Let's start with the flaws: - The game is ugly. There is no way around it, but if you've seen the trailer you know what to expect. After disabling CRT mode and enabling high resolution fonts it gets a bit better, but still not great. - You can't save during an expedition. Turning the game off immediately ends the current expedition. This should be fixed - if you can pause, why not pause between game starts? - You need a mouse to play the game. It would be nice to have a "confirm before placing objects" option, but until then use a mouse or be prepared for disappointment on misclicks. This should be an easy fix That's it for flaws. I will be happy to increase the rating when the two mentioned issues are fixed. The rest of the game is intriguing, but hard. I'm writing the review after playing for 4 hours and still not managing to beat the first boss, and I'm going back to playing. The music grew on me as I played, the story is intriguing and I'm looking forward to the rest of the game.
I love this game. The degree of engagement one can get with their ship is immense, and when you look at it from the outside, the game is so simple! 2D graphics, a few lines of text, yet it feels like so much more. The writing is really top notch. Outside of some curious coincidences when a refueling outpost you save thanks you with everything but fuel, the immersion is unbroken. The game balance is just right. Play on easy if you want the story, play on normal if you want a challenge, and on hard? I've not dared... yet. The best thing about it has to be the replayability. You can go back in with the same ship and face an entirely different challenge, because the taste of each run is decided by how you equip your ship, and your options depend on the RNG. Some of the quests(United Federation & Ancestry unlock missions for example) feel really luck based and I would suggest getting them done on easy if you fail repeatedly and they start annoying you.
