DaRmaZat Belgian development studio Cognition has released a brand-new narrative and gameplay trailer for its upcoming serious sci-fi adventure, Lunar Strike. Debuting exclusively during the recent Insider Gaming Showcase, the trailer offers a grounded look at the daily struggles within humanity’s final lunar settlement. Alongside the footage, the developer confirmed that the game’s very first hands-on playtest is now officially underway for PC users.
Set within New Arcadia – a permanently inhabited colony situated at the Moon’s south pole – Lunar Strike eschews traditional action-heavy tropes to focus on a hard science fiction depiction of space survival. Players step into the shoes of a technologically augmented archivist following a catastrophic assault by the MudBoots, a radical extremist faction known as Earth First.
With the fragile lunar colony left on the brink of total structural collapse, players face a tense race against time to protect humanity’s collective legacy. The core experience revolves around making heavy, narrative-altering choices regarding which real-world historical artifacts, scientific discoveries, and cultural records can be salvaged before the facility is destroyed.
The currently active Steam playtest features a snapshot of the game’s pre-alpha build, covering the introductory stages of the narrative. It allows participants to meet the core cast of characters, explore the sectors of New Arcadia, test out scanning systems, and engage with the game’s environmental storytelling. Lunar Strike is slated to launch later in 2026 and is currently available for wishlisting on PC via Steam.
