The general goal of FTL is to guide your ship through each sector of the galaxy, making it to each sector's exit beacon before the pursuing Rebel catch you. You'll be spending less time boldly going where no one has gone before, and more time directing crew members to fix the oxygen re-circulators, because even if the engine room is on fire and the sensors are blocked by the nebula outside, there's no way you'll make it to the next supply outpost if you aren't breathing. Described as a " spaceship simulation roguelike-like" by its developer, Subset Games, FTL: Faster Than Light hopes to recreate the nuts and bolts atmosphere of a spaceship exploring the void of space. Not survived them, mind you, but faced them. But heck, crews have faced worse odds before. But that's seven sectors away, and the Rebels are expanding their search for us by the hour. We possess vital intelligence that must be delivered to the nearest Federation base. We're all alone, more or less: the last survivors of a Federation force nearly annihilated by the Rebels. Even the sounds of rockets exploding and lasers blasting meld with the music, making the sounds of combat almost beautiful.It's cold outside. But the music fits the game like a well-tailored suit. As someone not typically fond of electronic music, I've been surprised with how much I like it. Oh, and it has a lovely electronic soundtrack as well. Firefly fans, Star Trek fans, roguelike gamers, and any fan of seriously challenging games should find much to love. Whether it's a game you'll enjoy largely comes down to whether or not you ever wanted to be a captain on a spaceship. It's a great example of a Kickstarter project that delivered on its promises. I keep coming back for more.even if "more" so often takes the form of dying, repeatedly and without mercy.įTL was developed by indie studio Subset games and launched earlier this year after an extremely successful Kickstarter drive. This is why Dark Souls is such a marvelous game, and why XCOM: Enemy Unknown is one of my favorite games of the year. One of the most critical aspects of any game review, I believe, is whether the game can hold your attention for a long time. This means that no matter how risky most of your engagements and decisions in the game may be, the purchase is at least a low-risk one.Īs I delve deeper into space, assuming I can get the hang of it, I'll post more updates. You can find it on Steam for ten bucks, or on sites like GOG.com for even less. But you'll find out quickly that your resources are desperately limited and making the right choice can come down to a brutal combination of luck and experience, neither of which I have in great quantities.Īll of which is to say that FTL has fantastic replay value. Stores are placed throughout each system, and each store will have different items to buy. This is made even more complicated by the game's randomness. Do I spend my scrap (the game currency) on better gear? Do I spend it on power upgrades to the ship's myriad systems? Do I hire more crew members or buy new drones? The trick is upgrading them properly, which is a really tough thing to get a handle on. Neither ship is necessarily better than the other, and each have distinct advantages over the other. The Kestrel (your starting ship) is equipped with more powerful starting guns, a less diverse crew, and no drones or drone system. It's equipped with different starting guns, an Anti-Ship drone, and a completely different crew. For instance, the second ship I acquired is the Engi ship. And I've only unlocked a second ship.Įach ship is unique.
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