OK, it is more than a bit rough around the edges, default Ren'Py UI, original English (badly) pretending to be a Japanese translation, the cast being a standard set of -deres, and memes and references that had been kinda cringe even back when this came out... But it is somehow a dark an epic war story all the same. You should try it, it's free. Just don't believe those difficulty level descriptions, apart from the lowest they're all quite challenging in the latter half of the game. BTW, about the "dark" part... Without going into spoiler territory, ugly stuff happens as you play, uglier stuff is mentioned in the backstory, innocent bystanders die, Machiavelli is referenced, and there are some VERY morally questionable choices you're allowed to make.
It's combat mechanics isn't quite as intricate as FTL, and there are no any New Game + options like alternate ships/layouts, which limits the replay value yet there's still enough sights to see and things to do to tempt you into multiple playthroughs. The writing is... Well, it won't win any gold awards, but it's actually OK, the game tries too hard to be funny only occasionally (prepare for the cartload of vegetable puns in every encounter though) and there are a couple genuinely moving moments. The story itself is more fleshed out than FTL, but there are still randomized elements, and one major player choice, that actually affects both gameplay and story. Technically the game is easy on the hardware, I ran it on something just above advertised requirements with no issues, it is stable and mostly bug-free. The way saves work is a bit wonky, but it's a no big deal. All in all it's probably worth playing if you either ever liked FTL and want something new or want some silly adventures of anthropomorphic vegetables in space.
...The post-apocalyptic wasteland full of land pirates, raiders, evil cyberpunk corporations and the greatest danger of them all... People who say to you something that sounds like some kind of pop culture quote from... something you never heard of... and look at you expectantly as you scramble to react. (I'm pretty sure the planet's name is a reference to Quarantine, an old video game featuring vehicular combat and set in Kemo City, a nice pace to visit... Or maybe not...) If relentless, sometimes obscure and somewhat repetitive pop culture references (you meet this planet's version of Walter White in every other playthrough) don't annoy you, and the fact that for a game that's supposedly about collecting a winning team of unstoppable war machines getting complete info on said machines is needlessly Byzantine might. Vehicles have model names, but those can be seen only in new game screen and in certain text events... That's it. One of your command truck's key stats (quest item capacity) can only be seen after the game started, you get only vague mention of it in a fluff piece you can read only on the start screen and nowhere else... Fortunately, really important stats aren't THAT convoluted to view, but there's a lot of missed opportunities to make vehicles more than bunches of stats here. I liked the "tactical side-scroller" combat mechanics, once you get the hang of it it really feels like a high-octane car chase, and pause button lets you to be clever about it. Unlike FTL, there's no "hard" time limit but as the game progresses fights get progressively tougher and riskier for the same reward, but overall, it's still much easier to grind up a decently armed and dangerous convoy and prepare for boss fights than in FTL (yes, there are bosses. Several of them.) Some of the quests can unfold very differently in different playthroughs, which is also nice. Overall, if you're ready to put up with nerdy references overdose and some rough edges in the interface, Omek Prime is a nice place to visit. And fly away from when you're done.
