Interstellar Transport Company
Excellent:
Theme. The game brings this out very well. It really feels like you are running the company that is responsible for the interstellar expansion of humanity. The visuals work well. The planets look cool. The ships have fun names. The line of ships you get going from home, out a colony, and back looks good. It is satisfying to see the progress as a colony develops. It feels like you are working to established permanent homes other worlds.
Strategy. You have a lot of choices. You are always deciding what ships to buy, what they should carry, and what route they should take. You usually have options that are either “cheaper and better now” or “more expensive and better later.” You always have “things to work on.” You can choose where new colonies will go. You can tinker with current trade routes to make them more profitable.
– Real player with 324.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Space Economy Games.
This will be a bit of a long one. But I can’t help it.
On the surface I absolutely love everything about this game. I have turned back to it many times trying to make it work. But it just feels like the fundamentals of the gameplay is not working quite right with what the game is trying to be. And I always end up leaving a bit unsatisfied.
The game is about humanity colonizing the solar system and later going beyond. That’s what got me real exited about the game. But that is not what you are doing. You are there to make money. On the surface this is great.
– Real player with 85.7 hrs in game
Cosmonautica
Minor good part :
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The idea space ship management is kinda ok, you can be pirate, you can be trader, you can be transporter, you can be smuggler with kinda good gameart.
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The random generated appearance of the crew is good… but need more base model, I found like total 8, 4 for human m&f…or maybe more…
Minor bad part :
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Sometimes missing UI sound fx.
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Crew sometimes gone missing.
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Crew sometimes idle too much.
Bad part :
- Boring at traveling, you almost do nothing here and the thing make it worst is the traveling time is long enough to make me think “jir, what the hell am I buying this game for?…” (you know a few seconds different is too long for game with nothing to do).
– Real player with 26.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Space Sci-fi Games.
SimTower meets Privateer
Interesting combination of game elements in a manner that shouldn’t work, but somehow does. Interesting range of ships (but needs to be bigger and include more classes), the commodity model is reasonable (albeit rather basic), very similar to the Privateer model of base types, except that this game allows for bases to be multiple ‘types’.
Crew recruitment and requirements can be counter-intuitive and frustrating, especially with limited options at each base and the need to build up a large crew over time. I would have thought that having a crew that eats different things would lead to better harmony as they’re not all competing for the same subset of the food supply (but that’s me I guess).
– Real player with 24.6 hrs in game
Space Empires: Starfury
Good story and gameplay. This game is worth of price and also is old game but is still good working on windows 10. Graphics is good for his time. Now is this graphics very low. But can’t match with new games becouse is old. We in rewiew must respect that!
– Real player with 35.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Space Real Time Tactics Games.
I enjoyed this game years back, and now with 64bit I can still play using 32bit graphics. I remember a tip on the game to ease you in by doing some trading between Sol & the system next door so to speak using the warp. The idea is to gain as much as possible in upgrading your initial ship before doing the main quest, that is the first of the 3 Campaigns you can choose from. This made it easier at the beginning of the game. I even went as far as purchasing the biggest ship, a Carrier. The trouble with the Carrier is its very slow speed. Makes it impossible to make the destination on time, so be careful on that score as the bigger the ship the slower you get even with enhancements. I would also like to point out, when purchasing a new ship size put all enhanced engines, weapons, shields, armour, and any other pieces into storage. Only leave the 3 Command deck equipment on the old ship before purchasing the new ship, then transfer all stored equipment to the new ship. If you don,t, you will loose all of your best equipment & only have level 1 equipment on your new ship. Lastly, Always save your games to cover mistakes you forgot about or chances you took & lost everything - experience is talking here and don’t forget … enjoy yourself. While the equipment is the same as Space Empires V the game play is on 2d space, and you only get one ship to use, whatever ship you started with or purchased.
– Real player with 25.8 hrs in game
Star Sonata 2
I cautiously recommend this game only if you can look past its shortcomings. I have been playing since ~2008 when I was only 12yr old.
The Good:
There is something about this game that can get you addicted like no other. The player base is very close (admittedly also rather small) and everybody knows everyone else and that makes the community very strong. You can create your own team join a team (aka clan, faction, country) and take control of start systems and use the resources within them to build ships, weapons, space stations, and become an industrial powerhouse. But you better be prepared to defend what you own. Much like a country in real life, your team could become a true superpower with all the fame and infamy that comes with it. You can exercise your hard and soft power as you see fit. Politics are very real in this game and I love it. Likewise, if you upset too many players they may declare war against you. Every solar system you own and space station you build is at risk. In a worse case scenario you could lose all of your territory, all of your industry, and be forced to surrender which almost always results in the death of said team. This is something I really like about this game. You have a lot of freedom and the choices you make can make you insanely rich, respected, and powerful. But you could lose it all.
– Real player with 4273.5 hrs in game
TLDR - A decade+ after the game’s initial launch there is still nothing else quite like Star Sonata on the market today.
The game is heavily influenced by the Star Control series and combines 90’s style arcade action with MMO character development and an almost limitless item progression that rivals many modern MMOs. It has in-depth base building that is basically a whole different game unto itself where you can make money doing colonies, making gear, selling industrial commodities and more. The PvE content is typically fun and offers a variety of solo and group style engagements.. The PvP and team vs team combat probably needs the most improvement but the game doesn’t really revolve around those.
– Real player with 3859.9 hrs in game
X: Beyond the Frontier
X Beyond The Frontier is the first of the X series and it’s funny how little has changed since this incarnation and all the way to Albion Prelude. Some things are sorely missing, such as the ability to change ships but the core of the game back then was much the same.
While the technology has gone leaps and bounds since this game was released, the quality of the graphics has exploded and features that were unthinkable back in those days have been added the core of the game, the essence of what an X game is, remains much the same to this day.
– Real player with 182.8 hrs in game
I’m llama enough to admit when I’m wrong. This is a good game. If you like trading and building up a business empire, you can have loads of fun with this, though I suggest getting just far enough to learn the game then switching to X-Tension, the expansion for Beyond the Frontier, which is so much better from a UX perspective. There is a story to this game but it can be covered in a small paragraph and there are playthrough videos out there that accelerate to the important parts. The biggest issue with both games is getting them to run consistently, but it’s not that bad if you know how to search and try what others have tried. I would list out exactly what you need to do but I’m honestly not sure how I finally got mine working. I fiddled with a lot of things and couldn’t say which one (or ones) finally did the trick. It was worth my time messing with it, though.
– Real player with 120.1 hrs in game
X3: Terran Conflict
Beware possible spoilers ahead for newbies
X3 Reunion had a good voice cast. The story was not good. The game engine is still beautiful. The hud and mouse speed can be a problem. X3 Terran Conflict and the add-on Albion Prelude are amazing. If I knew that x-rebirth would totally destroy the series by being completely horrible I should’ve just asked for a albion prelude 2 on this old engine. This is the end of the line for the series. Everything after albion prelude is considered a hallow lifeless body floating in space that is worshipped by shills. (I’ll exclude X4 from this. Since it’s pretty good after years of repair. So that just leaves X-Afterbirth.. Huh weeeirdddd)
– Real player with 3672.1 hrs in game
My favourite game of all time. A space flight sim blended with a strategy game and trading/industry sim, with a truly functional open world that you can profoundly change.
There are three things that in my opinion set the X3 series miles ahead from most other similar games. First is the ability to buy more than one ship and construct your own stations. Some space-sims will let you destroy stations in the game universe but there aren’t many where you can build your own, making permanent changes to the game world and economy, Many space-privateer games let you choose a ship to fly, where some might be better for combat, or trading, faster or tougher etc. Not many games will let you buy several ships, hop in one and order the others around while you fly.
– Real player with 623.7 hrs in game
Interstellaria
123 hours, just came back for more after not playing for a few months, and had to write a review.
I can not for the life of me figure out the negative reviews (keep in mind though I am more of a ‘benefit of the doubt’ reviewer than a ‘this game is not precisely what I expect/desire therefore I will crap all over it’ reviewer). This game is a blast. I have to assume they are doing the usual ‘reviewing it as compared to some other game they like more’ or ‘reviewing it for what they want it to be rather than what it is’. Either way, my opinion is this game is one of the better unkown space games in existence. All these ‘FTL’ clones, and no mention of Interstellaria, is a travesty, this game needs more PR.
– Real player with 124.3 hrs in game
Short version:
It’s fairly similar to FTL with the added ability to explore planets (with simple ground combat), move your ship freely in deep space (with dynamic tactical space combat) and enjoy an entertaining plot that guides you through the open-world universe.
Is it perfect? No. There are issues and the UX is not the best, but unless that puts you off, you can definitely enjoy the game.
Coldrice seems to be working non-stop to fix any issues and there are also some planned improvements.
– Real player with 77.3 hrs in game
Drifter
I have been playing this game a lot and dearly loving it.
Drifter is still in “Early Access” at this time, which basically means it’s in beta. I’m playing version 0.6.3. Even though it’s in beta it’s surprisingly bug-free, but not every feature intended for the final game is implemented yet. That’s ok, the game is actually quite complete as it is. More content and additional features are just icing on the cake. While there are some glitches, most are minor and generally just cosmetic. Expect subsequent versions of the game to be improved.
– Real player with 274.6 hrs in game
I’m editing this review to include the following, at the top so it’s the first thing you read:
I’m so glad I got this game. I’ve really been stressing over RL crap and finding it difficult to unwind with my usual passion: video games! But Drifter strikes just the right balance, for me, between therapeutic and engaging. And that is a big deal. Now, on to the review.
Drifter is a small indie studio’s contribution to the space-pilot sandbox genre. It is set to small but evocative soundtrack by the acclaimed Danny Baranowsky (Binding of Isaac, Crypt of the Necrodancer, etc.) and features a 2.5D game engine.
– Real player with 62.5 hrs in game
Evochron Legacy SE
I am a newcomer to 3D space and flight games, so I will start by explaining what I liked about a different space game, which inspired me to seek out Evochron Legacy. In Endless Space, I shoot across a 2D galaxy in custom-built ships, turn by turn, exploring solar systems. Each one is like a Christmas present as I approach, and the red, yellow, blue and white stars are the bows on top. When I get there, a window opens up revealing multiple planets. It is possible to guess beforehand what types of planets are in the system based on the type of star, but there is no accounting for the variety of anomalies, resources and conditions that each planet might reveal. Each one is a present unto itself, filled with envisioned potential. In times like that, I think someone should make a whole game just about this. Well, Evochron Legacy is almost that game.
– Real player with 180.9 hrs in game
Edit 10.9.2019
My house is now the rest of my ship. While flying to the Red Circle, I can cook, do laundry, and wash dishes while contemplating how to take over the sector with my fleet.
Been flying for 2 years now, I’ll be in my bunk.
Edit 4.15.2017
After almost 40 hours it felt like time to update this. In short, this game has sunk it’s teeth really deep and it’s still biting hard. None of the wow factor outlined previously is gone…in fact, it has increased the longer I’ve played. Bear in mind I’m in no hurry to complete anything, get the best gear or ships, or become dirty rich - and I’ve stayed away from tutorials as much as possible. I think this is where this game really shines for me - it rewards patient exploration of it’s mechanics, and they run deep…I only just became a good enough pilot to win my first race!
– Real player with 127.8 hrs in game
Helium Rain
Helium Rain (HR) is an atmospheric Economy/Management simulation game, set in a “hard sci-fi” space setting.
The atmosphere of HR gives off a bit of a lonely and relaxing vibe. The game setting taking place entirely in the orbit of a gas giant named “Nema”. The station and ship designs are great in HR, I like the more realistic designs here which is a bit of a departure from the majority of games set in space. The overall setting being in orbit of a gas giant gives a lot of opportunities for a nice backdrop. There is no sound in space which HR portrays.
– Real player with 159.9 hrs in game
I have been looking for a game that recaptures the magic of X3 for a long time. It is rare to find a space sim that has the same ethos as X3: your goal is to build an empire, and you build fleets to protect that empire, rather than the more common philosophy of “it’s fun to blow stuff up, so that’s the main goal”. But the devs are well on their way to delivering this, even though the game is VERY early access. I’m really quite surprised at how much there is since it was released (in EA) like a week ago. I really, really hope they continue to develop this game. So if you like space trading sims, it is playable as is but will no doubt get better and better. Probably its biggest advantage over X3 is a pretty sane interface.
– Real player with 88.6 hrs in game