering “a cohesive adventure game experience and story that is playable from start to finish”¹³. Players navigate through various sci-fi environments solving puzzles in the traditional adventure game style. The developers have maintained their philosophy that “this is a Two Guys From Andromeda game, and that means one thing for sure, you’re going to need a keycard if you want to get through a closed door at some point!”¹⁴

Puzzles and Mechanics

SpaceVenture incorporates the quirky puzzles and offbeat humor that characterized the original Space Quest series¹⁰. The game includes memorable death sequences, a retro adventure gaming interface, and hand-crafted artwork designed to make players “feel right at home”¹⁰. However, technical implementation has been problematic, with one reviewer noting that “the biggest flaw with the interface, however, is the save system. What a hot mess.”¹

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Adventure Game Hotspot	65%	Criticized lack of polish but praised core humor and story1
Chordian.net	6/10	Called it “a buggy mess with a daft user interface”12
Impulse Gamer	4/10	Noted nostalgic appeal but technical issues11
Steam User Reviews	92% Very Positive	Current user rating shows strong fan support3
Critics (Aggregate)	72%	Overall critical reception8

Modern Assessment

The game has received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with many praising the nostalgic elements and humor while criticizing the technical execution. Adventure Game Hotspot’s reviewer noted: “It’s a shame that the lack of polish really lets it down in its current state, as at its core SpaceVenture is a funny, good-looking game with an interesting story that will surely be enough to satisfy Space Quest fans”¹. John Walker of Kotaku was more harsh, calling the final product “a colossal disaster”¹⁵. Despite critical issues, Steam users have rated the game very positively at 92%, suggesting strong fan appreciation despite technical flaws³.

Development

Origins

The reunion of Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe began in 2012 when Mark reached out to Scott after their 20-year estrangement following their work on Space Quest⁹. Murphy later reflected: “Mark had the guts to reach out to somebody who he had no reason to feel might welcome him — me” and admitted “Looking back, I realize I was a dick”⁹. The two creators were inspired by Double Fine’s successful Kickstarter campaign and realized they needed to work together again, with Crowe stating: “We knew there was no way we were going to be able to make a Space Quest-style game that was successful unless we were together”⁹.

The project’s conception reflected the nostalgia wave sweeping through crowdfunded gaming. As the Two Guys themselves stated: “We aren’t straying from what has been a successful formula. We’re back to make more while also incorporating what we’ve learned from you via comments made from the days of snail-mail and moving to email and social media”¹⁰. They acknowledged fan feedback, noting “It’s been interesting to learn what you’ve found fun, funny and/or annoying, and what games you’ve favored. Clearly, not everyone has well-rated taste, but we can work around that”¹⁰.

Production

Development began after a successful Kickstarter campaign launched on June 12, 2012, which exceeded its $500,000goalandraised$539,767⁴. The initial delivery was estimated for February 2013, but the project experienced numerous delays due to technical challenges with the Unity engine, personal hardships, and lack of development expertise⁵. The team faced significant setbacks when “Mark and Chris both lost their mothers during a span of time in the last few months,” contributing to development delays¹⁶.

Voice Cast

The game features an impressive ensemble of voice talent, many with notable gaming and animation credits:

Actor	Known For
Rob Paulsen	Pinky (Pinky and the Brain), Yakko (Animaniacs)4
Maurice LaMarche	Brain (Pinky and the Brain), Egon Spengler (The Real Ghostbusters)4
Robert Clotworthy	Jim Raynor (StarCraft series)4
Ellen McLain	GLaDOS (Portal series)4
John Patrick Lowrie	Sniper (Team Fortress 2)4
Jason Charles Miller	Composer and voice actor4
Melanie Stone	Mythica series4
Jake Stormoen	Mythica series, Outpost4
Vince Caso	Voice actor4
Ed Kelly	Narrator1

Gary Owens, the distinctive narrator from the original Space Quest series, was originally planned to reprise his role. Tragically, Owens passed away before recording could take place, leaving the team to find a replacement narrator⁴. The voice recordings were eventually completed by August 2018, representing six years of intermittent production work⁴.

Music for the game was composed by Ken Allen (a Sierra veteran who worked on the original Space Quest games), James Mulvale, and Jason Charles Miller⁴.

Technical Achievements

SpaceVenture was developed using the Unity engine and features traditional 2D background art combined with real-time 3D characters and particle effects⁸. The game targets a default resolution of 1920x1080 with fullscreen mode support⁸. However, development was hampered by challenges upgrading from older Unity engine versions, and the final product suffered from numerous technical issues including a problematic save system and limited resolution options¹.

As one reviewer summarized: “It feels like the producers just pushed it out the door because ten years of production was long enough, and no other fixes were forthcoming”¹. The troubled development serves as “a cautionary tale about crowdfunded game development, illustrating how game dev is really hard and that Kickstarter money doesn’t stretch very far in a dev cycle of literally a decade”¹⁷.

Version History

Version	Date	Notes
v2.08.01	December 23, 2025	Major v2 release with Unity engine upgrade and extensive bug fixes7
v2.08.02	December 26, 2025	Patch fixing Pipes scene bug3

The v2 development cycle involved four phases: transitioning to the latest Unity version, multiple QA testing rounds, beta testing with backers ($30+pledges),andfinalreleasetoalleligiblebackers($15+ pledges)⁷. The team also announced plans to add Steam achievements³.

Legacy

SpaceVenture represents a cautionary tale about crowdfunded game development, illustrating how “game dev is really hard and that Kickstarter money doesn’t stretch very far in a dev cycle of literally a decade”¹⁷. Despite its troubled development and mixed critical reception, the game has found appreciation among fans of the original Space Quest series, as evidenced by the strong Steam user ratings of 92% positive³.

Lessons Learned

The project’s decade-long development cycle highlighted several challenges facing nostalgia-driven crowdfunded projects:

• Scope vs. Budget: The $539,767 raised proved insufficient for the ambitious scope envisioned
• Technical Expertise: The team lacked dedicated programming expertise, leading to Unity engine struggles
• Personal Setbacks: Deaths in the families of key team members contributed to delays
• Engine Updates: Upgrading between Unity versions proved technically challenging

Reunion Impact

The project served to reunite the original Space Quest creators after a 20-year estrangement, healing old wounds and allowing Murphy and Crowe to collaborate once more. Despite the game’s mixed reception, the personal reconciliation between the Two Guys represents a meaningful outcome beyond the game itself.

Activision Connection

The developers attempted to contact Activision about working on an official Space Quest title but never received a response¹⁸. This reflects the broader challenge facing classic franchise revivals—original creators often find it difficult to re-engage with properties now owned by large publishers.

Ongoing Development

The team has continued supporting the game post-release, with v2 updates in late 2025 addressing many technical issues that plagued the initial release⁷. Plans for Steam achievements indicate ongoing commitment to improving the player experience³.

Purchase

• GOG Dreamlist

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Steam - $24.99³

Preservation

• PCGamingWiki – Technical fixes and compatibility information¹⁹

See Also

• 1993 - Blue Force
• 2006 - Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine
• 2008 - Ace of Aces
• 2010 - Gray Matter
• 2012 - Cognition - An Erica Reed Thriller
• 2013 - Fester Mudd - Curse of the Gold
• 2014 - Moebius - Empire Rising
• 2014 - Quest for Infamy
• 2015 - Cluck Yegger in Escape From The Planet of The Poultroid
• 2015 - Order of the Thorne - The King’s Challenge
• 2018 - Bolt Riley - A Reggae Adventure
• 2018 - Hero-U - Rogue to Redemption
• 2019 - Mage’s Initiation - Reign of the Elements
• 2023 - Colossal Cave 3D Adventure
• 2023 - Summer Daze - Tilly’s Tale

References

Footnotes

1. Adventure Game Hotspot – - Game overview and developer information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Guys from Andromeda – - Official announcement post ↩

3. Steam Store – - Official game description and protagonist details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

4. EverybodyWiki – - Kickstarter funding information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

5. Wikipedia – - Development challenges overview ↩ ↩²

6. Time Extension – - Release timeline information ↩

7. Kickstarter Update – SpaceVenture v2 – v2 announcement and development phases ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. MobyGames – - Developer and publisher information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

9. Game Developer – - Designer credits and reunion story ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. Guys from Andromeda – - Game features description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

11. Impulse Gamer – - Interface description ↩ ↩²

12. Chordian.net – - Interface criticism ↩ ↩²

13. Larry Laffer – - Development team description ↩

14. Guys from Andromeda Hint Guide – - Design philosophy quote ↩

15. Kotaku – - Critical assessment ↩

16. SierraChest – - Development delays explanation ↩

17. Time Extension – - Development challenges commentary ↩ ↩²

18. IGN – - Activision contact attempt details ↩

19. PCGamingWiki – SpaceVenture – Technical documentation and fixes ↩