Bohemia Interactive is a studio name most people immediately connect with large-scale military simulations like Arma or survival sandboxes like DayZ. That’s why Cosmo Tales comes as such a surprise – a colorful, fast-paced space adventure with a dimension-hopping twist, wrapped in retro sci-fi flair and comic-book storytelling. At Gamescom we had the chance to learn more about this unexpected new project, and it’s safe to say it’s unlike anything else in the studio’s catalog.
What we know
Cosmo Tales is described as a space combat adventure with a heavy emphasis on shifting between alternate dimensions. Players step into the shoes of a teenage driver partnered with his sentient, talking cosmobile – a car that doubles as best friend and primary weapon system. The game combines high-speed aerial combat with environmental puzzles and tactical choices, as different realities each come with their own rules, weapons, and visual identity.
Combat promises a blend of frantic dodging, strafing, and boss battles, but also encourages players to use dimension-shifting creatively to outmaneuver enemies and adapt strategies on the fly. Missions are designed as episodic adventures, structured like comic-book issues with self-contained stories, humor, and occasional dramatic turns. The art direction leans heavily into vibrant retro sci-fi, with donut-shaped planets, rainbow-hued space backdrops, and characters rendered in a style that nods to ‘70s comic covers mixed with modern indie aesthetics. The game is in development for PC, with console versions not yet announced, and is still early in production.
What we saw
At Gamescom, we sat in on a presentation of Cosmo Tales hosted by project lead Zdenek Kvasnica, who walked us through an early build of the game. While we didn’t go hands-on ourselves, the session included a look at dimension-shifting in action and ended with a Q&A about the team’s vision for the project.
What we thought
The biggest takeaway from the presentation was just how unusual this project feels for Bohemia Interactive. Known for grounded, often gritty experiences, the studio is suddenly embracing a bright, whimsical tone where cars crack jokes and rainbow space backdrops frame fast-paced battles. That tonal shift immediately makes Cosmo Tales stand out, though it also raises the question of whether fans of Bohemia’s more traditional titles will embrace it, or if the studio is aiming to reach a completely different audience – perhaps their families?
From a gameplay perspective, the dimension-shifting mechanic looks like it could become the game’s most defining feature. Watching the action flip between alternate realities mid-combat was visually striking, but also suggested tactical depth. In theory, it lets players change the battlefield in their favor, either by escaping a tough encounter or finding new ways to deal with a boss. At the same time, it’s hard to judge how much variety these shifts will really offer in the long term, and whether the novelty will hold up across multiple missions.
The narrative framework feels refreshingly different from other space shooters, leaning heavily into episodic comic-book storytelling. Each mission plays out like a self-contained issue with its own characters and conflicts, creating space for both humor and more heartfelt moments. Pairing this with the relationship between the teenage driver and his sentient car gives the whole thing a Saturday morning cartoon vibe, but one that’s elevated by the sheer ambition of the art direction. The demo suggested a lot of personality here, though how deep these stories will go is something we’ll only know further down the line.
Visually, the game is already shaping up to be one of Bohemia’s most striking projects. The handcrafted worlds, bold color palette, and stylized cosmic designs look like they belong to a completely different branch of the studio, almost more at home alongside indie experimental titles than alongside Arma. That said, the footage also revealed that this is still early days, with some environments and effects clearly in a work-in-progress state. With plenty of time before release, there’s potential for polish, but also some uncertainty about whether the gameplay loop will prove as compelling as its presentation.
As an early glimpse, Cosmo Tales leaves us intrigued. It’s a bold departure for Bohemia Interactive, and one that carries both risk and promise. The big question will be whether its dimension-shifting mechanics and episodic storytelling can keep players hooked once the novelty fades – but as a first impression, it’s hard not to be curious about where this unexpected journey through rainbow-colored space will go.
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