The game is beautiful, compelling, and also incredibly difficult to maneuver at times. Players can only move the astronaut’s arms or tuck their legs in; the rest is up to (the lack of) gravity, movement styles, and utilizing the environment to successfully complete a repair and maintenance mission. It can be quite daunting to begin with, so here are some beginner tips which can make a new player’s experience smoother on Heavenly Bodies.
10 Choose a Movement Style
While navigating in Heavenly Bodies can be difficult, there are several movement styles available to choose from which will make life a lot easier (or harder) for the player. ‘Classic’ mode is a balance of fun and challenge, with some assistance to movement while also maintaining the weightlessness of space. ‘Newtonian’ mode is essentially the game’s hard mode, with a stronger focus on physics making it much harder for players to navigate the station.
For beginners, or if players are stuck, the ‘Assist’ mode might be an attractive option. In this mode, players simply point with the character’s arms in the direction they want to move, and they will move without any other prompt.
9 Try Challenges
Once players complete a mission, they will unlock the ability to return to the Manual and attempt challenge versions of that mission. For example, once completing the first mission, players will have access to a challenge requiring them to pry open the airlock with a tennis racket.
These challenges may seem, obviously, challenging and perhaps somewhat trivial, but they do serve a great purpose for beginners. Pushing the boundaries of abilities early in the game will give players a significant edge in understanding how object mechanics work in the game’s gravity. This can potentially make future missions and challenges easier.
8 Practice
This point especially stands when it comes to using equipment in Heavenly Bodies. All actions within the game require some degree of practice in order to understand the physics behind them, especially the use of equipment. Learning how to properly hold a crowbar is almost as important as understanding how to properly hold and propel the character off a wall.
RELATED: Sci-Fi Game Franchises That Have Never Dipped Below 75 On Metacritic
The first area, where players need to pry open an emergency door with a crowbar, is the perfect place to practice the points above. Try moving from room to room, picking up and moving the objects therein, and gain experience before moving towards the first spacewalk.
7 Bring In A Friend
Getting stuck on a mission is the bane of every player’s gaming experience. Heavenly Bodies is relaxing, but it can also be difficult in places with some missions requiring intricate movements and planning before setting out to complete them.
RELATED: Best Co-Op Simulation Games, Ranked
Thankfully, Heavenly Bodies allows for a co-op buddy to join in and offer a helping hand. This can be particularly helpful in Mission 2, where players are tasked with repairing a large data tower on the outside of the space station. Having one player move the transmission module while the other aligns the tower itself will save a considerable amount of time and potential frustration.
6 Align The Camera
Being in space, it is quite easy for players to get disoriented. Considering the complex movement tactics required to navigate the space station, this can easily add to the frustration of completing tasks.
Remember to align the camera whenever possible. To do so, simply press Square on Playstation, or Z if playing on PC. This will snap the camera ‘upwards’, with the player’s body facing up and allowing them to make sense of their surroundings once more. Maintaining an aligned camera helps significantly with general movement and understanding how to successfully ‘swim’ through zero gravity.
5 Hold On To The Environment
This point is vital when the player makes their first spacewalk without the safety of the space station’s walls to comfort them. The game wastes no time in sending players into the dangers of space, so having one hand on the outer wall of the space station is a surefire way to keep the character safe. It also acts as a great way of gaining an understanding of the player’s surroundings.
‘Climbing’ across walls by holding them in one hand, moving the character, and grabbing onto a part of the wall further away before releasing the first hand is a simple and effective method of spacewalk navigation.
4 Keep Tools With You
Throughout Heavenly Bodies, players will need to complete various objectives which include, but are not limited to, repairs. Some of these repairs require specific tools, such as a crowbar to get into locked doors, or a wrench for repairing robotic arms for telescope construction.
RELATED: Best Spaceship Building Games
It isn’t made obvious whilst playing, but players can actually keep these tools on their belts as they undergo missions. This gives players access to both their hands whilst navigating the spaceship and beyond, making movement significantly easier. To attach a tool to the belt, hold the tool in one hand, move it to the character’s hips, and hit Cross (Spacebar on PC).
3 Use The Manual
As most would suspect, repairing components of a space station is no easy feat. Few players are likely to understand the deep-rooted mechanisms within. Thankfully, the in-game manual provides helpful step-by-step diagrams showing how to complete a Mission’s task. It also features a plethora of information relating to the game and how to succeed.
The diagrams are quite abstract, but that’s intentional for maintaining the puzzle aspect. This feature is especially helpful in Mission 2 and provides players with a fairly clear path to successfully repair the transmission tower.
2 Use The Yellow Clips
Some missions in Heavenly Bodies require players to leave the safe, non-threatening walls of the space station and venture into the dark abyss of space to complete repairs or other tasks. Out here, there is little support to stop players from floating into the vast nothingness, so a keen eye for assistance is crucial.
Thankfully, the developers of Heavenly Bodies were kind enough to add yellow support clips for players to latch on to while outside the ship. These clips are attached to a rope, which is then attached to a part of the ship allowing for safe, mistake-friendly navigation of space. To use the clip, players must grab the end they wish to attach to and attach it to their bodies. The length of the rope is limited, but players can detach the clip attached to the ship and carry it with them to other clip points if they’re feeling brave.
1 Patience
From the get-go, Heavenly Bodies makes it quite aware that it demands patience and delicate movements to successfully navigate the space station. It may be a simple tip, but a little patience in games like Heavenly Bodies goes a long way in helping a player’s overall success and, most importantly, the excitement of the game.
When starting out in the first room, take a little time to appreciate the game’s physics. Move slowly, focusing on the impact moving the character’s arms has on their overall movement. Interact with objects in the room to gain an understanding of how they will react to the player and the environment, as this will be essential in future missions.
Heavenly Bodies is available to grab for free via Playstation Plus.MORE: Kerbal Space Program 2 Confirms Early Access Release Date
