FTL: Advanced Edition

it's that same strange phenomena that recently occured to me while playing diablo 1 & 2. it's somehow what star trek bridge commander should have been but all in 2d retro-glory. oh, and by the way: the game runs pretty fine on older machines. i use to play it on a grumpy old core duo machine and it still rocks ;)

Let's be honest: this game would never be released as a AAA title by a major publisher. It's too niche, too difficult, and not by any means an action FPS. Instead, it's a confident, polished game that knows what it is and what it wants to do, and does it extremely well. It's a hard-as-nails roguelike--meaning it has randomized levels and permadeath. Each playthrough is designed to last about an hour or two, and whether you die or win, you start your next playthrough from scratch. Nothing carries over except perhaps any new ships you've been lucky enough to unlock. And yes, due to the highly random nature of the game, you will need luck. But that's not to say there isn't a lot of strategy required. There are many different approaches you can take, each with their own drawbacks. For example. relying on boarding parties gets you more scrap (the game's currency), but risks losing crew members. Is it for everybody? No way. This is what indie gaming is all about. A small team of developers made a game with a laser-like focus on a very specific vision, without worrying about appealing to the mass market. If that vision doesn't interest you, then move along. But if it is, then this will become one of your favorite games, period!

FTL looks simple, but that's deceiving. Roguelikes are not my thing, as the lack of saves can be maddening. FTL breaks boundaries. It's unforgiving; that's its charm. Frustrating, yes. Hard, definitely. Fun, unbelievably so! Don't let it fool you, it has amazing depth. It has it where it counts: a varied/well-balanced game engine. Many different strategies to use; many it'll use against you; be creative, daring and crazy. FTL is real-time/turn-based strategy, resource-manager, dungeon-hack, mystery, RPG, action, adventure; most of all fun, Fun, FUN! The Devs created true beauty. Music: haunting, ethereal, smart, well-placed, not overwhelming/distracting. In battle, heart thumping, sweating, yelling curses, live or die, you'll be smiling. 1st run, all crew killed. My pilot, alone, was boarded. 2nd run, a few sectors in; blown to bits. 3rd, unlocked a new ship! Achievements and unlockables! You'll find you'll learn new ideas. Fortune favors the bold. Change approaches. Be stupid/crazy! Run out of fuel. Enter Rebel space. I just scored my 1st Victory; Easy. You can win, but it's insane. I was daring; rarely fled; took risks; lots of luck. Ship loaded for finale; had to play extremely smart. FTL: you're in for a ride!

This game is like playing poker against the best poker players in the world with couple of cheaters mixed in. At the beginning it looks like a game of (bad) luck with overpowered opponent, but after several failures, you start to learn from your mistakes. The game never becomes easy (not even on easy difficulty), but winning becomes more and more possible after each failure.

If you like rogue-like-esque games than you will love FTL. If you love Space Combat and pretending that you are the commanding officer of a ship in the middle of a firefight, you will love this game. If you like playing games, you will love this game. Such a simple design yet so effective, this game made dying fun. Knowing that I would have to go through the same stuff was never tedious for me. Mix in a few moral choices and this is one of my favorite games! Although I can't express my sadness when Lovell (My former weapons officer) was killed in a Mantis raid on my ship, Talon of Idris. I was in mourning for more than an hour for that guy. I may be a little strange, but I form an emotional attachment with my crew members so much that losing one really feels like it puts me at a large disadvantage.