Space adventure game. Many ideas were borrowed from the famous MMORPG. Spoiler-free review.
The game is announced for the Windows platform.
There are two options here – we write the story ourselves in sandbox mode or follow a given storyline. Both are quite interesting, I won’t spoil them.
The gameplay involves the exploration of fairly large spaces of space and various activities.
In the beginning, it is highly advisable to undergo a relatively lengthy but extremely useful training.
Next you need to select a game mode. There are two of them – a sandbox (free exploration of the world) and a plot (here is the same sandbox, but with an intertwined main quest).
There is another significant difference. In the sandbox, we are free to choose a hero of different abilities with the corresponding starting ship. In story mode, the protagonist (something like a warrior, weak in economics/electronics) is set rigidly and cannot be changed.
Let’s look at the play space and what you can do here.
We’ll frolic in over 100 solar systems with over 400 planets and 37 space stations. In addition to “stationary” systems, there are systems that appear (and subsequently disappear) according to tasks.
The variety of activities is pleasantly pleasing. On the one hand, we can receive quests from NPCs at stations, we can scan something interesting, or we can take one of the many regularly updated tasks from the intergalactic network.
There are several types of quests, trade, freelance (there are a lot of different ones – protecting miners, caravans, bounty hunting, etc.), pirate – here we take part in raids and other banditry. You can even charter several pilots yourself for some complex mission.
A good feature is that tasks do not hang on indefinitely, but must (otherwise a fine of half the contract amount) be started to be executed (arrival on site) within 15 minutes maximum. This brings dynamics to what is happening.
Sometimes a quest can form by itself – we catch a random signal asking for help or some information and rush to the place.
An interesting point with quests is that you don’t have to play the “good boy”; you can easily (with global consequences for your reputation, though) start bombing a transport ship that has just been rescued from pirates.
In the galaxy, as far as I understand, there are three races of aliens plus pirates, who are themselves. Each of them has faction quests and reputation.
Diplomacy and the Galaxy Map.
Diplomacy and the Galaxy Map.
The main highlight of the game is the battles. These are the most fun battles with convenient, stress-free controls. The view can be (both in battles and during flights) both from the cockpit and from a third person.
The enemies are quite dangerous, there are bosses, large ships and even stations that can be destroyed.
The battles take place “like in the best houses”, there is target acquisition for the use of a ballistic computer (lead) of the turret and guidance (manually guiding the target) of missiles. Lasers can be used without guidance – they burn instantly. In general, a complex, but extremely conveniently implemented shooting system.
Any ship can be equipped with three types of weapons: turret, laser and rocket launcher. More powerful guns require a higher hero level. And then a non-obvious factor appears – all shooting not only has a cooldown time, but also requires energy, and here you already need to plan your (in fact, the ship’s) forces and battle tactics, consider what is more profitable – install a more powerful gun or fire more often, but what is easier?.
In addition to weapons, you can equip the pepelats with a variety of passive auxiliary devices and even a drone.
There are about two dozen ships in the game, each with its own properties and features. With leveling up the hero, in addition, it will be possible to use strong active skills in battle, such as summoning 20 drones.
There are also peaceful activities. Digging ore, crafting (I haven’t figured it out much yet, but it exists), trading, dismantling valuable debris. All this is done with interesting nuances. For example, in a particularly rich asteroid belt, miners may not like a competitor and attack.
Trade. We monitor prices in https://wilberforceinstitute.uk/ real time, checking the news. An epidemic somewhere means a shortage of medicines and so on. What I really liked is that you won’t be able to fly somewhere “in a white coat” and en masse sell at a higher price what you bought at a lower price. Each station has some kind of trading plan and, as a rule, NPCs try to balance and cover their needs. That is, an epidemic is an epidemic, and they decided to buy five units of medicine, which means five. You have fifteen? Look for somewhere else to put them, but don’t forget that the hold is not endless and that trade goods (small things through a bank can be transferred throughout the galaxy) goods will have to be delivered physically in person or stored in a special warehouse (and then delivered if the hold is full). This increases the level of interest and forces you to think through logistics.
The entire trading life of the galaxy, plus news, can be analyzed in one convenient economics window.
When enough experience is gained, the hero’s level increases. This has a positive effect on the ship’s stats and makes it possible to upgrade your character. The development tree looks interesting.
There is a special section for improving mining skills, this can be done for credits from the relevant teachers (locations are indicated).
GALLOP THROUGH EUROPE
There are anomalies. Something like black holes/wormholes. What adventures await there is not very clear. I decided to save them for the moment when other activities bore me or send me on a quest (I already found such a task, but for now I’m already full of things to do).
I don’t really understand about pirates, is it possible to join?. The fact that you can ruin your relationship with everyone is for sure.
Space stations are not architecturally unique and differ by belonging to the corresponding faction of aliens. But I could be wrong on this matter.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of the game and summarize.
+ Very good graphics in space and battles. Crooked inside the stations. Overall – good impressions.
+ Excellent music and sound, especially pleasing melodies in battle.
+ Excellent implementation of arcade battles, when the ship honestly flies on all axes, rotates around them, while firing from three types of guns, and you also need to use different consumables. What’s especially good is that it’s all conveniently controlled.
+ Good hero leveling.
+ Many types of ships, weapons and other equipment.
+ Lots of interesting peaceful activities – mining, crafting, trading, dismantling ship wrecks and other space debris.
+ An almost endless stream of side quests for any character, both peaceful and combat.
+ There are many types of enemies, stubborn bosses, large ships and even battle stations to defeat. You can find easier and more difficult opponents.
+ Many beautiful views that you will encounter during the game.
+ Excellent optimization. On fairly old hardware it runs on ultra without putting much of a strain on the computer.
– The game has a high barrier to entry and you need to immediately absorb a lot of specific information. However, there is no Russian localization of at least the text.
– It is clear that they put their soul into the graphics (especially in space, especially in battles), but sometimes (rarely and do not particularly interfere with the game) small jambs appear, such as strange lighting or “disappearing”/stupid characters at stations.
– Some inconvenience when saving. For example, I’m running around the station and standing at the bank, saved. Loading will be as if the hero had just arrived at the ship’s mooring site. Actions and progress (inventory, bank, hangar, loans, receiving tasks, etc.).d.) produced at the station will be preserved.
CONCLUSIONS OBJECTIVE
An excellent single-player game about space with a bunch of combat and peaceful activities, randomly generated quests. Outstanding, dynamic battles. Three alien empires, pirates. Everything (except for minor bugs with the graphics) is implemented at a high level.
CONCLUSIONS ARE SUBJECTIVE
For those who wanted to try EVE Online, but only offline, this game can be a revelation. I had such a dream and I’m delighted. A lot of similar activities. The smoke, of course, is much thinner, there are fewer ships, less extensive pumping, trade, production and everything else. But for the almost instantaneous (in comparison with the time and compliance with the conditions required for EVE – those who have played at least a little, I think understand what I mean) mastering all the content there are no obstacles.
Even if you don’t compare it to anything else, this is an excellent space adventure for tens of hours. And at the end of this year they also promise a second part! I’ll definitely be waiting for this.
PS: I probably didn’t cover all the aspects, I might have missed something. I will be glad to add/correct the review or answer questions along the way in the comments.
Have a good game everyone!
Best comments
Let me add, as a person who went through the story and all the extras. quests that I was able to get to.
1. Comparing this game with EVE Online is completely incorrect. This game is more similar to Star Citizen (there are pedestrian sections on space and planetary stations, first and third person views, arcade ship controls), and what was shown in the trailer for the sequel suggests that the creator of the game is looking somewhere in this direction.
2. Over-budget game. It feels like she’s using standard UE4 assets wherever possible. A LOT of errors in the translation of dialogues in quests, in the quest log, and sometimes mission markers are simply not translated and are designated as Gorev Noktasi, or something like that. At the same time, the game has only two languages, English and Turkish. All this is most likely due to the fact that this game was made by one Turk, with some outsourcing.
3. Some balance issues. At first you have no money (which is not critical, since there is enough equipment from quests), then you have nowhere to spend it. It would seem a standard situation for any similar game, BUT! this period of ideal cash balance between them is very short.
4. There is crafting in the game, and it is almost completely useless. Useless because crafting recipes can only be purchased with high reputation with two of the three factions, i.e.To. the third (Xziax) crafting station has no crafting station, and these are either recipes for consumables, which you and your enemies will have enough of, or goods, which you will quickly forget about trading, because see. higher. Almost, because you can craft turrets. Turrets are the only thing worth crafting for, there are five of them (two for each faction, plus the recipe that you have by default), they are more powerful than any others for the next 5-7 levels, but you will get tired of digging asteroids for them (and you still need to pump up perks for mining so that the necessary side resources fall during mining). But the result will exceed all your expectations.
5. Despite all this, I didn’t encounter a single bug in the game, which surprised me very much, because.To. I picked up the game on sale at a huge discount for 72 rubles and didn’t expect anything from it at all.
Thus, if you want arcade shoot-em-ups in space, but have already played everything you can, take it. You won’t regret it.
Thanks for the detailed, helpful comment. Today, in the course of further studying materials about different space games, I found out that it’s true – the game is less similar to EVE than, for example, to Freelancer and similar projects with arcade battles, of which there are many. But the thing is that I almost completely missed them in my experience, and I played EVE for some time, so the analogies in peaceful activities caught my eye, they seem to wander from game to game.
I also didn’t expect anything from the game for 72 rubles and at first I almost pushed away the graphic at the station and didn’t understand what to do here. But I decided to do more research and was very pleased with the result.
This game is more like Star Citizen (there are walking sections on space and planetary stations
Then X4, because Star Citizen, like Elite Dangerous Odyssey, is associated with the ability to freely move around planets, including.h. in an uninhabited area.
Then there is no need to compare with Star Citizen. With all my relative respect for Chris Robert’s title and dislike for a number of aspects of the game itself and the fandom, the controls are never arcade-like.
Over 400 million dollars spent and this is not the limit?)
At the same time, the game has only two languages, English and Turkish.
Is this Turk or someone from the fandom going to improve the situation?? The Elite, for example, is officially Russified, Citizen has a fan-made Russifier, which is very actively updated.
I agree, it just didn’t occur to me right away. Same thing with the point about arcade controls. If so, sorry
Over 400 million dollars spent and this is not the limit?)
Is this Turk or someone from the fandom going to improve the situation??
Yes there would be a fandom. There is a peak online number of 192 people. And the Turk is now completely occupied with the second part.