Clank! In! Space! makes some noise as the sci-fi sequel to the sneaky deckbuilder

Clank! was one of the more unique deckbuilders to come along in a while, applying the tension and momentum of a card game to a Hobbit-like heist as players snuck into a dragon’s mountain lair (sound familiar?) to nick some valuable loot – all without knocking over the jingly-jangly treasure and attracting the ire of the fire-breathing beastie.

This year’s expansion, Sunken Treasures, took the action underwater, adding in flooded dungeon maps and a new monster to avoid, but a newly-announced sequel will take the deckbuilder one step further.

The delightfully punctuated Clank! In! Space! (does anybody else read that like The Muppets' Pigs in Space?) transplants the thievery to a space station – presumably because in the vacuum of space no-one can hear you clank.

The standalone box is based closely on the original Clank! gameplay, as players push their luck to acquire treasure cards while also manoeuvring their character through the map, attacking enemies and placing cubes that represent the noise they’re making.

This time, it’s not a dragon chasing them down but Lord Eradikus, a cyborg ruler and owner of the spaceship. According to publisher Renegade, the setting makes for a more challenging encounter – but it still plays in around an hour with two to four people, suggesting that support for solo play has been dropped.

The first images of cards in the games include plenty of nods to sci-fi film and TV, including sly references to Star Wars, Futurama, Rick and Morty, The Matrix, Transformers and even Clank!'s feline companion Mr Whiskers.

Clank! In! Space! is out at Gen Con this week, and should be available everywhere else this autumn.