Paradox Interactive has revealed more details about the advanced combat system in Dark Horizon, the upcoming space action simulator for the PC. Set in the galaxy of Enosta, Dark Horizon casts players as Guardians, the mysterious yet skilled fighters charged with saving the galaxy by overcoming the all-consuming spectral force known as the Mirk.

“As we were thinking about gameplay mechanics during development, we decided a realistic element of combat that would be significant for Guardian fleet fighters would be the temperature of the ship,” said Timur Lazarenko, Lead Programmer on Dark Horizon. “By controlling the temperature of his ship, the player can send his ship into one of two specialized combat modes. Making the ship’s engine temperatures drop will send the player into shadow mode, in which he can become invisible and stealth past enemy lines. When the player heats the ship’s engine, he can then enter corter mode, which allows him to significantly upgrade his weapon system in exchange for a shield penalty.”

In addition to the game’s multitude of ship customization options, Dark Horizon also features two specialized combat modes for the game’s 22 missions: shadow mode and corter mode. Several of the game’s missions will call upon players to use one or both of these modes in addition to the game’s standard flight mode.