This is my most played game on Steam, and I am glad to also own it on GOG. The amount of different ships and strategies in the vanilla game is definitely enough to keep you busy for a while. The game is a challenge, but I wouldn't say the RNG is a deal-breaker for me, because it requires the player to adapt if a run is not going according to plan. Once I realized that, I fell in love with the replayability.
Maybe I don't find the best weapons, and at first I might think I'm screwed. But that's an example of having to adapt. Ok, I can't find another Burst Laser Mk 2, but I did find a Heavy Laser and Hull Laser 3, so that's what I'll have to use. Maybe one of my guys died early on, and that can suck, but the next sector might be pirate controlled, meaning free crew.
It can seem unfair sometimes, especially to new players, but with how many ships you can unlock, not every loss will be a complete loss. It might even allow new players to find their preferred way to play the game.
And that's all without even discussing community made ships, expansions, and other mods. I would personally recommend beating the game at least once without any mods before messing with them, and unlocking other ships would be a good idea since some modded ships replace existing ones you may not have yet. But different community-made ships are why this is my most played game in my Steam library. They offer even more replayability, and have their own "quirks" to work with/around that aren't always there with ships in the vanilla game.
For under $3 on sale, this game is a steal, and I would argue is a must if you're a roguelike/roguelite fan, or if this is your first game in the genre.
