I think so!

It is a "small" game compared to the others you named, but a great value for the price.

Its a great game for the price. Hits all the right notes on the economic side of things. Visually its a beautiful game too.

yes

It's worth it, but I didn't quite get out of it quite what I hoped. Good value for the price and had fun for the first 20ish hours. But personally I just feel like it's a bit unfinished in too many areas.

I found it kind of enjoyable.

Only having a single save slot is troubling for me though - ie, I was having a relaxing time playing the game - then the game kind of suggests that you go attack someone. I'd rather have been able to save that and then reload afterwards - so, jumping into battle kind of ruined the flow of the game for me; however, the game doesn't force you into combat, it is just that the tutorial system will suggest you go and do it.

Development on the game seems to have now ended, other than bug-fixes, etc.

It kind of reminded me of the X3 games that I enjoyed playing in the past - but on a less involved scale - it is kind of more simplified.

It is almost like a modern X3 game that is a 'lite' version.

This video probably gives a good overview of the game, without being a really long let's play video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ7FIjt-3y8

This is a follow-up video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uv8EldBkik

This game is best compared to the X series. Having loved X3AP (let us never speak of X-Rebirth), this scratches the same exact itch.

However, I strongly disagree that this is a "simplified" game compared to X3AP. It is definitely smaller, as far as the universe goes, but I personally believe that there is more going on. The economic simulation is a lot deeper and the AI corporations (competition) do things *other* than provide fodder for your Skirnir/ID Cerberus/Spitfyre boarding team. I think that overall, this game may cover less expanse, but it has a lot more intricacies to explore because of just how interconnected the economy is when compared to X3AP. Every little thing that you do, and every single reaction your competitors make, will shift the balance of power either slightly or significantly. This type of thing does not happen in X3AP, as the distances involved are simply too large.

It is also a lot less feasible to simply build a "walmart" complex for the universe, and even if you manage to pull it off, it won't completely end the economy the way it does in X3AP (Hit SETA for a day, and you won't find anything more advanced than a food chain due to the GoD engine).

Overall, I think that Helium Rain and X3AP, while ultimately very similar games, approach the same obscure niche in two different ways. X3AP attempts to completely tailor the gameplay to you, the player, as the major races don't really pursue their own goals/development outside of the main plot. In vanilla, there won't be any significant changes in the galaxy apart from you developing from a shuttle pilot to a logistical baron, controlling supply throughout the galaxy while ruling by the sword in your new pax ludio. On the other hand, Helium Rain is a much more dynamic game, with the AI attempting to pursue their own economic preferences and adapting and reacting to the economic realities of the orbits of Nema. They don't wait for you to act and then react, or at least it does not feel like it. The world just feels a lot more alive and vibrant compared to X3AP.

Combat is worse than X3AP, in my opinion, simply because there are less ship varieties and customization possible. On the other hand, there's no "I win" ship like the Spitfyre from X3AP. But this is an economic game, combat is secondary.

yes

im still trying to decide if i want to get or not, i saw elite on sale and at that price couldnt resist but didnt know what i was getting into. Was too complicated for my taste since i have so many probs with the fast paced rotation of piloting a ship, dizzy spells from, couldnt do the combat training etc so still looking into slower paced games and this one gave me a bit of elite flavor from the environments. A different look at trading and such and dont have to keep restarting the game just trying to get out of the station hubs. Too many of these space sims give me headaches and nauseu but i cant get enough of the vast expanse of just being out there and nobody else around.

This does a good job of capturing the feeling of vastness.

ok after docking in tutorial first time i believe the game just paid for itself, i spent the better of a week trying to dock and undock in elite dangerous and spent alot of time getting my blood pressure back down, HR is a breeze to that one, feeling much better now and the fact that i can spend more time trading and transporting instead of fighting all the time. This game should massage the grey matter and help keep it functioning properly by making me think more.

Originally posted by dwarf80:

ok after docking in tutorial first time i believe the game just paid for itself, i spent the better of a week trying to dock and undock in elite dangerous and spent alot of time getting my blood pressure back down, HR is a breeze to that one, feeling much better now and the fact that i can spend more time trading and transporting instead of fighting all the time. This game should massage the grey matter and help keep it functioning properly by making me think more.

Docking/undocking in Elite is soo simple now, they have even taken the accidental boost away when you have your skids down. Its almost NMS easy.

I don't get why docking should be hard in any game. We have cars with parking assist nowadays FFS, and drones that can land themselves. Excitement and difficulty should happen in space, not at the landing pad.

This starts you with enough research points to buy the auto-docking tech, first thing.

Yup, did that and breathed a massive sigh of relief :)

definitely yes