Starcom: Unknown Space

This game is great! I saw a YouTube review of it, and instantly thought of the classic 1986 game Starflight. Come to find out, it was a huge inspiration for this, which was enough to make me give it a shot. I was absolutely not disappointed. It definitely takes cues from that game in terms of overall setup. You're exploring a remote location, meeting various aliens, befriending, trading, or fighting with them, and uncovering the secrets of an ancient civilization that's long gone. And while I do adore Starflight (and its sequel), I can also appreciate the modernization and quality of life improvements here. The grind is gone, with planets having a either nothing or a single "anomaly", or point of interest, to interact with, instead of full planets and vast expanses of nothing to wander across. And crewmembers also have a modified skill set that upgrades smoothly and allows for clear skill checks instead of invisible under the hood improvements. The story is very solid, although not quite mindblowing, and I appreciate the humorous touches. Combat, which was another weak point in Starflight, is snappy and fun. I also liked being able to customize my ship just how I liked, and ended up with a fairly unique style that doesn't really look like anything else I've seen in the game or the workshop. And that's the beauty of it! You can make your ship however you want and give it your own personal touch. The audio is decent, although the music was generally unremarkable. I preferred listening to my own music while playing. The in-game graphics were also very nice, although I found the character portraits a little underwhelming. Still, those are very minor quibbles. The core gameplay was excellent. Highly recommended for anyone looking for that sense of adventure that only space exploration and strange new worlds can provide.

Первые несколько часов интересно, но потом наступает софтлок. Софтлок наступает когда исследуешь все доступные звёздные системы. Софтлок заключается в том что полети туда не знаю куда сделай то не знаю что. Ну то есть есть задание "слетай снова к заброшенной станции наблюдения" а где она эта станция х@й её знает - иди ищи её по всей галактике, маркера не будет. Поиграйте лучше в первую часть: https://store.steampowered.com/app/863590/Starcom_Nexus/

I've tried Starsector before it, but I find this game better. A lot of fun :) That's what I needed

This is, by a good margin, one of the best space-faring games available. I think outside the box. I don't approach problems the normal way, but notice small details and find new ways. This game goes beyond any other I've played in rewarding lateral thinking and unconventional solutions. The ability to customize your ship without penalty allows true freedom in how you interact with your environment. It allows a steady progression that isn't pre-defined, and allows you to try different approaches without feeling like you're handicapping yourself. In fact, it even links with the workshop to allow you to share ship designs with the community and to try theirs. I went in expecting to enjoy the game's trading and exploration. But the subtlety of the deep lore surprised me. The ability to handle different races in different ways allows you to make the universe your own based on your personal choices (and abilities). I simply cannot recommend this game enough. On or off sale, it delivers. I only wish there were more game once it's all complete. It truly will leave you wanting more, which is where the community sharing really comes into play.

I got this on a whim and quite enjoyed my time. I played it pretty aggressively and got about 30 hours of gameplay from it. If you were a bit more chill it is likely a 40 hour deal to do EVERYTHING. I would recommend no guides. Read, pay attention to your ship mates when they do coms as it is the heart of the game. This is a combination of cozy with sudden jumps in intensity.

Considering the scope of this game and what it tries to accomplish, along with the fun I had playing, I would give this a 9/10. Thumbs up, would recommend.

This game isn't the easiest one to recommend to people. While it is extremely fun to play, never buy it if it isn't on sale. Depending on your ability to learn the game swiftly and your level of patience, this game can be completed easily or it can be completed quickly; that means you can grind everything out or you can speed through it if you know what you're doing. The more you read and pay attention to, the more you're rewarded. The only thing that could make this game better is a post game. You get to a point where there isn't much to do. I would love if there were bigger ships and bigger fights after you complete the game. Maybe a paid DLC or a sequel that carries your save over could fix that.