First Impressions: EVERSPACE

EVERSPACE
Developer: ROCKFISH Games

DISCLAIMER: This game is still in Early Access. All thoughts and opinions therein are related to the game during its development state. Features/content are subject to change and not a final representation of the game.

The beautiful part about space is its a place of endless possibilities for writing, gaming, movies, etc. Our thirst for flying through the stars and discovery will never be quenched, thankfully the people at Rockfish know this. Enter EVERSPACE, a Roguelite space simulator that takes inspiration from games like FTL and mixes that with a hardcore action shooter. This is the space combat that No Man's Sky should've had. From crafting, randomized loot that changes your combat style, different ships(not implented yet,) random events, and a fully progressive tech tree, EVERSPACE is a very promising title.

Of course there are still a few wrinkles to work out but that's the point of Early Access however, there is a warning I want to put out there. DO NOT and I mean DO NOT play this game without a controller, for the time being. I have played my fair share of FPS games and the response from keyboard/mouse wasn't really effective at all for playing this title. So much that it felt like a completely different game in when I did plug in my Xbox controller.

We're gonna need a bigger gun...

The meat of the game is you moving from  sector to sector in space reminiscent of FTL. Some sectors are far more dangerous then others and unless your careful, death is around the corner and is quick and brutal. Speaking of death, the game hasn't much in the way of training wheels. There is a slight tutorial and you are let loose upon the galaxy or should I say the galaxy is let loose upon you.

The game rewards you for playing smart, I remember using an asteroid field to slow down my pursuers enough to jump to the next sector. Don't forget though that this is still a Roguelite game and RNG is not y-----/our friend. Plenty of times I zoned straight into a 5 on 1 dogfight and it was game over. Just expect to die often and try not to get too frustrated. The best reference I could make for the combat would be something akin to Ender's Game. The best direction isn't always straight forward but down or up, sideways or completely upside down. The movement system uses the concept of space perfectly and does take some getting use too.

Now I don't like to toss around comparisons to FTL lightly, as I hold that game in high esteem. The reason I do this case is that the game is very a make your own adventure type of game. There is a goal and side objective but how you get there and in what shape is completely left up to you and your skill. Depending on events from one sector may completely change your tactics in the next. I like that kind of gameplay as it keeps things fresh.
I can only hope that the random events are expanded upon and even include some diplomacy instead of just blowing everything up.

To keep things from getting to repetitive I do want to mention the side objectives. Fans of LUFTRAUSERS will see similar elements as you always have an ever present set of three goals. From collecting X amount of credits, Kill X amount of enemies, etc. It gives you the feeling of accomplishment even if you die rather quickly due to RNG. I hope this is expanded on as it makes those in between moments of space travel all the more worthwhile when the goal is so far away or likely not to be reached.

Graphically EVERSPACE is quite impressive. While I did run into areas that looked similar I also was stunned by some of the nebulae, asteroids, and planets that I would come upon. There is also voice acting which I feel iffy on but I will reserve judgement until final release.

I can't wait to see EVERSPACE hit final release but also hope the developers take all the time in world they need to get it done right. Feel free to support the developers of course and buy into the Early Access. Just remember to bring a controller, seriously bring one.