Recent reviews by marxcie

I didn't finish the game yet, so I might going to extend this review, just wanted to share my experiences so far:

TLDR.: So far so good, solid post-apocalyptic tactical turn-based RPG-ish*, with some good stealth mechanics, and some questionable game design choices. I'd say 6/10.

*I didn't find any meaningful choices in the game yet, nor character alignment, and so far it's very linear, so I wouldn't call it an RPG, but that's based on my current progress.

I like the stealth approach, taking out enemies one by one, carefully planning your movements around their base. If you think you can just shoot them in an epic gunfight, think again, because probably you're going to be killed very soon and very often. The world is beautiful, the commentaries and discussion the characters make are sometimes very funny, and let you see your world and objects in it through an interesting lens. Generally, it's entertaining, and if you like X-COM/DOS 1-2, you going to like this too.

As a designer, I'm very often disappointed with game UI and usability, and it's the same with this game:
- I'm playing on hard, and the skills are recharging after a few kills. That's ok, and I can live with that, it feels like you have to think hard on which skills use when, against which groups of enemies, but then...
- You can change your squad members on the fly, if you're not in combat. You always have three group members, but you have a bigger pool to choose from. Like, you have your characters in tactical position for a fight, and then you're just swapping one character to another. That just feels weird. You don't like this character's abilities? Change to another one! Not in your base, on the field. Weird, at least for me, just... unrealistic, even in a science fantasy world.
- Abilities. You can have an active major, a minor, and a passive mutation ability, 3 slots, and altogether maybe 2-3 abilities per slot. But it's not a meaningful choice, because you can change your abilities anytime, swap to an another one. You going to have all the abilities in the end, not like you have to choose a character development direction, class. So, why swapping, why not letting me use all the abilities, or giving me a development direction?
- Changing squad members on the field, outside of the combat, and always changing abilities preparing for the next fight feels just a lot of micromanagement and doesn't feel it has a meaningful game mechanics. Just to spend more time in-game.
- And if you win a fight, or changing squad members on the fly, your characters tend to leave sneaking mode, leading to unpleasant surprises, like enemies discovering you. Again, it's not like an essential part of the game, it feels like just a bug.
- It's hard to plan attacks, because there's no map for areas. It makes sense to some extent, letting you only see what your characters seeing, but for me, if I'm already scouted the area, I'd like to see it and plan with the terrain. For example, it would be nice to have an area map showing only the parts that you already saw, and maybe even marking the past position of enemies, or patrolling lines. Now I'm just running around, and trying to remember how it was. It's ok, not game-breaking, but still a bit meh.
- Not many weapons, armors, skills, no real trade, I'm stashing grenades because I'm not using them but can't sell them, etc.
- Based on the intro you might think it has some survival mechanic, food water etc. Nope.

Don't get me wrong, I like the game, and as a turn based action-strategy it's fine, just not great, and not an RPG. It has some good ideas, and as I said, the world is beautiful and interesting, and the fights are challenging. I'd give it a 6/10, while for me a DOS 2, for example, is an 8.5/10. Still recommended tho, if you like this genre, especially if it's on a sale.

Edit: my opinion didn't change (yet), but they do not deserve to give a negative feedback based on what I was hoping for.

I tried to like this game. It was an instant buy, I checked the screens, description, and hit the buy button. I was hoping for a little bit twisted, an alternative version of X3, less complicated, but nice visual because of the Unreal Engine. I did not expect Everspace quality (although they're using the same engine), and I understood this game made by a small and independent dev team, but I was hoping it'll be fun. I liked the Newtonian concept, really liked the real space-feeling, only distant noises from the hull, no pew-pew. But I didn't expect the micromanagement will be that bad. It's just lacking any kind of user testing. I didn't expect micromanagement can be worse than X3, but, well, here we are. It just takes away the fun, and because this supposed to be that kind of game where micromanagement is a huge part of the gameplay, it takes away most of the fun. I was trying to do trading, but to set up a trade route takes so much time, and not in a fun way - that's just wasting time, not a challenging task. Forex, tradings, stock market can be fun, setting up trade routes, looking for shortages and abundance can be fun, blocking trade routes can be fun, but not in this game, sadly.

And yes, quests are unimaginative, no real improvements, no new ideas. I really hope someone will take the repository, and rewrites this game. The trading model is there, it just needs improvement. How about organized crime in space? Not pirates, not (just) pew-pew, but robbery in space, capturing a money transport, hacking to enemy stations, stealing corporate secrets, smuggling, being a crime boss? How about hiding your identity, using stolen transponder codes, otherwise you'll get caught by the police? How about setting up trade routes on the orbital system map, where you can see the needs and offers, min and max prices and stock quantity for different goods, and compare the different systems/stations based on these data and by their distance from each other, to optimize your trading strategy and trade routes? How about gaining access to different stations/sectors based on your rank, and reputation with that company (what also affects your reputation with their competition), so it's a meaningful choice to select a company you'll work for, and eventually to get better equipment? How about discovery, and space between sectors, not just empty space, but rescue missions, finding abandoned ships or rich asteroid fields? How about blocking the input routes of a station, until it's out of resources, become rebellious and you can take over it? And you see, I'm not asking for hundreds of weapons, ships or stations, just more scripting and variety of choice possibilities.

Anyways, I think it's a missed opportunity, and with some improvement and ideas it'd be a good game, but it's not at the moment. After 16hrs I switched back to Litcube's Universe until X4 Foundations will be released.

This game is terrible...
...because I can't stop playing with it.


after 10 hours:
"Only 10 hours in the game, because I have to work today, but I have to admit I was thinking in the morning I should call sick. I could write many words like amazing, awesome, funny, challenging, interesting and so on, but let's keep it this way: I can't wait to continue eating dead people's meat with my sexy assassin, and to figure out what's going on with the stoned cat."

after 160 hours.
Still the same, still amazed. Just finished act 2, can't wait to finish with my work, get to home and continue exploring the new area. And I'm already planning how to play it again, with only two characters and with Lone Wolf. I wouldn't say this game is flawless, but pretty close, and I think mods will improve it, and extend the whole gameplay. What is really scary. And promising. Damn, who needs a life, anyways?