Being a fan of the original Star Control 2, I had high expectations on this one. Sadly, I was disappointed as Star Control Origins is just... meh. I'll start with the good before turning to the bad. Sound and Music Well crafted and consistent with the game world. A bit repetitive but don't we all listen to our favourite songs more than once? Graphics OK-ish. The first few visits to planets left a lasting impression. Sadly, the more you play, the more you'll realise that everything looks the same and there is heavy reuse of assets. Sometimes, the 3D part of the game stutters and revelas performance issues. Gameplay The battles are fun at first even though they get boring quite fast. The enemies are just cannon fodder once you upgraded your ship a bit. What made me furious: Most ships you can get hold of just suck in comparison with your main ship. So all the variety that made SC2 so great is lost here. Gathering resources on planets is just boring after a few systems and there is nothing to find there anywhere - you don't need much money to finish the game, the resources are all the same everywhere and abundant. Story "Haven't we met before?" - The overall story is very simple. Meet aliens, form alliance against evil dudes with big helmets, a little twist, defeat boss enemies, done. Some of the aliens are quite charming, others forgettable. Sadly, the whole population of the alien people seem to consist of just two individuals, repeating the same lines over and over again. Quests This is the weakest part of the game. Bland go here, go there, fetch this, deliver there stuff. The main quest line is really not worth mentioning but the side quests are worst. It feels like they added some side quests as tech demo / examples but the vast majority of systems is just... empty. With the exception of the occasional crashed ship that always triggers the same dialog. Overall Unfinished. The game lacks content, lacks polishing, and has bugs that never got fixed.
...but it's not more than 3/5. -No keybind, default keybind not convenient -Overloaded controls - I cannot even imagine how to play this game without a controller. Every button has two or three uses. -Fighting is just abysmal. The camera rotates wildly due to "combat focus" and sometimes it is buried in the soil. Monsters move with the speed of light... -Once you figured it out, fights are way too easy. Just stand on a rock and rain down arrows on your foes that are obviously not able to climb... Or use one of the special attacks. I killed the final boss in some ten seconds, a very disappointing experience. -Repetitive - basically, you do the same stuff on the same islands five times. The monsters get stronger, so do you. The few riddles are a glimpse at what the game could have become. -Inventory is way too small in the early chapters, so you constantly litter the ground with items to reorganise the bag slots. There are also very positive aspects - the game is different from what the majority of games provides and very refreshing: -Sailing is very relaxed and immersive. -The music (even though it is the very same tracks over and over again). -I like the art style, matter of taste. -The survival aspects. Some games do this better, of course, but it's well done. -Exploring feels very rewarding in the early chapters (later, it is the same again and again...). -The story is compelling even though it fits on a beermat.
