Wildgate is a team-based space MacGuffin chase from Dreamhaven & Moonshot Games

Nothing gets a galactic crew's blood flowing quite like an out-of-this-world treasure hunt. The perils of space are many, whether they be hostile aliens, killer robots, or dangerous traps. Of course, nothing is deadlier than another space crew out for the same treasure. That's the idea behind Wildgate, a 4v4v4v4v4 crew-based first-person shooter from publisher Dreamhaven and developer Moonshot Games. Shacknews recently got to suit up and journey across the cosmos in search of fame and glory.

Revealed during Tuesday's Dreamhaven Showcase, Wildgate puts players in the role of intrepid Prospectors. Player-controlled crews will team up for a journey through the procedurally-generated Typhon Reach in search of a relic simply known as the Artifact. The ultimate goal is to find the Artifact and escort it through the titular Wildgate, where crews blast off to safety to enjoy their spoils. While that sounds simple, there are a lot of steps between embarking on this journey and eventual victory. This involves a preparation phase, a search period, and potentially competing against a harrowing environment, and later competing against other player-controlled crews.

Wildgate will feature a handful of selectable crew members. Only two were available for this session, but each will have its own distinct advantages, whether it's quicker health regeneration, faster speeds, or greater proficiency with ship repairs, just to name a few examples. Regardless of the composition, teamwork will prove essential across the entirety of the game's fairly lengthy 20-40 minute sessions.

A bulk of the game will be experienced aboard the crew's spaceship, which has shields, defenses, and other components that can help over the course of the game and which must be defended against hostiles. At the start of the session, nobody knows where the Artifact is located. Crews must use the ship's scanners to help locate the Artifact along with caches of loot that can help over the course of the game. Abandoned space stations, moons, and other locations can house various treasures, which can include better Prospector weapons and valuable ship upgrades. Greater shields, more powerful cannons, and upgraded thrusters often make the difference during the game's final moments.

What's interesting is that each of Wildgate's different locations house different dangers. There can be hostile enemies, traps, or even boss characters guarding the area's valuables. Any crew members who are defeated will eventually respawn aboard the ship, but it'll mean a critical time loss in a game where time can mean everything.

Eventually, the Artifact is located and the idea becomes to escort it aboard the ship. After collecting the Artifact, the race is on to the Wildgate. However, there are still four other player-controlled crews out there and they'll all be alerted if the Artifact has been picked up. This is when the game morphs into a Star Trek-style starship battle. If a crew's spaceship is destroyed, they are eliminated from the game, so hostile teams will often gang up on whoever has the Artifact. It's up to the pilot to try and keep things together, the gunners to retaliate with return fire, and any other remaining crew members to try and make repairs as they come up. Parts of the ship will catch fire when under attack, so players will need to complete repairs quickly. They must also be cautious of any hostile players who may board their ship for a surprise attack.

The euphoria of victory and the dread of crushing defeat fluctuate and escalate throughout every session, especially as teams holding the Artifact inch closer to the Wildgate. There was at least one session where my team was blown to bits just outside of the Wildgate's orbit and I could only watch in Spectator Mode as the remaining teams fought it out for the Artifact, which was now floating in space.

As one might imagine, communication is essential in a game like Wildgate. This is going to be one of those games that's practically made for Discord, simply because crew members will need to team up for raids across different areas and also communicate throughout that home stretch. With so many steps, this is also one of those games where a lot can happen and a lot of laughs can be had over just how comically downhill an Artifact hunt can go.

Wildgate is an ambitious piece of work and it'll remain to be seen if something so involved can catch on with the greater gaming public. For what it's worth, this was a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing more of the game's Prospectors in action. Those who want a taste of what to expect can take part in the upcoming community preview playtest, which will run from April 10-14. Wildgate is set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S later in 2025.

This preview is based on a Steam beta code provided by the publisher. The final product is subject to change.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?