Firefly Studios, creators of the Stronghold series, has just announced that sci-fi strategy sim Space Colony is being re-released next month in the form of Space Colony HD.

Described by PC Gamer as ‘A fun, refreshingly light-hearted and deviously challenging sim’, Space Colony was released in 2003 to a warm critical reception from publications such as Gameindustry.com, GameSpy, GamePro and G4 TV.

Space Colony HD has players build a base on different planets throughout the galaxy, defending it from hostile alien threats while also keeping their ragtag crew of colonists alive and content. Your colourful crew includes the amicable Venus Jones, Scandinavian biker Stig Svensson, cybernetics expert Mr. Zhang and even former chicken farmer Billy-Bob Perkins. Each character has a unique personality with specific skills and needs, as well as different interactions. While keeping the crew happy is important, players must also keep them alive, maintaining oxygen levels, work productivity and defending against hostile alien threats.

Space Colony is not your run of the mill life simulator. The game features a wealth of different structures, weapons, aliens and real-time strategy mechanics befitting of a base builder. Establishing mining operations, colonist facilities and perimeter defences is up to the player, as is deciding which planets to colonise. As a throwback to the Stronghold games, players can choose to take a ‘Military’ or ‘Civilian’ path through the game, battling indigenous life or building intergalactic golf courses instead.

Space Colony HD updates the original strategy sim with high definition graphics and a greater field of view, often allowing players to see attacks on their base and points of interest at a glance, without the need to scroll around the map. The game has been remastered to support resolutions up to 2560×1600, up from the previous cap of 1280×1024.

Space Colony HD is set for digital release on GOG, Amazon, GetGames and other notable online retailers on 8th November 2012.