Last week – as a struggling sprog with a mere 11 hours of flying time in Everspace 2 – I promised to elucidate the scale of the game and what it's like to own more than a single, overwrought workhorse.
Well, this week – some 50 hours in – I write to you as a gentle-pig of means, with no less than three shiny, shiny vessels in my hangar (one of them a top-of-the-range class IV, no less – but more on that in a bit).
With a few minor exceptions, the game has continued to deliver a consistently entertaining experience that's seen me explore about two-thirds of the game world, both aspects of the paid Titans DLC and a decent chunk of plot. I'm also a few missions shy of hitting the level cap, which means I will be able to stop having to periodically upgrade all equipment (as item drops – and opponent difficulty – scale with player progress).
What seemed a fairly limited experience at the outset has expanded somewhat – with new mission types, some welcome decision-making and a few fresh mechanics. And while the game hasn't strayed too far from it's remit, the new elements have been sufficient to keep the repetitive gameplay loop from getting stale... But enough with the generalities.
Let's dive in.
Good enough to eat
Even though Adam might be billed as the protagonist of the game, it's the ships that are it's real stars, so that might be the best place to begin.
When you start playing, the game limits your hangar size to three, if I remember correctly, but as you progress through the plot and expand your motley band of Rhodia II housemates, some offer you perks you can invest in which offer varying degrees of QOL improvements.
The perks of an Okkar gent by the name of Tareen – whom you save from trouble along the way – deal exclusively with ships and introduce new locations you can purchase ships at (which is neat), open a dealer that sells the vaunted class IVs (the best ships in the game), and let you expand your hangar size to nine – enough to own one of each type of ship.
The ship types fall into one of three weights (light/medium/heavy), nine classes and 24 (!) models, with the weights signifying exactly what you think (lighter ships are more nimble but have less health — heavier ships have more health but are sluggish); and the models being strictly aesthetic.
Each class has its own passive bonuses (such as the Gunship's arsenal or Interceptor's outsized battery for its guns); as well as a distinct ultimate ability (like the Sentinel's zapper or the Scout's cloak). Classes also vary by the amount of primary/secondary weapon amounts (and hardpoints), hull, armor and shield stats, cargo hold sizes, speed and maneuverability.
On top of all that, each ship is also classified by tiers (one through four), which cost more but also offer a significant boost in stats (with tier IVs coming in at almost a million credits each, but boasting hull and armor in the tens of thousands).
To date, I've flown (and own) a Sentinel (a good all-rounder that excels at crowd control); an Interceptor (nimble fighter with excessive energy reserves that can turn infinite for brief periods of time, but has an annoying red-tinge to its ultimate ability that makes it hard to spot opponents); and a Gunship (an endearingly brutish brick with four primary weapons and a hair-trigger turret that can mow down crowds of opponents with ease).
The one hitch in owning multiple vessels is they are all stored at the only player base in the game, which is located in the Ceto system. To change loadouts or ships, you need to physically fly back to Ceto every time – which isn't that big of a deal, but could be more convenient.
Also – puzzlingly – Everspace 2 lets you own nine ships, but only gives you four custom paint schemes (which means owning nine distinct, unique vessels is a no-go). Seeing as how it's not a difficult thing to implement (and there's even room in the UI for at least two more schemes), I can't fathom why Rockfish didn't include it in the game... Then again, there are still companions I don't have perks for. Maybe it's something you unlock later on.
Pigs in space
Speaking of companions, I've accumulated seven to date – from the lovable Elek to the "skating on the very edge of copyright infringement" Khala (who looks like a displaced Na'vi) – and they sort of highlight the gonzo space opera nature of the game's central plot.
Don't get me wrong – it's entertaining, competently written and well acted out. But at the same time, it feels like an idea salad: a jumble of tropey concepts thrown together without a central unifying theme... There's extinct, advanced alien races (Privateer); souless corporations and brainwashed lunatics (Firefly); the looming threat of Colonial overlords (Star Wars); space-pirate-like Outlaws (Freelancer); — and crime families. And robotic damsels. And bouts of amnesia or identity crisis. And a heist. And so on and so forth...
It almost feels like the good folks at Rockfish made a list of everything trending in sci-fi and then did their damndest to cram it all into Everspace 2. Which isn't, in of itself, bad, but does undermine the – I dunno – legitimacy of the game world? It's a hard thing to take with a straight face, is all I'm saying. Frequent eye rolling may be involved...
At the same time, I have to commend the devs on their constant search for gameplay innovation. Those four procedural mission types I mentioned last time? They are soon joined by others – like Ramen Delivery, Hitman, Mine Sweeper or Battle Support – for a total 12 recurring jobs you can undertake for money.
On top of those, each of a given system's areas is chock-full of secret stashes to uncover, environmental puzzles to solve and nifty little easter eggs like this shadow creature I found in Khosh Orbit: a fuzzy wee fella in search of a friend who had to be ferried from one shadow to the next until their happy reunion. It took me a second to catch on that exposing him to sunlight was no bueno, but once I did not only was I able to finish the activity, but I was also impressed by the devs' ingenuity and sheer unwillingness to rest on their laurels.
In a game as vast as Everspace 2, another dev might have been contented to come up with x-amount of Things To Do (which all function in The Prescribed Way) and leave it at that. Rockfish, however, keep surprising me with new spins on tried formulae and infrequent – but ingenious – Brand New Concepts. To which I say kudos, my petrified piscines. Kudos.
In welcome counterpoint to the over-the-top, wacky mess that is the game's central plot, there also exist Side Missions: concise, self-contained little stories that may very well be my favorite aspect of Everspace 2. There aren't that many of them (between four and 12 per system, for a grand total of 30); but the tales they relate – whether it be a daughter's quest to un-brainwash her researcher father or some miners' desperate need for an anti-bullying campaign – are eminently likable and also (to date) the only two instances where the game offers you a choice in how a story will end.
As for the Titans DLC, it's a pretty neat twofer that gradually lets you hunt for a runaway dreadnought (a warship the size of a small planet); or play gastroenterologist inside of a larger-than-life space whale. Both mission chains start with a unique encounter and then become a recurring task you can undertake every now and again for some premium loot.
Jumping to supralight
The last thing to note is that the game has crashed on me three times in this week's 39 hours of playing: once when I was crafting, once just as a High Risk area was underway and once – weirdly – after I had quit to desktop. Three crashes in 50 hours isn't that inconvenient, however, (though that could just be my Cyberpunk shell shock talking); and the game's pervasive autosave (which kicks in anytime you visit a new area) had me back in flight at a moment's notice.
I have three more systems to explore (Drake, Aethon and Khione), the main plot to finish and some rumored post-plot activities (the aforementioned Incursions) to undertake. I'll try to wrap up the game by next week for the third – and final – part of the review.
Until then, fly safe and watch out for peckish leviathans. See you next week!
Pig — out.