Starfarer, a game of cunning space plights, army management, battle intense combat, and devastating war that can shake the wake of space. I have found Starfarer to be one of the best Indie Games I've played. With such a variety of weapons and ships, it's easy to get lost in this massively complex game.
Presentation:
In the codex, you can see the various ship hulls. There is at least 20 or 30 different classes and a number of ships available, numbering well over 100. This appears to be the same with weapons and attachments. With such variety, it's hard to imagine ever being bored.
With a steep learning curve, it takes quite awhile before feeling comfortable with the hostilities around every corner looking to pick you off as easy prey. Conversely it's nice when an overconfident pirate, who you feel would be suitable prey for you, charges aggressively towards your fleet.
The game is quite fun and feels realistic. The unforgiving hostilities out in cold space is well portrayed, and although the storyline is not finished, it's implemented as well as the rest of the game. I'm sure the dialogs, encounters, and events will make this game a must buy when completed.
This game is also one of the more difficult games I've played, with the risks being much higher than the expected rewards. I find myself having trouble getting to a point where I feel somewhat accomplished in the game. It's easy to lose what you earn.
Gameplay:
The graphics are very stunning to look at as you see the ships sitting amidst the stars. It's beautiful to behold. The control of your ships is smooth and uses a simple combination of wasd keys and the mouse. There are a lot of visual aids to help you access your situation and allow you to freely prepare tactfully for combat.
For when you have more ships than one, you also have the option of giving basic commands to your fleet. What you do in the command screen will help you turn the tide of war to your favor if done well. Once commands are given and the fleets are dispatched, the battle can commence.
You control the flagship, at least initially, but you can transfer to another ship through an escape pod to take Control. Each ship has its own weapons attachments and capabilities.
Closing Comments:
Starfarer is in it's alpha stage, but is a fun experience. It will take patience to build a sufficient fleet, but gets even better the longer you play. I'll be ridding the galaxy of space pirates for months to come.
Rating | Description
8 - Presentation
Clean interface, good tutorial with easy controls. Took awhile to learn ship attachments, and other advanced features that don't have a tutorial on.
7 - Graphics
Good graphics overall. Like to see better star backgrounds, but the ships and battles were very good.
7 - Sound
Really nice song during space exploration. All the needed sound effects are there.
9 - Gameplay
Fun gameplay. I actually got better with strategy. Sometimes ships will stay just out of reach and you can never get them. That can be annoying.
8 - Lasting Appeal
I'm still playing, and I want to see the new updates released as explained on the homepage
8.6 - Overall
The overall score is not an average, but it does reflect how much we enjoyed the game. Games between the score of 7 - 9 are favorable. Games that get a rating of 9.0 are a must buy.
