Posted on: March 5, 2020

SyntheticC

Games: 201 Reviews: 8

Star Trek: RNG

This rogue-lite is both incredibly fun and incredibly frustrating. To get it out of the way, yes, the RNG in this game can be quite brutal. Sometimes you travel to a new planet and you have a challenging but fair battle, other times you travel to a new planet and your crewmembers randomly die with no way to save them. Realistically what makes the RNG as brutal as it is is a) information isn't properly provided most of the time, and b) circumstances and responses in one run may not necessarily translate to another. It at first seems that unless you have equipment/crew members specifically designed for a situation (such as an advanced medbay for medical disasters) that there really is a random chance of the situation either going well or going belly up, but really this is also true even in circumstances in which you have the proper equipment, so there's little in the way of consistancy. All that being said, this is a great game to just plug in and play. Runs are usually pretty quick (for better or for worse), gameplay is simple yet deep, and assuming that the RNG at least doesn't devestate you there is a plethora of strategies to emply, each one surprisingly in depth and very rewarding. The game is also incredibly mod-friendly, with some fantastic mods that expand the scope of the game even further (Captain's Edition is probably the most known one) 4/5, would definitely reccomend. It can be incredibly frustrating to be sure, but when it all works it is incredibly fun

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Posted on: July 13, 2021

t1nk_solo

Verified owner

Games: 65 Reviews: 4

A tease for the novice.

I love the start of the game, the complexity of the gameplay, and the customizing options. That being said, after ten playthroughs it's a little masochistic. Despite the risks and rewards, you'll always come up short...even on "easy". It seems no matter what good fortune or upgrades you make, the AI gets to scale up so it can beat you down. A glance at search results show that the game *can* be conquered. I strongly suggest you review some of these before actually playing... the tutorial is of little use. What's that unwinnable scenario from a certain sci-fi franchise? That's what it feels like to me so far. Nonetheless, I'm not giving up on it yet.

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Posted on: September 23, 2021

BeatYerHeadIn

Games: 9 Reviews: 4

HFT Reviews FTL: Faster Than Light

FTL is a unique blend. It's action. It's strategy. It's roguelike. It's casual. However, none of those over-arching titles actually capture FTL's vibe. Perhaps "Jean-Luc Picard Flees the Borg Simulator" best gets the point across. The strength of this seemingly simple game is its surprising level of depth. As a playthrough progresses, you have full control over the customization of the ship's various systems and upgrades. You're not likely to max out every category (or even a couple, for that matter), so you'll have to customize the ship around your play-style and your play-style around the RNGesus loot generator in order to see success. FTL does cater to different play-styles: one could focus on offensive abilities or defensive abilities. Thankfully, the game is deep in terms of customization, resulting in branching upgrade paths for both O and D. For example, one may choose to focus on dodge instead of shielding, or boarding parties instead of heavy weaponry. The choice is yours... sort-of. Allow me to elaborate. First, accept that diplomacy is non-existent. Talking one's way out of a dispute rarely an option, so arm the photon torpedoes and report to battle stations! Second, acknowledge that it is unwise to start a new game of FTL with a certain strategy in mind, and then command your ship with upgrade tunnel vision. The game is based around entirely random encounters; adaptation is a virtue. To all those who like to plan ahead, this game flips you the bird! Sure you can have an overall goal in mind, but the game is random: you get what you get. Work with what you can scrounge up and/or to die trying! Commanding the crew and diverting power to ship systems RTS-style works great! Crew members gain proficiency in various ship-stations and... Continued on Ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/headinfortrouble Steam Curator https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41231829/ Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/headinfortroublereviews

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Posted on: January 7, 2023

CaresBlair

Verified owner

Games: 750 Reviews: 26

FTL=KING & QUEEN OF (RNG) STRATEGY

This, along with their follow up title INTO THE BREACH are known as the King & Queen of both RNG Strategy (FTL) and Non - RNG Strategy (Into the Breach). Either of them can run on an utter potato (so think any tablet or phone with a few tweaks), and yet provide countless dozens of hours of very polished gameplay. There is one major MOD for FTL that is considered FLT2, and of coarse it is FREE. These games are known as classics in the gaming industry for a reason, makes me start to think there just may be something to this current Dwarf Fortress craze on Steam, haha! Well I am a game pro, I have to check them all out eventually :) THIS IS A MUST HAVE for any collection that involves strategy, same with the later game ITB. I highly recommend! Funny too because when I first tried it on my Xbox pass I was slightly unimpressed. Silly, as this is a gem, and I had even played some of the board games decades ago (as a youth/child) that this is based on.

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Posted on: December 20, 2023

Fake-Smarts

Verified owner

Games: 38 Reviews: 25

Fight, Tire, Languish

This game presents an innovative set of rogue-like mechanics to challenge any player. However, the value of its difficulty remains questionable, as there isn't quite enough substance to warrant such a rigorous gauntlet. The objective of FTL to survive and quickly defeat a powerful rebellion amidst several randomized combat sequences. The player can acquire new crewmembers, ship systems, and other supplies through battle, purchase, or other encounters. The player can also earn new starting configurations from very good performance. But its highly stochastic environment provides overwhelming difficulty, even on the 'normal' setting. While the basic routine of blowing up ship after ship during a good run can be fun for a while, there is simply too much outside of the player's control to have every loss feel deserved. There are also too many ships, items, and choices offered that are objectively bad for a player to try and utilize. Regardless, the music is absolutely outstanding. The quality of the soundtrack is at an order of magnitude greater than every other aspect of the experience, combined. The OST alone is definitely recommended to anyone who enjoys percussion-driven, electronic ambience with a sci-fi flavor to it. Its graphics are servicable and help to provide atmosphere. Visual feedback is also very important to the combat, to which the game thankfully provides a good interface to communicate time-sensitive information. The narrative is a bit dry and difficult to appreciate, given that any real story bits are tucked away within rare or difficult side quests. Overall, it seems that balancing the gameplay to be more fair could offer a shorter, but sweeter experience. The music is ultimately what carries the experience and provides incentive to persist through the game's challenges. The game simply doesn't seem to fully respect the player's time, which could be better spent just listening to the OST while doing something more relaxing.

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