First of all: BUY IT! This is a great "Starship Command"-themed roguelike title that puts you in the seat of a human commander fighting one of several other races. Movement throughout the current map is handled in a turn based format, with each jump between systems counted as a turn, and the battles (and in-system navigation when no enemies are present) are played out in pausable real time, with one accelerated time setting. Other reviewers, not just here on GOG, have compared this game to FTL. I don't think that is a valid comparison. This game is in its' own category since it allows the player to take full command of a ship's movements, while focusing less on crew and system management. The game's combat is amazingly fun if not incredibly tactically challenging. Also, unlike FTL, you can actually assemble a fleet of multiple ships, which can be given target priorities. The tactics come into play in the outfitting of your ship and management of the resources (scrap, and upgrade modules) that you acquire on each system. Using your scrap wisely is the key, since you might find yourself unprepared for a chokepoint with a powerful enemy if you used your scrap for frivolous repairs instead of upgrades. Weapon mods are less important to manage at peak efficiency, but can still make a major difference in the speed and efficiency at which combat is resolved. So, everything sounds great, why 4 stars instead of 5? Unfortunately, while the basic gameplay mechanics are very polished and incredibly fun, the game lacks a bit in the character department. A very basic outline of each race's history is given, but this amounts to very little. Giving us random text-based encounters a-la FTL would be a great step forward in making the game more immersive. The great thing is that with a game like this, there is always room for improvement without disrupting the user's experiences, since playthroughs are short. Hope to see more updates to this effect from Bugbyte in the future!
