To me this is the game that first got me into space trading and combat games. It's still playable now, but you MUST read the manual first and probably print out the keyboard shortcuts. Warning, it's not very playable with just a keyboard. I'm doing okay with an xbox controller, but it's not super smooth. The joystick I have is about comparable. Keyboard is rough though. Referencing the manual and playtest guide is really handy. I am fortunate to still have the original hard copies of those. :) Playtest guide is also super nice to see prices of items to sell and buy. Almost a must for trading. Grind it out in Troy for a long time until you're upgraded enough to do other things. Save EVERY TIME you are at a base.
I now have over 200 hours in this game and going strong. I will admit this type of strategy game isn't for everyone, but I absolutely love it. There are so many different characters in the game and they all feel solid and different. That's one of the main things I like about it. There isn't a single one that I thought was terrible or useless. Some of them are a bit weird to play, but once you get used to them, weird is good! Now a bit of a warning and caveat. This game can be difficult at low level... which is sadly how you start out of course. You need to get a level or two and some good items before your characters get going. Having played a massive amount, I can do fine starting off, but I could really see how someone who had never played it before could have a rough start. My advice to you is to only play 2 characters and keep at it until they are at least level 3 and have a few potions and items. Once you get into the swing of it, you'll move to 3 characters and then 4 and never look back. There is a LOT of content in this game. If it turns out to be the type of thing you like... you can easily sink hundreds of hours into it.
We have a too easy and a too hard so I'll pipe in and say it's just right! ;) If you just play one or two runs you might think the game is impossible... but once you unlock a few things and figure out how the cards work together you'll be winning enough and losing enough to keep it interesting. Especially if you turn on the mode where it gets progressively harder for a character every time you beat it with that carachter. There are 4 characters and each has several themes you can make a viable run with. Yes card draws are a bit random but with the pick 1 of 3 style they have you can usually come up with a viable strategy most runs. As with any of this style of game there will be times you get screwed by random chance... but if that turns you away then anything that says "roguelike" in the description is probably something you should avoid. If you have any fondness for deck builders and roguelikes, then this is a very very solid game.
It doesn't have the absolute best story, but it isn't horrible. This is a game for those who just want to go back to having something like what Privateer was long ago. Something that is rare. Now... admittedly you do need to do a little old style side mission grinding or trading in order to get a ship worthy to take on some of the main story you get to. But isn't that the point of this type of game? Just play the game for running missions and making money and then go through the main story. So yes you need to do some grinding to get to where you can take on tougher things. And yes the main loop of gameplay is a simple mission run or trading style. The missions are nothing special... but it's pretty fun gameplay. Be sure to make use of the side characters you get who you can call to fly with you. It makes missions doable and Richter is my hero. Also half the reason to play a Rebel Galaxy game is the music... and this one is no exception. And seriously... I'm in love with Richter.
This game has superb atmosphere and an extremely good story. It is well worth playing through. The voice acting is top notch for the most part. Gameplay isn't bad unless you want some sort of action game... but it's easy to tell from any descriptions of this game that it is not an action game. It's much much more than a graphic novel but slightly less in gameplay that a full on old school adventure game. I actually enjoyed the very novel idea of adding ideas to your inventory so that you could use them on people to talk about those ideas. Very neat. There are a number of quicktime events which aren't necessarily my favorite thing, but they weren't bad or overly difficult. Basically this is a truly fantastic story with excellent characters and stunning art and visuals wrapped up in gameplay that is halfway between a visual novel and an adventure game. If that sounds even somewhat tolerable to you... I highly recommend the experience.
I went in to this game in 2018 with all the hype about how good it was. I just wanted to see how well CD Projekt Red could make a game since I'm looking forward to their next title very much. Witcher 3 was so hyped up I knew it had to be solid... but I really did not expect it to become one of if not my favorite games of all time. It really is that good. I think what really did it for me is that... while it is a big (very big) open world... unlike some of those type of games, the story in this was excellent... but not just in the main quest. In so many big open games, the side quests kindof become just a way to get some more xp or money. The side quests in this game are gold. You do them because they are interesting more than anything else. The world is interesting. The characters are interesting. Some of the sidequests have better stories than a lot of main quests in other games. And the gameplay is solid. Nothing truly groundbreaking... but very solid. I like the little bits of detective work thrown in. And the fact that if you prepare for a big monster, you can take down stuff even several levels higher just because you read up on it and used the right spells and potions. It's a fantastic game that truly lives up to the ratings it has. I look forward to Cyberpunk.
