Obviously, going by genre milestones, the subhead of this review should have been a spin on Privateer, but 1) I couldn't come up with a clever mash-up (when "Pygmy-teer" is the best you come up with it's time to throw in the towel); and 2) in terms of actual, physical size, Endless Sky is the larger game (by 102 Mbs) — so the play on words wouldn't have made sense... But as Freelancer is, basically, a later – slightly less hip – version of Privateer, I figure we're in the clear.

The 2015 brainchild of One Smart Human (Michael Zahniser), Endless Sky is a direct descendant of sandbox spacers like Elite, Privateer and – indeed – Freelancer, which puts you in control of a little ship, gives you a big chunk of galaxy to fly around in and says "have at it." And while, unlike its peers, it is a small, open-source production with a 2D presentation that relies heavily on stock images and text, the game's solid writing, intuitive gameplay and massive amounts of charm more than make up for the lack of flashy graphics and effects.

Your character begins the game as a freshly-minted pilot Out to Make a Buck, is saddled with a bank loan and given a choice of three basic ships: the capacious-but-slow Star Barge (a bundle of containers duct-taped to an engine that lends itself to trading); the nimble-but-underpowered Sparrow (which classifies as an interceptor, but only just); or the eponymous Shuttle (which is, y'know: a shuttle), meant to allow for trading or combat, but not that good at either.

From those humble beginnings, you are given free-reign to explore a sizeable galaxy, undertake missions and trade, fight or plunder as you see fit.

While Endless Sky's mechanics are fairly simple, they are well thought-out and flawlessly put together.

Ships obey proper newtonian physics that account for mass and thrust, which means a larger vessel will take longer to accelerate and slow – unless you put more powerful thrusters on it. Ships are eminently customizable, with an extensive roster of parts (which the game calls "outfits") that can be installed to modify performance. From genre mainstays, like engines or shields, to interesting extensions (like cooling systems, sensors, radar jammers or cargo shielding); and even neat additions like luxury cabins or a brig (for transporting prisoners), Endless Sky offers a lot of freedom in ship customization that lets you tailor them to your preferred play style.

Say you buy a Splinter – a medium warship with decent cargo capacity and ample passenger space... Want to fight? You could install Outfit Expansions to convert cargo space into room for more powerful weapons or larger turning thrusters. Don't like fighting? You could use up outfit space to install Bunk Rooms or Cargo Expansions, turning your Splinter into an ad-hoc merchant or passenger ship. It's a neat idea that I haven't seen since the days of Frontier: Elite II (which let you specify engine size and install passenger cabins) which extends the usefulness of a given hull beyond a single, specific function.

And supporting this fluid customization is an array of procedural missions that automatically caters itself to your ship's capabilities. Every time you set foot in a new planet's Job Board, Endless Sky generates a list of random missions you can accept that use your ship's specs and pilot reputation as guides for what will be available.

When flying that starting Shuttle, for example, cargo deliveries and passengers made up the bulk of my available missions. Soon as I traded up to something with Proper Guns, though, the game began offering the odd Destroy A Pirate gig. It's a neat mechanic that cuts down on the amount of time you waste sifting through missions you aren't qualified for to begin with.

While mission types are, sadly, not endless, there's enough of 'em to ensure you aren't stuck doing the same thing over and over if you don't want to. Between bounty hunting, escort missions, shipping cargo or people (sometimes on a Rush Delivery, which needs to be completed by a certain date); smuggling or Scenarios (random missions with a bit more exposition to 'em); Endless Sky offers enough variety to keep gameplay enticing.

The game also includes scripted plot missions that range from brief, three- to four-mission chains, to two full-blown campaigns, which can be started randomly, on arrival to a new planet, or by visiting the Spaceport. So far in my playthrough, I've reunited a couple separated by conflict; given a ride to a disgruntled worker looking for a fresh start; dropped off a student at an alien station; and ferried some scientists to a frozen world.

I've even aligned myself with the Free Worlds faction to help them break away from Republic space (one of the aforementioned campaigns). And while, yes, all of these side activities essentially amounted to Some Extra Reading, it was reading that was well-composed, humorous and even a bit touching, in places.

Oh – I also bought a mug. It was very overpriced, but the game assures me I can at least throw it at someone the next time I get boarded (no joke: it's got boarding attack stats and everything). Speaking of which, if the traditional, law-abiding grind isn't to your liking, you can always turn Pirate, build yourself a fleet and steal what you want from unsuspecting passers-by.

Overall, I have nothing but praise for this little gem of a game.

I've seen reviewers criticize Endless Sky for its graphics, but – in my opinion – they are quite nice and certainly tons better than you'd expect, given that their creator was a software developer. While fairly straightforward, the game offers a smooth production, intuitive design and lots of activities to keep the player occupied. Were that not enough, Endless Sky can also be easily modded to add new ships or missions and customize gameplay even further to suit your preferences.

If you are looking for a space sandbox game in the vein of Elite, Privateer or Freelancer at an unbeatable price (grand total of zero monies!), give Endless Sky a go. It might not be the biggest space game out there, but – for such a small package – it boasts a disproportionate amount of fun.

Pig Recommends:

• -visit https://endless-sky.github.io/ to download Endless Sky;