FIRST SIGNAL / ANNOUNCED INDIE / PIXEL-ART SPACE ADVENTURE
What if an incremental game began with a tiny red dwarf and ended with an entire star going supernova? That is the cosmic arc behind I Wanna Be a Supernova, a new pixel-art space adventure from Madrid-based solo developer Javier Lianes García of Lianes8 Studio.
Rather than placing players in the cockpit of a spaceship, the game makes the star itself the protagonist. The developer describes a journey through eleven stellar phases, gathering mass by consuming moons, planets, comets and passing ships before the final explosion. It is an unusual premise for a deliberately relaxed game: the universe is your playground, and you are gradually becoming the most dangerous thing in it.
Growing into a cosmic force
The studio’s original gameplay screenshots show a vivid pixel-art galaxy with glowing celestial bodies, bold interface panels and effects surrounding an evolving star. The central progression is intended to change both the star and its surrounding sky. Lianes8 Studio says that growth carries between stages rather than resetting the player to nothing.
A black hole for a companion
One of the more memorable ideas is a pet black hole. The developer says players can throw it towards planets to devour them, then feed it gems between stages to help it evolve through ten forms. There is something amusingly affectionate about treating a gravitational catastrophe as a companion, and it gives the game’s scale an unexpectedly playful edge.
Beyond that companion, the announced systems include forging celestial bodies from materials and selecting zodiac relics. The developer lists twenty craftable celestial bodies, eight materials, seventy-one original music tracks, thirty-one languages and controller support. Those are developer-stated targets and features, not systems we have independently tested.
When can we play?
The official Steam page is live for Windows, macOS and Linux. Lianes8 Studio currently plans a free demo for 19 January 2027 and a full launch for 8 March 2027; both dates are provisional and should be rechecked nearer the time. The game is not yet a fully released Switchboard title.
This is a First Signal discovery feature based on the developer’s announcement, official store page and approved original press-kit imagery, not a hands-on review. Screenshots and artwork © Lianes8 Studio, reproduced with permission.