FTL: Faster Than Light

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1531 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,248 out of 1531
  2. Mixed: 185 out of 1531
  3. Negative: 98 out of 1531

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  1. lasix
    Oct 11, 2012
    7
    Enjoyable rogue-like set in space. In particular I liked the pressure build up by the imminent risk of being overrun by the bad guys chasing you. Battles are fast paced, but can (and should) be paused anytime though. Game mechanics are very well thought true, though each play through depends heavily on luck - as in any given rogue-like I guess.
  2. AlanComek
    Jan 8, 2013
    9
    There isn't really anything bad I can say about this, really. The difficulty is insane, and there isn't much of a story there, but everything else in FTL is just so damn good that you don't really care. Also, the soundtrack is freakin' awesome. Seriously, get this game.
  3. ZZZappy
    Sep 19, 2012
    10
    I write this review 45 hours later... Wait, what? 45 hours?!?

    This game sucked me in extremely fast. I didn't buy it until a friend started playing it, and after watching him, I had to try it myself. The game has a very high replay value, but that might be due to the game's quite short playthrough. To start, the game is brutal and unforgiving. Making mistakes will quickly lead to a    I write this review 45 hours later... Wait, what? 45 hours?!?

    This game sucked me in extremely fast. I didn't buy it until a friend started playing it, and after watching him, I had to try it myself. The game has a very high replay value, but that might be due to the game's quite short playthrough.

    To start, the game is brutal and unforgiving. Making mistakes will quickly lead to a game over, and sometimes the RNG plays dirty by giving you time and time again the negative side of every random event. The enemies scale quickly, so you'll need to find a way to keep the pace. The first 10, maybe even 20 times you're going to lose. On easy.

    However, once you've got an understanding of how the game works, it's not as random and luck based as people make it out to be. Being tactical about your movements and not taking needless risks will take you consistently to the end of the game. Using resource management for your ship can save you tons of cash that you can use to upgrade other things or purchase more weapons at stores. Playing smart will almost always win, except for the very worst generated maps.

    No matter what type of gamer you are, I highly recommend this game. For $10, it's well worth the money.    … Expand
  4. Canisrah
    Sep 16, 2012
    8
    I bought FTL on a whim when I saw that it involved space ship command with a tactical bent. My expectations were low - but when I got into it I was surprised to find myself really engaged and enjoying the experience. The visuals aren't that flash but the gameplay fires the imagination such that the visuals remain functional and incidental to the core experience. Different scenarios areI bought FTL on a whim when I saw that it involved space ship command with a tactical bent. My expectations were low - but when I got into it I was surprised to find myself really engaged and enjoying the experience. The visuals aren't that flash but the gameplay fires the imagination such that the visuals remain functional and incidental to the core experience. Different scenarios are presented to you as you warp into each new sector and you are required to make choices that influence where the game goes; a lot of these choices result in combat but it's refreshing to see that some do not. A lot of sci-fi games focus too much on combat but the whole star trek experience is just as much about managing crew and making decisions as it is firing the phasers. FTL is perhaps leaning toward too much combat, but it does make significant efforts to give you other things to do as well - and to good effect. The soundtrack is delightful and the sense that you are in command is palpable. On my last game it was me and Jean Luc (you can name crew members) and we made it alone to stage 4 (of 5) and had some amazing scraps and adventures along the way. We started we 3 crew members (you can recruit more along the way) but Beverly died after we were boarded and the oxygen levels in sick bay dropped to the point where she suffocated. We were really cut up about that but pressed on. It's a great little game - could perhaps have benefited from just a little more depth but as is it's heaps of fun and for the price... you can't lose. Highly recommended.… Expand
  5. Andrew_Paterson
    Dec 9, 2012
    4
    I want to like this game, I really, really do. But it's so frustrating that I'm not willing to take any more time to play it.

    Yes, it's a rogue like- and yes, rogue likes- are heavily dependent on randomness but FTL takes it to the extreme. I lost and lost and lost (and losing sees a restart from scratch - only the hardcore need apply); it's not even that there isn't a component of    I want to like this game, I really, really do. But it's so frustrating that I'm not willing to take any more time to play it.

    Yes, it's a rogue like- and yes, rogue likes- are heavily dependent on randomness but FTL takes it to the extreme. I lost and lost and lost (and losing sees a restart from scratch - only the hardcore need apply); it's not even that there isn't a component of skill. One does need to be skilled: managing your crew, sub-systems and power takes a lot of effort whilst also pinpointing attacks on the enemy.

    But chance and the increasing difficulty curve as you venture further across the universe outweigh the skill component solidly.

    Rather save money, get a dice, roll it till a six; then declare yourself a winner. It'll be far less aggravating all 'round.    … Expand
  6. Slackerboy
    Oct 22, 2012
    3
    This game has so much potential it could be a ton of fun, but most games are ruined by simple bad luck. In order to win you MUST get the right weapon upgrades or you are doomed, but getting them is a matter of pure luck.

    This could be resolved by re-balancing the sectors and allowing people to explore more, or making weapon drops more common. Until this is fixed I would avoid the game    This game has so much potential it could be a ton of fun, but most games are ruined by simple bad luck. In order to win you MUST get the right weapon upgrades or you are doomed, but getting them is a matter of pure luck.

    This could be resolved by re-balancing the sectors and allowing people to explore more, or making weapon drops more common. Until this is fixed I would avoid the game unless you want to lose or win based on pure luck.    … Expand
  7. HerrJoebob
    Sep 16, 2012
    4
    This is a great roguelike, but not a fun game by any stretch. You win or lose by the flip of a coin you have no control over - you might run into a (literally) unbeatable enemy, you may or may not find the upgrades you need, etc. It is incredibly unfair and this is exactly what they were trying for - it's a great gambling sim and addictive as heck because of that. The music's nice and theThis is a great roguelike, but not a fun game by any stretch. You win or lose by the flip of a coin you have no control over - you might run into a (literally) unbeatable enemy, you may or may not find the upgrades you need, etc. It is incredibly unfair and this is exactly what they were trying for - it's a great gambling sim and addictive as heck because of that. The music's nice and the graphics are decent. Once you get past the (again, intentional) unfairness, the biggest problem is that almost all combat is a tedious "click same keys over and over" thing. However, if you get boarded - and you will, a LOT if the coin flips go against you - it turns into intensive micromanagement with a UI that is not very responsive - not fun.… Expand
  8. Dravius
    Sep 20, 2012
    4
    The single biggest factor in this game is luck. As every encounter is completely random it removes any real sort of skill or challenge from the game, or a sense of achievement to more accurate. When you do 'finish' it you realise it wasn't because you did anything in particular, but because you happened upon the right encounters. The gameplay is fun, but the sheer amount of luck in theThe single biggest factor in this game is luck. As every encounter is completely random it removes any real sort of skill or challenge from the game, or a sense of achievement to more accurate. When you do 'finish' it you realise it wasn't because you did anything in particular, but because you happened upon the right encounters. The gameplay is fun, but the sheer amount of luck in the game completely detracts from it… Expand
  9. Vistance
    Sep 22, 2012
    3
    The people writing the high reviews have played the game for maximum of 2-3 hours. FTL seems fun when you first start out, but as you repeat the game over and over and over and over and over and over again you realize the entire game is rubbish because your chances of winning a particular run are controlled very minimally by you. All you do is steer the ship and click on parts of enemyThe people writing the high reviews have played the game for maximum of 2-3 hours. FTL seems fun when you first start out, but as you repeat the game over and over and over and over and over and over again you realize the entire game is rubbish because your chances of winning a particular run are controlled very minimally by you. All you do is steer the ship and click on parts of enemy ships. I had a run where I had nothing but the starter guns all the way up to the 7th sector, I explored many beacons and found nothing. The game is rogue like but fails to provide even a reasonably fair amount of random chance. Other times the game will reward you with something amazing that you can't use at the most inopportune time - one run I was given what was claimed by the game to be an amazing laser - but I had no means at all to operate this gun on my ship as I found it in the 1st sector. On another run I did great, but could not find a weapon like that laser to save my life - and was shafted by random chance. This SOUNDS like it could be fun sometimes, but after you play the game over and over you get real sick of "oh look, no weapons, oh look no new crew members" and you end up eventually running out of fuel and scrap and dying helplessly or you somehow get far then are ill-equipped for the higher powered enemy ships and die extremely quickly. The game has terrible pacing and while the mechanics operate fine, some things like the AI leave a LOT to be desired. I don't know why people feel like they must love indie games no matter how good or bad they are - if you give them false praise you're only hurting them. The game could be improved with patching, but somehow I sincerely doubt the odds the game will ever see an update - the developers got our money and have so far shown no real interest in doing much else with the game based on statements they've publicly made. For a half-working title like this I would not pay the price it's going for, $10 is too steep for a broken indie game and as gamers we should demand better quality from indie studios if we ever want them to replace corporate studios that just create more franchise games.… Expand
  10. Boris
    Sep 18, 2012
    2
    This is an indie game, made by two fellas like you and me, and because of that, I'll try to be as constructive as possible in this review. My rating is 2, and it's OBVIOUS that this game would deserve more. So, why do I give it only two? Well, there are a couple of reasons. A bit more actually. As someone else pointed out, this game is interesting and provides a strong "sci-fi experience".This is an indie game, made by two fellas like you and me, and because of that, I'll try to be as constructive as possible in this review. My rating is 2, and it's OBVIOUS that this game would deserve more. So, why do I give it only two? Well, there are a couple of reasons. A bit more actually. As someone else pointed out, this game is interesting and provides a strong "sci-fi experience". This is for the bright side. I've backed this game on Kickstarter, and I've had the chance to play it before its release. According to steam, more than 18 hours. To be honest, I must have spent the first 15 hours almost in a row, right after downloading it. The rest corresponds to a few tries I gave it from this moment until now; to see if the flaws were corrected yet. In fact, once a wave of enthusiasm has passed, the game becomes really boring : its main problem is re-playability. The experience which feels great at start becomes repetitive really rapidly. Each play-through is really not different. And the game is quite difficult, you find yourself dying all the time (this is relative to the genre, I think), which doesn't help at all about that. Indeed, the difficulty lacks a normal mode : the easy mode is damn easy, and the so called "normal" mode is kinda hard. The second complaint I have is : things are WAY too random. The fact that you flee before an entire fleet means that you don't have the leisure to explore your surroundings. As a consequence, you either are lucky enough to find some weapons, a new crew member or some good stuff; or you have bad luck and your only outcome is usually to start a new game. I could throw dice instead, I would have pretty much the same feeling. And because of the "balance" of the game, you often don't have the choice but to upgrade your shields ASAP, and pray to find good weapons soon enough. So the "freedom" upon upgrade choices isn't really there, at least if you want to survive. Your skills are very rarely involved, it's only gambling. To such extent, that after a hundred of games or so, the only new things you have are a bunch of unlocked ships which don't modify game experience that much. Same goes for the music : it's really entertaining at first, pleasing and so. And after some time, you find yourself muting it, and listening to Internet radio or so. So, even if this game is made from good ideas and obviously a lot of work, it lacks a lot of polish to reach the intended replayability. I was hoping something really different and way more satisfying. I really hope I will have to rewrite this review because the developers corrected these mistakes. Until then, that's not worth buying, really.… Expand
  11. Tizian
    Jan 12, 2013
    7
    Its a 'good' game, I dont like the fact that you get completely wasted in so many unlucky moments, this game pretty much is based on luck, not on your strategy, its like those 'chose your own story' books, you dont know what will happen, and if its bad. But I payed 5 euro's and for that price its fine.
  12. deweee
    Jan 1, 2015
    3
    Are you ready for a "literally" unbeatable enemy which spawns randomly in your journey when you think you are going really well which destroys you in 3 seconds even though you are with full crew? No, you aren't.

    This games presentation, playability is so good but I have to give it a low score because of its retarded difficulty system. If you are a lifeless moron who can take the    Are you ready for a "literally" unbeatable enemy which spawns randomly in your journey when you think you are going really well which destroys you in 3 seconds even though you are with full crew? No, you aren't.

    This games presentation, playability is so good but I have to give it a low score because of its retarded difficulty system. If you are a lifeless moron who can take the developers mocking which drives you to restart over and over again for no reason, go play it in endless cycles to finish the game. If you want to see your investments in game turn out to a good game play, don't play this game. The difficulty system is really retarded. Whenever when you are beaten (10-15 mins in easy mode, tops) your game will be RESTARTED! I mean, restarted. All the progress of yours are gone, probably multiple times in your gameplay.    … Expand
  13. yosa1
    Mar 29, 2016
    3
    I played the original and liked it well enough for all its flaws. I figured I'd try this enhanced edition though, my line of thought being there would be some real improvements; there were, but not enough to make me like it.

    Aside from the labels it has been given, it is a progressive turn based side scroll styled game, there is some choice in the form of left or right path though they    I played the original and liked it well enough for all its flaws. I figured I'd try this enhanced edition though, my line of thought being there would be some real improvements; there were, but not enough to make me like it.

    Aside from the labels it has been given, it is a progressive turn based side scroll styled game, there is some choice in the form of left or right path though they could be randomly good or bad, very limited and any encounter is going to be an rng nightmare.

    This is one overrated game, its a snakes and ladders with some stats.    … Expand
  14. SigilFey
    Mar 15, 2015
    10
    It's awesome wrapped in fried awesome with awesome sauce and a side of buttered awesome.

    Truly, this is a game that has never been done before. It blends strategic/tactical starship combat, time management, RTS, role-playing, and an interactive novel together in a roguelike experience. The game is bleepin' hard! And that's the point. Expect to lose about 20 times for every 1 time    It's awesome wrapped in fried awesome with awesome sauce and a side of buttered awesome.

    Truly, this is a game that has never been done before. It blends strategic/tactical starship combat, time management, RTS, role-playing, and an interactive novel together in a roguelike experience.

    The game is bleepin' hard! And that's the point. Expect to lose about 20 times for every 1 time you (almost...!) win.

    >;D

    ROGUELIKE, baby!!!

    In all seriousness, the game's mechanics blend together masterfully to offer the player complete control over what is very often a hopeless scenario. The whole point of a roguelike is to offer the player about the same chance of winning the game as being hit by lightning. (Granted, FTL's "Easy" mode is really that, and most games set to Easy can at least be played into the final stages...once you know what you're doing.)

    What I cannot praise enough is the level of gameplay you get even if you do lose. Many roguelikes can put you in a bad spot within 10 minutes of beginning a new character. And a "bad spot" in a roguelike usually means instant death by laceration, impalement, incineration, bludgeoning, infection, curse, malfunction, hallucination, insanity, implosion...or a pleasant mixture of them all. FTL allows for a level of player skill that actually affects your ability to succeed. It's not all, or even mostly, up to the RNG. Players will actually begin to get the idea of what they need to survive and can pursue it. In worst-case scenarios, I know I'm dead long before my ship actually blows.

    Controls, interface, and graphics are simple, clear, and I would not alter them in any way. Text scenarios are quick, interesting, and the number of variables that may appear based on your ship's systems, crew, weapons, etc. keep them from becoming old-hat on subsequent playthroughs. Ship designs are widely varied with many strengths and weaknesses, and the only game I can think of that matches the options you are given, moment-to-moment, during combat is Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates.

    Does the game have it's flaws? Yes.

    Is it occasionally very cheap in its reward/punishment randomization? Yes.

    Is the last mission an exercise in frustration with virtually no chance of success? Yes.

    That...is it's magic. Expect to lose. I'll put it this way: I didn't jump up out of my chair, raise two fists above my head, and proceed to do the butt dance when I beat Skyrim. (Oddly enough, my girlfriend didn't stare at me concernedly for two days after I beat Skyrim, either.)

    Play. This. Game.    … Expand
  15. Chickendoodles
    Aug 27, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is wonderful! A lot of people say that there is a lot of randomness to the game, but truly there isn't. There comes a point where you get skilled enough to take down the final boss on any ship, you just need to make sure to use the ships potential to the max. On Normal that is a different story where you do need a bit more luck on your side but honestly, if this was reality, it would still be the same concept. It is your one ship against the entire rebel fleet until you reach the final sector. I'd say the odds would be way against you for most of the journey. Randomness plays little factor in winning. However if you want to get a lot of the secret end game ships such as the crystal ship or weapons, then yes there is a lot of randomness behind that. But besides that the game has a lot of choices for you to make based on how you want to play and react. Throughout the game as well, if you have a diverse crew and well upgraded ship, it allows you to have more options when making your choices. Do you risk your crew to save an infested colony? Well if you have a robotic crew member he'd be immune and be able to help. What about saving the crew on a burning ship about to explode? If you have advanced teleport system you can just TP them to your ship without risking anyone's life. !--Watch out a space mine is trying to attach to your ship! Can you avoid it in time?! Well if your engines are upgraded enough, you have a better chance of avoiding it. It has so many ups and downs as well as so many choices and options to choose from the more you play. Will you lose? Most definitely, but the adventure you have out-weighs the frustrations of losing and is worth every cent and minute put into it.

    Also, if you get bored with the vanilla version of the game, YOU CAN MOD IT! Add new ships, Species of crew, weapons, sectors, situations, You name it! There is so much you can do with this game it's just wonderful    … Expand
  16. sealedinterface
    Sep 11, 2015
    4
    I don't have a lot of experience with difficult games, since I'm mostly a casual gamer. I was looking forward to the "space simulator" part of this game; managing a spaceship seemed quite appealing. Instead, the game puts far more emphasis on the "roguelike" part of this game. In order to do well in this game, you have to know exactly what to do in every situation, have the skill to do so,I don't have a lot of experience with difficult games, since I'm mostly a casual gamer. I was looking forward to the "space simulator" part of this game; managing a spaceship seemed quite appealing. Instead, the game puts far more emphasis on the "roguelike" part of this game. In order to do well in this game, you have to know exactly what to do in every situation, have the skill to do so, and of course befriend the forever hostile RNG. If anything goes wrong, you're doomed to die, and you lose all the progress in your entire game.

    The tutorial gave a basic tour of the interface and showed me how combat works, and left me confident enough to start an "easy" game. Little did I know that "easy", "normal", and "hard" translated to "hard", "harder", and "hardest". Just a couple of jumps in, the rebel fleet has already taken control of the start location, my pilot gets trampled to death by tiny blue horses, and I get blown up by the first enemy I run into because I can't penetrate its shields.

    I'm very much regretting buying this game, and I would recommend NOT to get it unless you're prepared for an extremely difficult and frustrating game.    … Expand
  17. tastybaldeagle
    Feb 5, 2018
    0
    An absolutely must play game. I don't like adventure games but this one goes above and beyond.
  18. Samvell
    Sep 1, 2023
    5
    Good game at its core, but it basically suffers from the same major problem as Into The Breach - you're always, and I mean ALWAYS, just one mistake away from losing. I've had so many successful runs where I though I was finally able to enjoy the game, just to be completely annihilated within minutes. FTL has some insane difficulty spikes. In one sector your enemies are basically punchingGood game at its core, but it basically suffers from the same major problem as Into The Breach - you're always, and I mean ALWAYS, just one mistake away from losing. I've had so many successful runs where I though I was finally able to enjoy the game, just to be completely annihilated within minutes. FTL has some insane difficulty spikes. In one sector your enemies are basically punching bags who can barely penetrate your shields. In the next one they have so many advantages over you you'd think they're using cheatcodes. In one sector you are just showered with all sorts of upgrades, crew members, weapons, etc. In the next one you get exactly jack point sh*t just because RNG says so. In one sector you don't have any events on, like, 60% of planets. In the next one every second planet is in nebula, and every third one has solar flares that will ruin your run faster than you can say the word "run".
    I assume some people might enjoy ths particular sort of unpredictability, but to me it's just unfair. I really wanted to like this game because it has some nice visuals, good music, and interesting ship-building/upgrading mechanics, but opponents ALWAYS having the upper hand just ruined any kind of enjoyment for me personally.    … Expand
  19. baron_bacon
    Jan 10, 2013
    8
    FTL is an extraordinary little game. Though one sometimes struggles with a certain unfairness due to the randomly generated galaxies, it doesn't lack of motivational parts. Both micro- and macromanagement will be rewarded appropriately and the broad range of weapons and ships offers multiple ways of fighting your way through the universe.
    Playing it now for more than 10 hours, I've only    FTL is an extraordinary little game. Though one sometimes struggles with a certain unfairness due to the randomly generated galaxies, it doesn't lack of motivational parts. Both micro- and macromanagement will be rewarded appropriately and the broad range of weapons and ships offers multiple ways of fighting your way through the universe.
    Playing it now for more than 10 hours, I've only seen the boss once but I am always willing to give it another shot.    … Expand
  20. Zen-Zinxe
    Apr 1, 2013
    7
    It's a nice game with a beautiful soundtrack, that just happens to be surprisingly addictive. It's a difficult game, very difficult in fact I haven't been able to beat it on easy ONCE. I'm just not that persistent, and you can't save in the middle of your journey. It's pretty hardcore for a game that seems like such a peaceful quaint little game until you experience your first jump next toIt's a nice game with a beautiful soundtrack, that just happens to be surprisingly addictive. It's a difficult game, very difficult in fact I haven't been able to beat it on easy ONCE. I'm just not that persistent, and you can't save in the middle of your journey. It's pretty hardcore for a game that seems like such a peaceful quaint little game until you experience your first jump next to an active sun, or get boarded by a bunch of aliens that disable your oxygen and overpower any crewmembers you try to send in to fix it. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it, and even then you'll have a hard time just safely reaching the final sector.

    If you want an addictive and fun challenge, buy this.    … Expand
  21. violentine
    Jun 19, 2013
    7
    FTL is a roguelike spaceship management game that puts you in control of the ship and it's crew. The game is graphically old-school with pixel art and the interface and controls both work well. Problem is that FTL's appeal didn't last too long. Soon you have seen all possible encounters that the game can throw at you (note: mostly text based) and after learning the ropes it get's boring. IFTL is a roguelike spaceship management game that puts you in control of the ship and it's crew. The game is graphically old-school with pixel art and the interface and controls both work well. Problem is that FTL's appeal didn't last too long. Soon you have seen all possible encounters that the game can throw at you (note: mostly text based) and after learning the ropes it get's boring. I got close to 10 hours gametime before this happening so moneywise FTL is a decent purchase. All and all FTL is a good coffee break roguelike but a bit over hyped in my books.… Expand
  22. Comradepinko
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    If you like maddeningly difficult old school games then this one is for you. The graphics are primitive, but I feel like that just adds to the old school feel of the game. The game play is simple enough to pick up quickly, yet complicated enough to keep you thinking and coming back for more.

    The basic mechanics of shields, weapon systems, drones, and boarding parties make me feel like    If you like maddeningly difficult old school games then this one is for you. The graphics are primitive, but I feel like that just adds to the old school feel of the game. The game play is simple enough to pick up quickly, yet complicated enough to keep you thinking and coming back for more.

    The basic mechanics of shields, weapon systems, drones, and boarding parties make me feel like I'm the captain of a Star Trek vessel in a way that previous Star Trek and other Sci-Fi games have failed to do so well.

    For an inexpensive indie game with such a small team the design is nearly perfect. Aside from having not quite enough different random encounters (expect to play through the same encounters over and over again) I don't think I have any complaints for this title. I hope a AAA studio decides to make something like FTL, or picks up these guys and makes FTL2.    … Expand
  23. Audius
    Oct 5, 2012
    5
    The game is fun if you want to kill time for maybe an hour or two, but chances are you'll probably be pounding your head after a number of losses due to a few unfair combinations all the while dealing with micromanaging repairs on the ship and killing fires and killing invaders. While the game is extremely well polished in terms of controls and music, the game gets lost in sometimesThe game is fun if you want to kill time for maybe an hour or two, but chances are you'll probably be pounding your head after a number of losses due to a few unfair combinations all the while dealing with micromanaging repairs on the ship and killing fires and killing invaders. While the game is extremely well polished in terms of controls and music, the game gets lost in sometimes terrible RNG and overcomplicated micromanagement that could've been simplified by rethinking the "crew" feature. Oh and by the way, each time you enter a zone, you have a fleet of elite rebels chasing you every step of the way, so you constantly feel like you're in a rush to move on to the next zone, which only gets progressively more difficult.

    I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to have to keep spamming pause to input commands, I want the game to flow. FTL just doesn't do that for me.    … Expand
  24. Protonova
    Sep 19, 2012
    9
    Freaking fantastic game. For it's 1st release it has a lot of interesting mechanics and combat that force you to strategist with efficiency or suffer lol. It has high re-playability already but I would like a lot of new features to add flavor to the game. Oh almost forgot the soundtrack is even better than the game lol. All that the game is missing is variety which I'm hoping will beFreaking fantastic game. For it's 1st release it has a lot of interesting mechanics and combat that force you to strategist with efficiency or suffer lol. It has high re-playability already but I would like a lot of new features to add flavor to the game. Oh almost forgot the soundtrack is even better than the game lol. All that the game is missing is variety which I'm hoping will be addressed in the future. Still well worth a 9 even though it is missing content, but what it does, it does well and that is the basic definition of a rogue-like(but with space elements as you pilot your starship). I look forward to moding this game when that's possible, I would like to add more ship designs, weapons, environmental hazards, and quests.… Expand
  25. Banhammer0
    May 31, 2014
    8
    Great indie game, I played it for like 20+ hours and had a lot of fun with it.
    Crew and ship management which are the main parts of the game are very well designed and satisfying. The various encounters and quests are varied and well-written adding surprising level of immersion to the game.
    It's rouge-like nature can be a flaw sometimes. Sometimes even if you are a very good player you    Great indie game, I played it for like 20+ hours and had a lot of fun with it.
    Crew and ship management which are the main parts of the game are very well designed and satisfying. The various encounters and quests are varied and well-written adding surprising level of immersion to the game.
    It's rouge-like nature can be a flaw sometimes. Sometimes even if you are a very good player you lose no matter what, for example you spec your ship into drones, and you find only 1 combat drone through entire campaign failing miserably. Sometimes it also can be too easy, it really depends more on luck than skill.
    The graphics are kinda cartoonish but this is okay in an indie game, though better graphics would make this game way more amazing.
    The music is epic, I listened to it outside of the game more than I played it I think, really immersive, you can find in on youtube and see if it suits your style.
    During the game you unlock new ships and new ships layouts which gives it a lot of replay ability. Single campaign will take you only a couple hours to complete, but it's not a problem thanks to it's rouge-like nature.
    What else...technically it's almost perfect as I did not encounter any major glitches or crashes.
    Also it's modable. There are a lot of good mods out there, mostly adding new ships but also total overhauls worth checking out.

    For it's very low price I can't give it any less than 8/10. It's one of the best indie games out there.    … Expand
  26. mrjonesezn
    Dec 24, 2013
    10
    Warning do not play this game if you don't have some serious time to kill. Once you get the game mechanics down, the "just one more game" syndrome kicks in, and before you know it, its 2 a.m. and you've got to go to work the next day!
    If you are a sci-fi fan and enjoy PC strategy games of any type, this game is definitely for you. It is worth full price, but catch it on a Steam sale    Warning do not play this game if you don't have some serious time to kill. Once you get the game mechanics down, the "just one more game" syndrome kicks in, and before you know it, its 2 a.m. and you've got to go to work the next day!
    If you are a sci-fi fan and enjoy PC strategy games of any type, this game is definitely for you. It is worth full price, but catch it on a Steam sale and you'd be a fool not to pick it up. Frustrating, thoughtful, exciting, extremely challenging, even on 'easy' level definitely one of the best games I've played this year.    … Expand
  27. PanaCZech
    Dec 10, 2013
    10
    A simple idea, simple graphics but great playability. I played this game over and over again for countless hours. The absence of saving/loading (if you do not want to quit the game and copy the files to a different location before each space jump) was a great choice. Losing is part of the fun as the game itself states. I recommend starting with the easy game though...beside oldchoolA simple idea, simple graphics but great playability. I played this game over and over again for countless hours. The absence of saving/loading (if you do not want to quit the game and copy the files to a different location before each space jump) was a great choice. Losing is part of the fun as the game itself states. I recommend starting with the easy game though...beside oldchool graphics this game has also oldschool difficulty:)… Expand
  28. dragon496000
    Dec 10, 2014
    9
    This game is amazing, if you want to travel around in space, trying to rid the universe of rebels. You will fight human size mantises, rock creatures, and more. The areas you will travel are randomized, meaning unlocking some ships will be difficult. Luck is involved, but you will be fine getting enough scrap (currency) to upgrade your ship. Steam says I have been playing for 16 hours, andThis game is amazing, if you want to travel around in space, trying to rid the universe of rebels. You will fight human size mantises, rock creatures, and more. The areas you will travel are randomized, meaning unlocking some ships will be difficult. Luck is involved, but you will be fine getting enough scrap (currency) to upgrade your ship. Steam says I have been playing for 16 hours, and it's still fun.… Expand
  29. JustSomeGamer
    Jun 27, 2017
    0
    pure cancer..........................................................................................
    100% luck.............................................................................................
  30. marc5477
    Apr 4, 2015
    2
    Insanely overrated. Its basically a casino game where you get lucky and get the items you need or you simply dont and there isnt a thing you can do about it. For example, i had a run where I did not find a single weapon (aside from starter weapons) anywhere and died in the 4th system... not fun. In another quickie run, the very 1st fight had me go up against a shielded missile shootingInsanely overrated. Its basically a casino game where you get lucky and get the items you need or you simply dont and there isnt a thing you can do about it. For example, i had a run where I did not find a single weapon (aside from starter weapons) anywhere and died in the 4th system... not fun. In another quickie run, the very 1st fight had me go up against a shielded missile shooting ship and as you might have guessed, I missed my 1st 4 salvos and he hit me every time, disabled my weapons, started fires and I simply couldnt do anything and lost on the 1st encounter (lol). In another run, i got to the end boss, but the only weapons I had were very slow (vulcan, starter stuff, and beams), somehow I reached the 3rd stage only to get get slammed on every surge with laser attacks that... as you might have guessed, took out my guns every time. Again, nothing I can do, it lasted 5 minutes but I could never peal his shield and he just whittled me down with his cheap surge (albeit I took out all the landing parties).

    Its just a rng based game... ive won several time (its easy if you get the items you need) but its just pure luck. There is little to no skill needed aside from timing firing salvos (something a 1st grader can figure out).

    The game is overhyped. It reminds me a lot of gem quest many years ago (around 10 years ago). It was all luck too and was the talk of the town but now no one even remembers that game. The same will happen here. It needs more depth and more strategy.    … Expand
  31. VinVin1974
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    Great game. Lots of fun. Can be repetitive, but only if you play without any breaks. Really challenging, but that's what keeps you coming back. My advice? If you feel that repetition wave coming on, go play something else for awhile. Guarantee you'll be biting at the bit wanting to play one more game though, which is why breaks help especially after a long play session.
  32. Tridus
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    Brutally difficult. If you dislike game over screens, this is not the game for you. You will die, a lot. Sometimes it won't seem fair. Other times everything comes together just right and it's the greatest feeling in the world. The mechanics work really well here and if you like a challenge you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.
  33. AndrewBonieskie
    Sep 17, 2012
    10
    I absolutely adore this game. It gives anybody the chance to nerd out so much and is a perfect example of a community creating a game and making it near perfect. The ONLY thing I can fight bad about this game is that It doesnt give you enough to manage. Just four or five rooms while any extra crew just stands arounds. An amazing rogue-like strategy science fiction game. Even if you don'tI absolutely adore this game. It gives anybody the chance to nerd out so much and is a perfect example of a community creating a game and making it near perfect. The ONLY thing I can fight bad about this game is that It doesnt give you enough to manage. Just four or five rooms while any extra crew just stands arounds. An amazing rogue-like strategy science fiction game. Even if you don't like these kind of games, at least try it because it redifines the genre. Perfect 10 out of 10.… Expand
  34. Nhin
    Jul 19, 2013
    4
    Overall, FTL is worth the money. Until 22nd of July it's 5 bucks on steam, and I would suggest you try it out if you haven't. But I will say, i'm glad I did not pay more for it. FTL is simply to random and way too frustrating for the average player. And that's a shame, because the game has the potential to be very entertaining and enjoyable. But it seems the game designers, out of someOverall, FTL is worth the money. Until 22nd of July it's 5 bucks on steam, and I would suggest you try it out if you haven't. But I will say, i'm glad I did not pay more for it. FTL is simply to random and way too frustrating for the average player. And that's a shame, because the game has the potential to be very entertaining and enjoyable. But it seems the game designers, out of some misfit idea of game design or general stubborness, on purpose have made it so. A shame because most books on game design written by the professionals, will tell you to avoid exactly these frustration points, if you don't want to trow away customers. That's why I can only give it a 4.

    FTL forces you to abandon all progress you have made in a game, if you die. Be that by mistake on your own or random chance. And the game is way to random. Here's an example: On one try I entered a fight in the 2nd sector in my basic Engi ship. Then 3 rockmen beams on board, while a solar flare is erupting in the background. I have only 1 human and 2 engi (all worse than rockmen) to fight, so they loose almost by default, and in the meantime the solar flares are setting most of my ship on fire that the rockmen isn't destroying. Not really much of a chance. 10-15 min of gameplay... complete waste due to random chance. And this happens ALOT in FTL.

    The bad things about this game could have been fixed in a rather simple way. Introduce saving when out of combat for example, maybe just on easy mode but not on normal (or make a hard without it). But taking away the choice completely is not clever. Reduce/remove certain ship/encounter combinations on easy mode, corresponding to your chosen ship layout (I.e. the above example would be OK in the mantis ship, but not on a Engi ship). Oh, and introduce higher resolutions, this isn't 1990 anymore.

    It's too bad, cause as it is, FTL only makes me annoyed when playing. Succeeding 1 times out of 5 mostly because of bad luck is not good game design.    … Expand
  35. reinaldons
    Jul 21, 2013
    4
    Frustration. If you wanna a game to get your space full loaded and shine, forget, this game is a simple one chance strategy game for you train your detachment by your items and game progress. You will die easy by chose the wrong sequence of upgrades and get a stronger enemy without any advice. You have no options for randomness enemies encounters.
  36. MagicMann
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    This game is very much like poker: if you're a beginner, casual or just not into it, it's completely based on luck. But if you give it a little time, slowly get the hang of it and evaluate your decision making, it's pure skill.

    The story is pretty straightforward, you're captain of a federation ship and there are rebels trying to overthrow the federation. Your job is to make sure it    This game is very much like poker: if you're a beginner, casual or just not into it, it's completely based on luck. But if you give it a little time, slowly get the hang of it and evaluate your decision making, it's pure skill.

    The story is pretty straightforward, you're captain of a federation ship and there are rebels trying to overthrow the federation. Your job is to make sure it doesn't happen. Along your jorney, many random events occur: pirates attack, you run into asteroid belts, aliens make contact, you encounter merchants... the list is giant.
    Music is simply good; it's pleasant even trough hours of playing and it fits the atmosphere, not much to talk about.
    Gameplay is simple enough, you micromanage your ship in combat and go around systems. The thing is, scrutinizing possibilities is essential. You have to decide wether it's worth exploring the system you're in, or it's better just to find a merchant and move on. Many times, you're given choices, and deciding what's best, wich risks are worth taking is at the same time a difficult and gratifying experience.
    What really appeals to me in this game is the overall feeling you get playing. That raw sense of discovery, encountering new alien races, ships, weapons, random events, it's all about exploration. And well, yeah, you'll die a lot. Like, Dark Souls a lot. And game over means a game over for real. But every gameplay is new, every gameplay is more discovery, it just shows how failure is not necessarely something bad, it teaches you a lot, and opens space for new experiences.    … Expand
  37. sweet
    Dec 8, 2012
    2
    People have far too romantic a view of games depending on the source, or having been an early supporter of the game pre-release are unwilling to look at it with a truly critical eye. As a marketing exercise it's been fantastically successful, but as a game it fails miserably. It is no better than a slot machine. Yes, there is some strategy and tactics involved that improve your odds, butPeople have far too romantic a view of games depending on the source, or having been an early supporter of the game pre-release are unwilling to look at it with a truly critical eye. As a marketing exercise it's been fantastically successful, but as a game it fails miserably. It is no better than a slot machine. Yes, there is some strategy and tactics involved that improve your odds, but they're so outweighed by random circumstance as to be virtually pointless, it's like buying two lottery tickets instead of one. It needs to be fixed and that won't happen as long as people are willing to put a smiley face on any old rubbish.… Expand
  38. Jetfire
    Sep 17, 2012
    8
    I bought the game on a whim and was very surprised by the level on design that went into a $10 game. It is very challenging and gives you a lot to explore and accomplish. You have multiple choices in equipping your ship and crew that greatly affect your abilities. I have 6 or 7 hours into it so far and still have only got to the final boss once. Not bad for the price of a movieI bought the game on a whim and was very surprised by the level on design that went into a $10 game. It is very challenging and gives you a lot to explore and accomplish. You have multiple choices in equipping your ship and crew that greatly affect your abilities. I have 6 or 7 hours into it so far and still have only got to the final boss once. Not bad for the price of a movie ticket. Wish the easy mode was a little more generous with the scrap and weapons drops.… Expand
  39. RiceMuncher
    Sep 16, 2012
    9
    Your a StarShip Captain with direct control over everything.
    Which itself makes it an awesome indie RPG with addictive rogue-like elements. HUGE replayability - 1. There are 9 different ships, each with two different layouts for you to unlock), 2. Randomised events and results. Each choice you make, even though if it was the same choice in your last run , could end up differently for    Your a StarShip Captain with direct control over everything.
    Which itself makes it an awesome indie RPG with addictive rogue-like elements. HUGE replayability - 1. There are 9 different ships, each with two different layouts for you to unlock), 2. Randomised events and results. Each choice you make, even though if it was the same choice in your last run , could end up differently for better or worst
    3. A wide selection of weapons for different ships/playthroughs

    And you can name your own ship and crew. What more can i say?
    This is all for $9AUD for well over 20+hours of gameplay - and probably more!    … Expand
  40. Lacuentadejoako
    Dec 24, 2012
    3
    There is a big difference between hard and unfair, this game is unfair and not hard because the outcome of the decisions you take ,your rewards and enemies are random. It doesnt take any skill to beat the game is just having a lot of luck, every time you die because of bad luck you will have to start all over again so the game becomes boring very fast. Pirate the game,play it on normal andThere is a big difference between hard and unfair, this game is unfair and not hard because the outcome of the decisions you take ,your rewards and enemies are random. It doesnt take any skill to beat the game is just having a lot of luck, every time you die because of bad luck you will have to start all over again so the game becomes boring very fast. Pirate the game,play it on normal and if you like it buy it, that way you will understand what all the negative ratings mean when they say this game purely about luck.… Expand
  41. refdxf
    Sep 17, 2012
    10
    Amazing game, deep gameplay, plenty of replay value. Game breaks a good bit of new ground in strategy games, well worth the time and attention. avoid the subreddit and wikis however, more fun to discover things yourself.
  42. Jintoss
    Oct 10, 2012
    3
    A glorified waste of time which punishes any poor sap the longer he sticks around. Poorly designed, with all the addictiveness of a flash game. Steer well clear, you'll be glad you did.
  43. Nesterhews
    Oct 12, 2012
    5
    A good simple and fun game.
    Not too much depth, but still fun! Yay
  44. Crimson
    May 12, 2013
    3
    The game starts off as fun, but once you peer past the curtain you quickly become annoyed/frustrated. Once you realize that every single action in the game is random, it quickly dawns on you that there's little point to playing the game. Its like solitaire, everything is pre-determined, you simply go through the actions and pray the RNG comes out in your favor. There's absolutely zeroThe game starts off as fun, but once you peer past the curtain you quickly become annoyed/frustrated. Once you realize that every single action in the game is random, it quickly dawns on you that there's little point to playing the game. Its like solitaire, everything is pre-determined, you simply go through the actions and pray the RNG comes out in your favor. There's absolutely zero strategy involved, each turn you 'pull the level' and hope the slot machine rolls in your favor. Quite disappointing.… Expand
  45. happy-argentine
    Nov 10, 2013
    3
    It's been said by the top reviews: game starts out a lot of fun, you feel that if you'd just got that shield upgrade in time you'd take on the entire galaxy, so you try again, and again, and again..

    Then it hits you: winning has very little to do with you and more to do with a RNG decreeing whether or not you get that upgrade, or the store sells the weapons you want need. Battles    It's been said by the top reviews: game starts out a lot of fun, you feel that if you'd just got that shield upgrade in time you'd take on the entire galaxy, so you try again, and again, and again..

    Then it hits you: winning has very little to do with you and more to do with a RNG decreeing whether or not you get that upgrade, or the store sells the weapons you want need.

    Battles are always the same: target weapons, disable them. Then shields. Accept surrender, proceed.

    The difficulty curve is non existent: it's not a curve, it's a series of grades you are forced to climb.
    First level, ok getting the gist of this.
    Second level: well this is getting heavy.
    Third level: "holy where did THAT come from?".
    Fourth level: "oh COME ON, how am i even supposed to fight that? Time to run away"
    AND I'm not mentioning the completely cheap three stage final boss (well, I kind of am, aren't I?)

    I ended up feeling cheated.    … Expand
  46. DocGonz1897
    Jul 14, 2013
    1
    I had to make an account to finally write my first review because of this game, to warn anyone else who got lured in by all the good reviews. If you are a PC gamer that does not enjoy watching hours of your time go down the toilet because of RNG, do not play this game. It is just a glorified slot machine with a GUI, not a game. You can be the most seasoned veteran of strategy games, andI had to make an account to finally write my first review because of this game, to warn anyone else who got lured in by all the good reviews. If you are a PC gamer that does not enjoy watching hours of your time go down the toilet because of RNG, do not play this game. It is just a glorified slot machine with a GUI, not a game. You can be the most seasoned veteran of strategy games, and still suck at it, simply because everything in the game is randomized and has a built in chance of success/failure. The "quests" you get can easily be broken on each random map, sending you to planets you can't get to because of the "rebel creep" mechanic, you can be destroyed by a much lesser ship just because they landed 2 lucky shots with OP missiles, etc. Is it fun? Sure, kinda. Will it be enormously frustrating? Absolutely. I realize it is cheap, but your wasted time is the real expense.… Expand
  47. rynoth
    Jun 21, 2014
    2
    Reposted because of steams one-sided review system.

    Gameplay: You play in a top down view of your ship as you jump to different star systems to warn your Federation of a Rebel invasion fleet. From here you control your crew to man stations, you fire weapons, repair systems, manage power output, defend against boarding parties, and can even have boarding parties of your own. If you like    Reposted because of steams one-sided review system.

    Gameplay: You play in a top down view of your ship as you jump to different star systems to warn your Federation of a Rebel invasion fleet. From here you control your crew to man stations, you fire weapons, repair systems, manage power output, defend against boarding parties, and can even have boarding parties of your own.
    If you like games where the majority of the events are determine by the RNG, you'll love FTL.
    Resources, rewards, events, maps, enemy encounters, shop location, shop items for sale are all determined by the RNG. After playing for 34 hours I have determined that very little is left up to player control.
    You may have a run where you get tons of resources and upgrades gifted to you, or where you're left a pauper scrounging for scrap to repair your ship. Standard fair if you've played Binding of Isaac.
    The biggest issue I have with this game is that it takes control away from the player.
    Binding of Isaac you took direct control of Isaac and had to aim your shot manually.
    Combat in FTL is largely turn-based where you sit around waiting for your weapons to charge.
    After that you target a system on the enemy ship and fire. It's up the RNG whether your shot will hit or miss. If you have transporters you can get guarenteed shots by porting crewman into their cockpit to attack their pilot so there is a way to mitigate this.
    But the word is "IF"
    If you had the scrap, if you found the shop, if the item in question was for sale.
    That is the one thing that every "strategy guide" fails to mention is that all encounters, loot, etc is determined by the game.
    Many [strike]fanboys[/strike] fans of the game will argue it's skill based rather than luck.
    Please don't be fooled.
    Every strategy I've seen on FTL fails to mention that pulling it off is contingent on HAVING the right gear for it. If the game doesn't give it to you during an encounter or for sale in a shop, you can't do it.
    Other useful "protips" include not repairing your ship to full health, juggling power between systems rather than spending money to upgrade your reactor to save money for future upgrades.
    Both those "strategies" are going under the assumption that you will run across a mission that will result in free hull repairs, or free system upgrades. (Which can happen)
    CAN happen doesn't mean it will. If you happen to run into an enemy ship that gets a few lucky shots it could kill you. What they're doing is playing the odds, but a card-counter can still lose.

    FTL's most impressive accomplishment is the psychology based around it.
    The gameplay is tedious and repetive, but addictive. This is accomplished by rewarding the player at random intervals with scrap, weapons, new crewman. Sometimes just for jumping into a system.
    By bestowing these rewards upon the player, it encourages the player to continue pumping in hours of their life into the game. If you're having a good run you're motivated by greed and a sense of empowerment. "I want more weapons more scrap, give me MOAR!! I am invincible! HAHAHA!"
    If you're having a bad run you're motivated by hope and desperation. "Just have to make it to a shop to repair. I can do it. Maybe this system...no...maybe the next system."
    The point being to get the player to get sooo close to victory or even die based on bad luck so you’ll run it back.
    Regardless of whether you're having the most amazing run ever, the final boss can still curb-stomp you into the dirt with just a few well placed shots.
    I had one fight where the Rebel Flagship couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and every shot that did connect would hit systemless rooms.
    On the other hand I had encounters where I couldn't hit the Rebel Flagship to save my life and everyone of their shots seemed to hit just the right system at just the right moment.
    There are intances where the boss fight will rage on and it feels like you're both on equal ground, or somethings his first volley will cripple every system you have and you'll die in mere minutes.
    FTL is a game where you can do everything right and still lose.
    That's not a game. Not a good game anyway.
    In FTL you win or lose based on the randomness of the enemy AI and everything that followed before that.
    It's not skill when you defeat an opponent who spent the entire fight teleporting bombs into systemless rooms.
    And it's not a lack of skill if you lost because you all your shots missed thanks to the RNG.
    It's luck, plain and simple.
    If this review keeps one person from buying this travesty I've done my job.
    FTL is more roulette than space simulator. Avoid.    … Expand
  48. decoy26517
    Nov 19, 2013
    5
    Game is too linear and lacks a lot of options. The game is extremely linear, the ONLY thing you do in the game is fight (you go from one fight to another) and it's a PC game that does not allow for rolling saves.

    How "good" you are at the game is really based purely on luck. If you are lucky, you'll hit a bunch of weak enemies and you'll be able to roll through to the end of the game.    Game is too linear and lacks a lot of options. The game is extremely linear, the ONLY thing you do in the game is fight (you go from one fight to another) and it's a PC game that does not allow for rolling saves.

    How "good" you are at the game is really based purely on luck. If you are lucky, you'll hit a bunch of weak enemies and you'll be able to roll through to the end of the game. If you are unlucky you'll die in the 2nd fight.    … Expand
  49. Beeftinkle
    Mar 9, 2013
    5
    A decent game ruined by the unfairness of the gambling based game play which more than often rolls the dice against you. After playing this game for about 30 hours just to beat it once on normal difficulty i have given up because, honestly, its almost impossible to beat the last boss on normal unless you are one lucky sun of a B, and receive every upgrade along the way without losing oneA decent game ruined by the unfairness of the gambling based game play which more than often rolls the dice against you. After playing this game for about 30 hours just to beat it once on normal difficulty i have given up because, honestly, its almost impossible to beat the last boss on normal unless you are one lucky sun of a B, and receive every upgrade along the way without losing one crew member and everything always goes perfect for you. For 5 10 dollars its a fun time killer (don't spend more money), but no where near an epic game.… Expand
  50. upi
    Sep 25, 2013
    3
    It is my fault, really, for picking up this game. I guess the "running the spaceship" and "saving the galaxy" part got me confused. Or perhaps the "strategy" and "simulation" categories made me think that the actual gameplay would involve either of these. I must admit, that I missed the "rogue-like" part mentioned in passing on the steam store page. (BTW "saving the galaxy" part is theIt is my fault, really, for picking up this game. I guess the "running the spaceship" and "saving the galaxy" part got me confused. Or perhaps the "strategy" and "simulation" categories made me think that the actual gameplay would involve either of these. I must admit, that I missed the "rogue-like" part mentioned in passing on the steam store page. (BTW "saving the galaxy" part is the galaxy is never in peril throughout the game. It's there in all its randomness, and it's feeling just fine.)

    So please, if you do not have a deep love for the rogue-like genre, do NOT pick up this game. Being at the mercy of the random-number god for scraps (literally) will not be fun for you as it was not fun for me. The game goes out of its way to make running your starship feel static and lifeless. The scenery never changes: there's your ship on the left, there's a smaller enemy ship on the right. You wait for some bars to fill, and occasionally pause to ponder where to shoot next. The interface follows the "hover over icon if you want to understand this" principle. (Except when it doesn't, in case you want to know the systems or weapons of an enemy ship, you have to look for a similar icon on *your* ship. In case of weapons, just forget it.)

    The soundtrack starts feeling repetitive about 10 minutes in and is basically the same two tunes over and over. Ugh.

    Gameplay 2/10 (ymmv, more if you enjoy a Random Events Plot)
    Sound: 5/10 (decent quality, but very repetitive and gets boring quickly)
    Design: 3/10 (see above)
    Visuals: 3/20 (very 90's)    … Expand
  51. Boelens
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    Simply love this game. It's pretty hard (atleast, I tend to think so), but so much fun. You mange your crew, weapons, upgrades, and can put out fires in example by opening your doors, which is pretty brilliant.
  52. Planex
    Aug 7, 2013
    4
    Frustrating. People are quick to point out that the game is this or that. It's a "roguelike." It's brutal. It's unforgiving of mistakes. All these are true, but what does that add up to? Pure frustration. Yes, the game is fun for a few hours, but once you realize that you can do everything right and still lose the game due to random chance, then all the novelty is gone. No matter how hardFrustrating. People are quick to point out that the game is this or that. It's a "roguelike." It's brutal. It's unforgiving of mistakes. All these are true, but what does that add up to? Pure frustration. Yes, the game is fun for a few hours, but once you realize that you can do everything right and still lose the game due to random chance, then all the novelty is gone. No matter how hard you try, the game will always decide your fate for you and without a real sense of fair play there's no point in playing the game at all.… Expand
  53. GameReviews35
    Jul 13, 2013
    2
    This game is crap. It's all random, and everything is designed to kill you. Don't get any weapons on the first two levels, you're dead. Don't find enough fuel, you're dead. Down to two crew members, you're probably dead. Enemy boards in your oxygen room, dead. Spend resources upgrading the wrong thing, dead. Don't find a store, dead. Don't upgrade enough, dead. Don't save enough, dead.This game is crap. It's all random, and everything is designed to kill you. Don't get any weapons on the first two levels, you're dead. Don't find enough fuel, you're dead. Down to two crew members, you're probably dead. Enemy boards in your oxygen room, dead. Spend resources upgrading the wrong thing, dead. Don't find a store, dead. Don't upgrade enough, dead. Don't save enough, dead.

    And take note: there is NO SAVE FEATURE. You can play for two hours, feeling like FINALLY you might win EASY MODE, and then you equip the wrong weapons for the final battle and you're dead, no retry, just start the entire game over.

    A lot of random encounters waste your resources and give you nothing back. You can't upgrade your actual weapons (just hope you find more), there's very little way to repair your ship, and there's absolutely no way to stop some enemy weapons.

    The thing is, this could be really fun if they'd make it more about skill than dumb luck. (Crew members gain abilities, multiple battle strategies, each play is a little different, and there are no time sinks at all.) And I'm sure we all get tired of games that force us to memorize what enemies are where and how to beat them. But they make it just too stupid and frustrating. if you want a game that is winnable based on clever or crafty playing, don't even waste $5 on this one.    … Expand
  54. urbanrot
    Aug 7, 2013
    4
    The game has merits but it needs to be noted that this game is intended for people that have a great deal of time to sacrifice as you could easily become attached to a ship & crew you’ve built up, only to have it completely annihilated during a random stacked encounter. This can literally fill you with anger and frustration, something adults prefer to avoid when playing games.

    It’s    The game has merits but it needs to be noted that this game is intended for people that have a great deal of time to sacrifice as you could easily become attached to a ship & crew you’ve built up, only to have it completely annihilated during a random stacked encounter. This can literally fill you with anger and frustration, something adults prefer to avoid when playing games.

    It’s important to understand that "spaceship simulation roguelike-like" means there's no saves or checkpoints, whatever time you invest can be easily wiped and you need to start from scratch simply because of bad luck.

    Pros include an enjoyable ambient sound track, an intuitive interface, a varied experience due to the random nature of the game and plenty of unlockables with achievements.

    Cons include a poor method of enhancing longevity by introducing an artificial roadblock in terms of checkpoints which really aren’t necessary what with all the unlockables and achievements the game provides.

    I’d probably rate this game considerably but the minority of diehard fans that troll anyone who innocently asks on forums how to save has soured my experience of the game and thus I’ve advised my friends to avoid it.    … Expand
  55. Lamring
    Apr 11, 2014
    3
    First I want to begin by saying that I really wanted to love this game, however after playing though for many many hours I can say with confidence that this game is completely luck based. If you wanted a space exploration game based on skill and cunning look elsewhere. I was able to beat the game on one of my first five playthroughs, ever since then I have not been able to beat the gameFirst I want to begin by saying that I really wanted to love this game, however after playing though for many many hours I can say with confidence that this game is completely luck based. If you wanted a space exploration game based on skill and cunning look elsewhere. I was able to beat the game on one of my first five playthroughs, ever since then I have not been able to beat the game once! I have been playing the game for months now and I just give up. I hope they patch the game to make it more fair soon, because I like the mechanics of the game and would love to play a fair version of it.… Expand
  56. Alpacalypse
    Aug 19, 2014
    0
    I'd like this to be formally renamed to FTL: **** than XCOM.
    Now that it's out of the way, let me explain why. The game is about 95% luck based. I think the only real skill is knowing when to restart because your luck ran out. I spent about 5 hours playing consecutively, and I only made it to the 8th sector once. Most of the time, it was because I would find a ship with 3 layer shields in    I'd like this to be formally renamed to FTL: **** than XCOM.
    Now that it's out of the way, let me explain why. The game is about 95% luck based. I think the only real skill is knowing when to restart because your luck ran out. I spent about 5 hours playing consecutively, and I only made it to the 8th sector once. Most of the time, it was because I would find a ship with 3 layer shields in the 1st sector, or all 3 of my crew would die in a single event, etc. Games like these need to understand that relying solely on luck make a game bad. You can have something like XCOM which incorporates luck into skill-based gameplay, but when your entire game is a living random number generator, you know you have a **** game. See: FTL. I wanted to like the game. Arguably, the most fun part is boarding. But, until you unlock ships that start with the capability of boarding enemy ships (Which can only be unlocked if you get LUCKY enough to find the sector the RANDOMLY placed event is in. Emphasis on the luck part. There is NO WAY that involves the slightest amount of skill or understanding of the game.), you have to be LUCKY enough to stumble across enough scrap, and then lucky enough to find a shopkeeper who will sell the teleporter bay, letting you board. Oh yeah, and you'll need to be lucky enough to find a suitable crew for boarding.
    If you couldn't tell my by obvious subtlety, let me give you a metaphor on how you win or lose. A computer rolls a 24 sided dice. If it lands on 20, you win. Anything else, you lose. If you try to roll the dice yourself for better odds, the computer burns your house down. If you're a person with a lot of luck, and you just won the lottery, go buy a car. Don't waste your time on this game. Even at 10 dollars, it was a pathetic waste of money.
    This is the constructive part of the review. The game has a nice way of telling you what happens, albeit a lazy one. You get a text box. But, the text box is charming, and less generic than the game is. So, 1/10. Other than that, dog **** Your entire experience is based around a random number generator. It's like if a game took the worst part of a strategy game, combined it with the worst part of an mmo (grinding), and then combined it with the worst part of Dungeons and Dragons (Random, uncontrollable outcomes), an then had it brained on the wall, you'd get FTL.
    Don't pick this game up. Ever. It's abysmal. And this is coming from someone who LOVED the luck-based part of XCOM. My only hope is that I'll be able to obtain a ship that lets me board from the beginning of the game (Because boarding yields more scrap, meaning more upgrades, meaning an easier time. It also triples the chance of recovering a ship augmentation, a potential crewmate, a weapon or a quest trigger), and until the unlocks are based less around throwing a dice at a speeding train, I'm not going to bother. Even the combat, the ONLY part that requires skill comes off as half-assed and generic. The starting ship has a gaping weakness to missiles, as enemy weapons charge 50% faster than yours, meaning they ALWAYS get off a first shot. If a missile hits your shields, it takes you 50% longer to repair it than the enemy ships, meaning that you might as well restart, because you're boned.
    TL:DR; A game that is only luck, with generic combat, and NO progressive rewards. So, nothing ever gets easier. There is no progression. There is no real plot. It's 3 words. "Run from rebels". There is no GAME. Just a number generator. And that is why FTL: Rapist's Delight is one of the worst "games" of the decade. It's definitely the worst strategy game.    … Expand
  57. LeonidasRex
    Dec 12, 2012
    10
    This is a difficult game. When I started, it took me five tries to get to the end on easy. Two hundred hours later, on normal I can finish nearly every time. The fighting looks simple, but if you stick with it you'll find amazing tactical depth.
  58. Escherichia
    Mar 16, 2013
    9
    At long last, a game that doesnt underestimate people. In a time when pretty much every single game takes you by the hand until its very end, its refreshing to play something like this. Yes, you die a lot, and yes, sometimes it does get frustrating, but thats it. The gameplay seems simple yet its fun and addictive, loved the music and really liked the customization of your ship.
  59. Videshi
    Apr 8, 2013
    9
    This game is amazing, a very real credit to what indie developers can come up with. I'd been curious about it for a while, and a friend told me it was his vote for Game of the Year. That surprised me, so I gave it a try and now I can't stop playing it.

    It is a very difficult game, and since there is a large randomization factor with, well, every system and every encounter, it can feel    This game is amazing, a very real credit to what indie developers can come up with. I'd been curious about it for a while, and a friend told me it was his vote for Game of the Year. That surprised me, so I gave it a try and now I can't stop playing it.

    It is a very difficult game, and since there is a large randomization factor with, well, every system and every encounter, it can feel at times that winning or losing (mostly losing) can be a matter of luck, but so much strategy goes into building your ship and dealing with combat that you wind up feeling like every choice you make must be a contemplated one.

    This is a wonderful creation. Go give them your money.    … Expand
  60. nacon242
    Apr 29, 2013
    9
    FTL defied my expectations in a huge way. If you've ever wanted to feel like you were piloting Serenity, from Firefly, with a crew in an unforgiving and hostile environment, this is it.

    The soundtrack is great. Combat is interesting. There isn't a plot, really, but the narrative that you can create for yourself is incredibly. You'll grow attached to your characters... and get sad when    FTL defied my expectations in a huge way. If you've ever wanted to feel like you were piloting Serenity, from Firefly, with a crew in an unforgiving and hostile environment, this is it.

    The soundtrack is great. Combat is interesting. There isn't a plot, really, but the narrative that you can create for yourself is incredibly. You'll grow attached to your characters... and get sad when they die of Oxygen asphyxiation. The ship customization, and details, give this game a huge amount of replay value. Any sci fi fan should try their hand at this game it's awesome.

    The only downside to speak of is the tediousness of unlocking certain ships. You have to be extremely lucky to get certain ships, no two ways about it.    … Expand
  61. BKend
    May 1, 2013
    9
    Very fun game. Check it out if you like a challenge. This game is really hard but I think that is half the fun. You always strive for better results than the last time. It's really cool when you get new ships, and it makes me want to see how I fare with those. I have played about 15 time, and I've only beat it three times on easy. On normal I haven't even made it to the final boss.
  62. Vonnd
    Jul 20, 2013
    3
    My friend liked this game and I decided to check it out. It reminded me a lot of those java games where you have to fill an order in a cafe or a burger place. In fact I've played better java games with similar settings. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. This game has no depth. On the other hand if you want a really simple game with absolutely nothing more to offer to you than what you'reMy friend liked this game and I decided to check it out. It reminded me a lot of those java games where you have to fill an order in a cafe or a burger place. In fact I've played better java games with similar settings. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. This game has no depth. On the other hand if you want a really simple game with absolutely nothing more to offer to you than what you're given at minute 1, then be my guest.… Expand
  63. The_Norwood
    May 18, 2015
    1
    A game that cheats like hell as its main feature. Unless you purify yourself every morning and enjoy cold showers, inserting nails into your scrotum, self-flagellation and such, then steer clear, it will just wind you up.
  64. southpaw317
    Feb 21, 2014
    10
    Money vs. entertainment value - It's hard to beat this game. It's not flashy and almost could've been done on a NES, but it's challenging, strategic, and there's lots of replay value with the things to unlock. Kudos to the guys who made this one! Oh, and it will inevitably be on sale on Steam if you don't want to pay too much. The summer and winter sales will probably have it down toMoney vs. entertainment value - It's hard to beat this game. It's not flashy and almost could've been done on a NES, but it's challenging, strategic, and there's lots of replay value with the things to unlock. Kudos to the guys who made this one! Oh, and it will inevitably be on sale on Steam if you don't want to pay too much. The summer and winter sales will probably have it down to just a few bucks, though the designers probably do deserve a full price, so do what you will.… Expand
  65. juanval
    Dec 6, 2014
    10
    Faster than light is the example of a perfect Rogue-Like game. It´s simple but very addictive. Combat is great and intense, it has a high quality music. Management of your ship (weapons, shields, crew) is perfect. Events are well written and interesting. It's well balanced and bug free. A perfect game for people who like short games.
    I've been playing this game and its last update for 2    Faster than light is the example of a perfect Rogue-Like game. It´s simple but very addictive. Combat is great and intense, it has a high quality music. Management of your ship (weapons, shields, crew) is perfect. Events are well written and interesting. It's well balanced and bug free. A perfect game for people who like short games.
    I've been playing this game and its last update for 2 years and I continue having a lot of fun with it. Another gem from kickstarter.    … Expand
  66. Pestro
    Apr 5, 2014
    10
    This game's addicting. Simple SNES graphics and great game mechanics. Its only $9.99 (got it on Steam sale for about $4.99) and I spent about 100 hours total playing it. Wow. Its now available on iPad and as soon as the come out with it on Android, I'm buying it for my Android devices (all of them). Ship to ship combat never felt so cool until FTL.
  67. iamnaten7
    Feb 4, 2015
    10
    FTL: Faster Than Light is greet and well-made tactical masterpiece. It's difficulty is extreme; I've started on normal and played for a while yet still can't beat it. I would definitely recommend to people willing to spend time in a strong, tough gaming experience. However, don't expect to play casually.
  68. meraka
    Sep 18, 2012
    5
    If you're a familiar with the board game Galaxy Trucker, this game is basically a single player version PC port. If you liked the board game you'll probably like this as well even though it can be equally frustrating. The graphics are a matter of taste, personally I like them. The music is nice as well but gets a bit repetitive after a while. The UI and controls are well done. GameIf you're a familiar with the board game Galaxy Trucker, this game is basically a single player version PC port. If you liked the board game you'll probably like this as well even though it can be equally frustrating. The graphics are a matter of taste, personally I like them. The music is nice as well but gets a bit repetitive after a while. The UI and controls are well done. Game mechanics are simple and easy to learn but allow for varied strategies and challenging fights. Unfortunately it's too random and you're too dependent on simply being lucky and getting enough resources or good events. There will be encounters where you simply have no chance of survival. Also it has very limited content so after only a few times playing you will have seen everything. Could have used a possibility for constructing your own ships or maybe coop-multiplayer (It'd be perfect for this).… Expand
  69. Puzzola
    Jan 8, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well, at first I was lured into this game and I enjoyed it. But after 3 weeks of games I found that it's a game based mostly on LUCK, not on skill. I made it to the last boss 9 times. All lost because I didn't have enough firepower, enough shields or enemy shots hit me all in the right rooms while mine missed 3-4 times in a row. Well, I suggest you of restarting game each time you reach 4-5 zone and you don't have the right equipment. Another font of disappointment is the random encounters. Some are matched to your strenght. Others are IMPOSSIBLE to kill. At least 4 times in a row I found 3 enemy ships with 4 (FOUR) shields. After third my missiles were gone, so the fourth killed me without any hope. Well, It's a nice game, but sometimes it seem only a loss of time.… Expand
  70. Kobold
    Dec 31, 2012
    4
    FUN GAME RUINED BY RANDOMNESS

    Okay if you like games of skill and being able to not die to sheer randomness then avoid this game. It starts off fun enough, the graphics are functional enough and easy to see what is going on, the sound is decent enough too. A brief summary of the game's plot is you're a ship from the Federation outrunning the evil Rebels and you must reach a set stage    FUN GAME RUINED BY RANDOMNESS

    Okay if you like games of skill and being able to not die to sheer randomness then avoid this game. It starts off fun enough, the graphics are functional enough and easy to see what is going on, the sound is decent enough too. A brief summary of the game's plot is you're a ship from the Federation outrunning the evil Rebels and you must reach a set stage and confront and kill the Rebel's flagship. It has a nice sci-fi space opera feel to it but where it goes wrong, very wrong is that more or less your chance of success or failure is based on pure luck and even then when you get the Rebel's ship on it's last legs it's clear the programmers are messing with you as it suddenly fires off a load of lasers. The only way to win is pretty much get a right combination of weapons and ship upgrades that are very much luck dependent, not on your skill as a player. This sours the overall experience and yes so what if they claim it to be rogue like but really if all you want to do is die to the end boss again and again and the other stages seems pretty much repetitive after a while. At first I thought the game was fun but it became very clear it's just designed to kill you off and then becomes just repetitive. Nice ideas, sloppy end game, once beaten no real inclination to go back and play it again. Some hope for the games redemption is with mods but as the games stands on it's own merits, it is far too random to be fun.    … Expand
  71. Iconiu
    Feb 4, 2013
    4
    It is fun to explore in this space adventure, but your success is mostly random. Unlocking new ships is mostly an exercise of hoping for 3 random events to happen in succession or you finally get that one good run where your ship stays more advanced than your enemies. Then, when you beat the boss and get an advanced ship that is 10% better, then enemies get 25% harder making a negativeIt is fun to explore in this space adventure, but your success is mostly random. Unlocking new ships is mostly an exercise of hoping for 3 random events to happen in succession or you finally get that one good run where your ship stays more advanced than your enemies. Then, when you beat the boss and get an advanced ship that is 10% better, then enemies get 25% harder making a negative progression. At first, the main game is hard to the point of frustration, but not too hard to discourage you. Spending a half hour running around in space only to have some elite ship come out of nowhere and kill you in 3 volleys of shots is infuriating. It wouldn’t be so bad if you could spend your “score” on permanent upgrades or be able to customize your ships with the load out you want. Score is meaningful in a skill based game but has no place here other than a consolation price when the difficulty doubles for a particular battle. If you are like me, you’ll stick with it to beat the boss by which time you’ll have seen 90% of all mission content. I thought that I’d finally have a 4/10 chance at having a good run rather than a 2/10 chance after unlocking the ship you get for killing the boss. But now, the chances seem to go down to 1/10. And then, you’d just be killing the boss again unless you are lucky enough to unlock some other ship. I suppose that’s why they made it harder (lack of a second quest). My time is valuable and I expect at least something to improve if I pour my time into it. You’ll learn what missions have a higher success rate and can make better decisions, but mostly failed missions gain you nothing. Overall you’ll feel mostly frustrated, a little helpless, and then have a few moments of triumph.… Expand
  72. ExpFist
    Oct 27, 2012
    3
    Game is really fun when it works, but random crashes to desktop destroy this game as it is now. There is no ability to save, so when you crash to the desktop (random), then you've lost your game and need to restart. This has happened to me now two games in a row and I'm giving up. The ability to save games, or at least auto-save after every jump so you can resume after a crash would atGame is really fun when it works, but random crashes to desktop destroy this game as it is now. There is no ability to save, so when you crash to the desktop (random), then you've lost your game and need to restart. This has happened to me now two games in a row and I'm giving up. The ability to save games, or at least auto-save after every jump so you can resume after a crash would at least make this game playable while they work out the bugs.… Expand
  73. dplehwalder
    Jul 17, 2013
    1
    Absolute garbage. There is so many design flaws on this game, it sure feels unfinished. Units and doors often do not respond, or the unit/door next to where you clicked responds instead of what you clicked on. The randomization routine really needs an overhaul. Just about every play through you will be shorted at least one crucial type of needed item.
  74. BatmanLover
    Dec 10, 2012
    0
    I know it is a roguelike, but even on those terms it is completely and impossibly stupid. This is not Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden, where the difficulty comes from the intense challenge to learn how to play the game right. Here the difficulty comes from the programmers laughing at you while they slap unfair situations in your face. Almost every situation is decided by pure luck, especiallyI know it is a roguelike, but even on those terms it is completely and impossibly stupid. This is not Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden, where the difficulty comes from the intense challenge to learn how to play the game right. Here the difficulty comes from the programmers laughing at you while they slap unfair situations in your face. Almost every situation is decided by pure luck, especially when you have learned to multi-task. Avoid this game at all costs, it is frustrating and pointless since the good premise and slick production conceals a game that is not fun, entertaining, rewarding or actually challenging (having good luck is not a challenge) in any way.… Expand
  75. Mieteq
    Sep 18, 2012
    9
    Perfect combination of space warfare and roguelike. Easy to learn, hard to master, unforgiving and rage inducing. Awesome game mechanics, encounters and a lot of routes to take on.
  76. Baenlynn
    Sep 24, 2012
    8
    When I heard that FTL had achieved it's kickstarter goals and been released I was actually thinking of another kickstarter project with a similar focus that I had donated to months earlier. I hadn't heard of FTL before this point, but I'm glad I bought it. The game is basically Nethack in space, although while I find nethack frustrating to the point of wanting to throw my computer out theWhen I heard that FTL had achieved it's kickstarter goals and been released I was actually thinking of another kickstarter project with a similar focus that I had donated to months earlier. I hadn't heard of FTL before this point, but I'm glad I bought it. The game is basically Nethack in space, although while I find nethack frustrating to the point of wanting to throw my computer out the window, FTL, while still being hard as nails doesn't frustrate in the same way. Yes it's going to take you a while to have a game where you make it to the final sector. Yes it's going to take you even longer to beat the game, but each and every journey you find yourself telling the stories of your crew, living through their little pixelated lives and it really tears at your heart to lose your captain to a pack of killer spiders, or that engi slave you freed to a pirate boarding party. Deep under all the repetitive scenarios and mechanics there is this tiny little random heart beating life into the game in a way that even big-name titles seem to fall short of, and if you're a perfectionist, or a completionist there are some difficult unlockables to catch but even though I've basically seen all the game has to offer I keep going back, because it's easy to get into and hard as hell to master.… Expand
  77. ShtKck
    Dec 11, 2012
    10
    This game is so rouge like, I can't get enough of it. I would love to see a sequel. To address the critics, whom are mainly users and not professional reviewers, if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.
  78. Phillippe
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    It could be a 10 but, although I understand, restarting from the hangar each time your ship explode can be sometimes frustrating. On the other hand, each time I restarted, I never used the same strategies twice; the scrap (money), equipment, crew is randomly generated each time. So you have to make with what you have. In overall, I love the game, graphic are simple and gameplay is great.It could be a 10 but, although I understand, restarting from the hangar each time your ship explode can be sometimes frustrating. On the other hand, each time I restarted, I never used the same strategies twice; the scrap (money), equipment, crew is randomly generated each time. So you have to make with what you have. In overall, I love the game, graphic are simple and gameplay is great. For the price, it's a deal.… Expand
  79. RebelBinary
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    For 9 bucks this game is steal!! Honestly I love this game, I haven' played anything this good and interesting in a years and I've been playing games as far back as 20 years ago, this one stands up with such classics like Civ and Master of Orion. It's awesome how you get control your own little space ship and micromanage the systems and crew, putting out fires by unlocking the airlocks,For 9 bucks this game is steal!! Honestly I love this game, I haven' played anything this good and interesting in a years and I've been playing games as far back as 20 years ago, this one stands up with such classics like Civ and Master of Orion. It's awesome how you get control your own little space ship and micromanage the systems and crew, putting out fires by unlocking the airlocks, sending boarding parties, and trying to knock out the other ships shields, all the while employing different strategies. Should I use drones, or invest in weapons? Shields or faster engine speed to dodge enemy attacks? A cloak shield or teleporter? Which system on the opponent ship should I bring down first? So many decisions and no game is quite the same. The graphics are simple but you soon forget about as you get lost in your own little world, you quickly get attached to your ship and your crew. Some people will knock the repetitive nature or replayability of this game (you can finish a game in 2 hours or less), but you have a lot of different strategies to employ and you can get new ship designs to better optimize those strategies, plus the encounters and weapon drops are random so you never have the same experience each game. As with any game you will get bored eventually, it's just a fact, but for the past week since I've been playing this I'm still eager to play more as I just got new ship designs and for the fact that I only paid 9 bucks for it, the investment has been returned 2 fold. The only reason it's not a 10 is because there isn't a longer campaign mode or just a bit more diversity in events to reduce the repetitiveness, but I doubt the developer will rest on his laurels and I'm sure more gameplay and features are planned. Playing this game has been a revelation and I will not hesitate to recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi strategy games.… Expand
  80. Robbit101
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    This game is definitly why indie games should be supported with Kickstarter. This game shines brightly in the indie genre, a truly unique game. You take control of 1 of 8 ships and you have to micro mange every system of the ship including shields, engines, weapons even sensors and oxygen. Replayability is a whole new level. You also have to escape from the rebels which are hot on yourThis game is definitly why indie games should be supported with Kickstarter. This game shines brightly in the indie genre, a truly unique game. You take control of 1 of 8 ships and you have to micro mange every system of the ship including shields, engines, weapons even sensors and oxygen. Replayability is a whole new level. You also have to escape from the rebels which are hot on your tail all the time so when you approach a new galaxy you have to decide on a route and stick to it. Every galaxy you cross is different each with there own unique situations. Whether its a distress call that you go and investigate or just get across the galaxy as quick as possible every time it's different. This game has great suspense with every move you make, for example when approaching a distress call it could be an innocent mining colony being attacked by pirates or it could be pirates setting a trap. Each decision has a consequence that could be the difference between life and death. Each ship has 2 layouts which vary so that you can decide what you prefer, so altogether there is 16 different ship combinations. There is also an upgrade system in which you buy parts using the currency of scrap. You find scrap by destroying enemy ships or helping out the innocent. You have to manage every minor detail include power distribution, whether you want more power to the engines for evasive movement or more power to the guns for better offense. Lots of different things can happen for example if they hit the engines with a missile then the engine room will explode and the ship will catch fire. You can tackle this in multiple ways, for example you can send one of your crew into the room with a fire extinguisher to put it out however there is a risk to this because your crew members will get hurt and can, in the worse case, die whilst putting it out leaving you a crew member down. Or you can open up exterior doors to drain the oxygen to put the fires out however if the ships door system is also damaged during the fight then this is not possible. So there are multiple ways to deal with every situation its what you decide is best at the time. Altogether this is a fantastic little game that every one should have a go at and really see what indie developers are capable of.… Expand
  81. cblaked
    Jan 16, 2013
    10
    I downloaded this because it was on sale and I was curious... even though the images looked kinda cheesy.
    That was about 10pm. The next thing I knew the sun was shining through my window and I looked at the clock and went "OH S#&T! I HAVE TO BE AT WORK IN A FEW HOURS!" I do NOT do that. I found myself sitting on my couch with my girlfriend..... thinking about different strategies I'd use    I downloaded this because it was on sale and I was curious... even though the images looked kinda cheesy.
    That was about 10pm. The next thing I knew the sun was shining through my window and I looked at the clock and went "OH S#&T! I HAVE TO BE AT WORK IN A FEW HOURS!" I do NOT do that. I found myself sitting on my couch with my girlfriend..... thinking about different strategies I'd use in this game after I took her home.

    I expect it'll soon start to get less interesting, but the random even factors always keep you on your toes and you never know from the beginning which direction the game is going to go in. It's impressively hard, and I would imagine some people would be really frustrated by this, but in my opinion this makes a good game, because you can make it far into the game, start to lose, and see where one mistake or piece of equipment you foolishly passed up an hour before is the only reason you are dying.

    The game is incredibly simple to learn and play, yet the more I play it the more I'm seeing its complexities. According to Steam I've played 10 hours in the past three days.... So either I'll get tired of it, or uninstall it so I don't completely ruing my body with lack of sleep.    … Expand
  82. TheElegantMan
    Feb 27, 2013
    10
    Amazing is all I can say about this game. The difficulty is hard to get around, but by doing the right things at the right time, and learning to make smart decisions and risky decisions when needed is essential. After many, many attempts, I finally beat the final boss, and boy was it satisfying. If you just want a casual experience, then do not buy this game. If you are the type of personAmazing is all I can say about this game. The difficulty is hard to get around, but by doing the right things at the right time, and learning to make smart decisions and risky decisions when needed is essential. After many, many attempts, I finally beat the final boss, and boy was it satisfying. If you just want a casual experience, then do not buy this game. If you are the type of person that wants a challenge, then you need to buy this game. Especially fun to play with friends, even though it is a single player game. In conclusion, there is nothing much bad with this game. The only problem I have with it is the learning and difficulty curve, but you get the hang of it very quickly.… Expand
  83. ObsidianEagle
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    i've been hyped for FTL ever since I contributed to their Kickstarter. Now that it's here, I'm not dissapointed at all :)

    Graphics - Old school, but very clean. there aren't any options though, including resolution, which makes it look quite bad on stretched fullscreen. More customisation would be nice. Sound - AMAZING sound design. great effects and a very nice soundtrack, never    i've been hyped for FTL ever since I contributed to their Kickstarter. Now that it's here, I'm not dissapointed at all :)

    Graphics - Old school, but very clean. there aren't any options though, including resolution, which makes it look quite bad on stretched fullscreen. More customisation would be nice.

    Sound - AMAZING sound design. great effects and a very nice soundtrack, never feels repetitive.

    Gameplay - WIN. Even though there really isn't much of a variety of gameplay, It is always fun, very repeatable and VERY hard. it will take you a long time to win the game just once, then so much more to unlock all the content available

    Overall - I HIGHLY reccomend it.    … Expand
  84. GREW50ME
    Jan 13, 2013
    1
    In this game, you click rooms on your ship, watch timers move, and do little else. There are some reading sections, but as far as gameplay, it's a bland, uninventive game. It is extremely over-rated.
  85. Sonic_Doctor
    Sep 25, 2012
    10
    YES! I beat the game on easy!
    That is something that you won't hear that often, hardly ever for that matter, when it comes to most video games. This game is difficult and takes time to master the intricacies of what will work in certain situations. While the game randomly generates each play-through, you will from time to time get events that are similar, but with how unforgiving the game    YES! I beat the game on easy!
    That is something that you won't hear that often, hardly ever for that matter, when it comes to most video games. This game is difficult and takes time to master the intricacies of what will work in certain situations. While the game randomly generates each play-through, you will from time to time get events that are similar, but with how unforgiving the game can be at times, that is a good thing. You learn from mistakes and adapt, though you usually have to adapt more than once with each play-through.

    It is a wonderful top down spaceship command game, and with what games have come out in the past decade, FTL feels pleasantly fresh to me, but with a retro feel. The sound track is awesome; it's typical sci-fi fair but it definitely sounds original and also retro with the computerized sounding notes. The graphics have the same retro feel, like I'm playing a game that could have come out 15 years ago by the look. That is also a good thing, since it gives me something different to look at compared to the top of the line graphics oriented games. Not everything in gaming is about having the best graphics, and frankly, graphics rank low on the list about what is important in making a great game.

    Game play is a big factor in great games and FTL has just that. While the encounters can get repetitive at times, each encounter can change from that to different within seconds. On well placed hit by an enemy can have you sending your crew running to repair a hull breach or a heavily damaged life support system. It can get hectic at times, but the game does allow you to pause mid-combat to analyze the situation act out your best plan accordingly.

    Besides the music I mention before, the sound effects are great as well. The sound of missiles exploding as they hit their mark, varying "pew pew" style laser sounds from laser batteries, and the crackling of an ion cannon shot that has disabled a system on the enemy ship(though more likely yours). There is also is the ability to cloak your ship if it came with a cloak or if you bought one along your journey. If you want to teleport people, you can do that too if your ship has one or you get one. Teleport some of your crew to reek havoc on the enemy vessel.

    As I said the game is very unforgiving and permanent death is something that makes the game twice as nail biting since there is no save function that allows you to start at the last good place if you die. But since the game doesn't take that long to get to the end(play-throughs usually last no more that 2 hours), the permanent death is not a problem. Though it can tug at your heart strings, if you have named your faithful ship and crew, which the game lets you do. Oh, poor Engineer Gork, your effort in putting out the fire in the engine room was greatly appreciated, but sadly you perished from the lack of oxygen before you could get to safety in the nearby corridor.

    The game is quite amazing in every way. Though if you don't like a challenge, then I guess it isn't for you. As for me, I love it and all its quirks, so that is why I give it a 10.    … Expand
  86. Funksatron
    Mar 14, 2013
    1
    The most painful aspect of this game is that there is evidence of a game hidden deep inside FTL that I really want to play. The dominant part of the gaming mechanic interferes with my ability to play the game I want to play. There are numerous random elements which have overwhelmingly powerful consequences. This is not a game you can complete with sheer determination. It seems that theThe most painful aspect of this game is that there is evidence of a game hidden deep inside FTL that I really want to play. The dominant part of the gaming mechanic interferes with my ability to play the game I want to play. There are numerous random elements which have overwhelmingly powerful consequences. This is not a game you can complete with sheer determination. It seems that the developer mourns the absence of games that make us lose more frequently. Desperately wanting to play the game which I saw with my mind's eye, I applied cheats and save game editors. No matter what I tried, I was not able to find a way to have fun playing this game, hence my score. Still, if you can get a free demo, I would encourage you to try it. Evidence suggests some people enjoy this kind of gameplay.… Expand
  87. kaldric30
    Sep 18, 2012
    8
    This game is very hard, even on Easy, but persistence to learn the game and sometimes a bit of luck can unlock that ship that can change the entire battle for you. Strangely addicting, built for replayability. Great game!
  88. hxf
    Sep 22, 2012
    10
    great "star trek" style rogue like game. a lot of fun and random events plus the different ships you can unlock add a lot of re-playability to this fantastic game. can not wait for more from the developers.
  89. slaughterpop
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    I'm a huge fan of roguelikes, so naturally I enjoy this game. So far I've only put about 3 hours into the game and I've been loving every minute. This is definitely a tough game, as any roguelike should be, but it doesn't seem unfair, every failure has been my own fault and it feels good to learn from mistakes and do that little bit better next time. Not that it's a huge difference, butI'm a huge fan of roguelikes, so naturally I enjoy this game. So far I've only put about 3 hours into the game and I've been loving every minute. This is definitely a tough game, as any roguelike should be, but it doesn't seem unfair, every failure has been my own fault and it feels good to learn from mistakes and do that little bit better next time. Not that it's a huge difference, but I'm enjoying the space setting, it's nice to take a break from the high fantasy settings that you typically find. The controls are simple, but the combat is deceptively deep, as is the customization of your ship. Loot abounds as you progress, so there's always something to look forward to, my ship and/or crew rarely stays the same. There's the ability to unlock different starting crews, ships, and ship layouts, though I have yet to unlock any of these yet, I'm interested to see how it affects game play when you start with a different type of ship. I also must mention the soundtrack, it's awesome, I almost wish I had purchased the version that comes with the soundtrack. If you're a fan of roguelikes this is a must buy. If you're not a fan, this may be the game to get you there, as it does have both a normal and easy mode, perfect for a new player to roguelikes. Buy, then die!… Expand
  90. Vigilant
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    Nice, decent game play. Rogue like means, every decision or encounter may be the last. No way back. That is what you get with FTL. FTL is a little space strategy game of space combat. Leading your ship and your crew through different space sectors. Manage ship and crew, optimize crew abilities like piloting, engineering, shield operations, fighting. Develop your ship with new weapons,Nice, decent game play. Rogue like means, every decision or encounter may be the last. No way back. That is what you get with FTL. FTL is a little space strategy game of space combat. Leading your ship and your crew through different space sectors. Manage ship and crew, optimize crew abilities like piloting, engineering, shield operations, fighting. Develop your ship with new weapons, drones, missile launcher, support gear and so on. Have friendly and hostile encounters, battle your way back to your home fleet to fight the enemy mother ship and protect your home base.

    If you like these sort of (indie) games 10 EUR/DOLLAR won´t be wasted.

    While graphics are appropriate, game play and handling is great.

    I wonder what be will see next. There is a very high potential.    … Expand
  91. Zephyr72o
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    If your looking for a challenging game that requires skill, strategy, and maybe a bit of luck, then this game is perfect. Don't judge it based on the graphics (as I've seen some people doing), but instead judge it on the fact that it's an actual challenge, for instance, when you die you start over from the beginning. Sure, it may get annoying starting over the game from the beginning,If your looking for a challenging game that requires skill, strategy, and maybe a bit of luck, then this game is perfect. Don't judge it based on the graphics (as I've seen some people doing), but instead judge it on the fact that it's an actual challenge, for instance, when you die you start over from the beginning. Sure, it may get annoying starting over the game from the beginning, but the maps are randomly generated leaving you to all new explorations each play through and with ships to unlock, you can explore the galaxy differently each time. You also have control of pretty much everything on the ship, from doors to crew members, to the weapons and power usage of each of your ships systems. Overall, it is a great strategy/star ship simulator that is worth the $10 price tag as the experience is almost always different each play through.… Expand
  92. Salient
    Sep 18, 2012
    8
    Great game, its repetitive, but addictive. There are plenty of unlocks, and you'll find yourself trying to achieve these sub-goals instead of the main mission. -2 points because the game is missing some flare/personality that would have made it a complete experience. There's really no excuse for not having some character portraits, event art, etc. Also the backgrounds could have beenGreat game, its repetitive, but addictive. There are plenty of unlocks, and you'll find yourself trying to achieve these sub-goals instead of the main mission. -2 points because the game is missing some flare/personality that would have made it a complete experience. There's really no excuse for not having some character portraits, event art, etc. Also the backgrounds could have been better and had some animation to them. It feels a bit 'flat' art-wise, and with all the talent on the net that's just disappointing. Its very obvious they needed 1 more art guy, and you'd think with all that kickstarter money they would have been able to hire someone. If i had pledged money via kickstarter i'd be pissed off, there's really no excuse and its obvious they pocketed the money instead of spending it on dev. Since i paid 9 bucks for the game, i feel like i got my money's worth.… Expand
  93. asfhgwt
    Feb 13, 2013
    4
    FTL is addictive alright, but for me that lasted about 10 hours. Even on "easy" mode, the game becomes exasperating quickly. With a little help from various tips on the web, I can get through five sectors before getting summarily clobbered by an enemy ship. Once I space-jumped into two consecutive suns (which shut down some systems and start fires) and got destroyed by the enemy (whichFTL is addictive alright, but for me that lasted about 10 hours. Even on "easy" mode, the game becomes exasperating quickly. With a little help from various tips on the web, I can get through five sectors before getting summarily clobbered by an enemy ship. Once I space-jumped into two consecutive suns (which shut down some systems and start fires) and got destroyed by the enemy (which seemed less affected). One time my oxygen room got hit by enemy fire and I couldn't repair it for some unknown reason, so all my crew died and the game ended. Every time I'm doing just fine, rolling along, then a ship more powerful than mine in some way shows up and crushes me. Easy mode should be easier than this; I should at least be able to get to the final (8th) sector before I get wasted. Also, the game offers no help or tips and you can't save it as you go. That's right, when your ship dies you have to start all over again. I, for one, have had enough.… Expand
  94. Birrhan
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    This is easily the worst game I've played in recent memory. Imagine fetch missions, a la WoW, set in the Space Quest universe, and lacking the tongue-in-cheek humor of that universe. This game tries to appeal to our nostalgia, but it fails on a visceral and basic level. Should you choose to waste your money, take this very basic primer on "advanced" tactics: buy a second tier weaponThis is easily the worst game I've played in recent memory. Imagine fetch missions, a la WoW, set in the Space Quest universe, and lacking the tongue-in-cheek humor of that universe. This game tries to appeal to our nostalgia, but it fails on a visceral and basic level. Should you choose to waste your money, take this very basic primer on "advanced" tactics: buy a second tier weapon ASAP, target weapons first, then shields--often this is enough. In case of boarders, move your little 8 pixel crew around into a secure room, pretend that one of the pixels is Mal, and vent your 2D Firefly class ship into space.

    See? I summarized a "tactically challenging" and "textually deep" game in about 100 words, and saved you $10 to find that out. There is no challenge and no replay value. There are better games on Facebook, and you don't have to pay for them. Save your money.    … Expand
  95. hiphoptherobot
    May 15, 2013
    0
    Faster Than Light is either a boring hardcore game or a casual game ruined by tremendous moments of frustration. The experience is sandwiched between a woefully inadequate starting ship that sends many straight to rage quit and a disproportionately difficult end boss. Everything in between is random, but generally simple and repetitive. The point is to keep unlocking new ships, but evenFaster Than Light is either a boring hardcore game or a casual game ruined by tremendous moments of frustration. The experience is sandwiched between a woefully inadequate starting ship that sends many straight to rage quit and a disproportionately difficult end boss. Everything in between is random, but generally simple and repetitive. The point is to keep unlocking new ships, but even that becomes tedious without a consistent map.… Expand
  96. TehOwn
    Sep 20, 2012
    10
    Excitement. Strategy. Fear. Hope. Panic. Joy.
    This game has them all and for a gamer who rarely feels moved by a game, it is a shining beacon of hope.
    Simply put, I love FTL. It is a work of art, in both design and execution.
  97. Mix52
    Sep 17, 2012
    10
    This game is an absolute blast and it is a perfect 10 for what it is meant to be. I played it 30 hours over the first weekend that it was available on Steam.

    It is quite challenging - even on easy - so be prepared. People who complain about the fact that you can't save/reload progress may be missing the point of this game and why permadeath is important to the fun and replayability.    This game is an absolute blast and it is a perfect 10 for what it is meant to be. I played it 30 hours over the first weekend that it was available on Steam.

    It is quite challenging - even on easy - so be prepared. People who complain about the fact that you can't save/reload progress may be missing the point of this game and why permadeath is important to the fun and replayability. This is not the type of game where you play through it once and put it away - the whole appeal of this game is to try again. Also, for the people who complain about how the game is just grinding to improve stats, I think you may not understand the appeal of RPG games, especially in the classic style.

    Flame wars aside, it is a massively good deal for $10 (I got it on sale for $9) and you will get your money's worth. I haven't been this addicted to a game in a long time, so be ready! Oh, and the music is AWESOME!!    … Expand
  98. sacbutter
    Sep 18, 2012
    10
    I started playing and was blown away by the depth this game has. It is not an easy game which is fantastic, the galaxy is random and there are times when even if you do everything right your crew just doesn't survive. But don't worry, a game only takes about two hours and if you die you just grab a new ship and start again! It is not an explore/conquer the galaxy game. One ship, one crew,I started playing and was blown away by the depth this game has. It is not an easy game which is fantastic, the galaxy is random and there are times when even if you do everything right your crew just doesn't survive. But don't worry, a game only takes about two hours and if you die you just grab a new ship and start again! It is not an explore/conquer the galaxy game. One ship, one crew, and you the player pulling their strings to keep them pushing on, fighting through every obstacle to escape the deadly rebel fleet that is chasing you. I will be keeping a very close eye on you from here on out Subset Games, you nailed this one and I can't wait to play what you release next. Hopefully more content for my newest addiction FTL: Faster Than Light!… Expand
  99. faircritic
    Sep 30, 2012
    5
    Where is the fun after losing, and losing,and losing,and losing...so on, from brief periods of time?Somebody could explain to me?
    I don't have anything against indie games or people who liked them.For example limbo and zombie vs plants are good examples of very good indie games but in this case thiis game is just annoying to say the best.
    Can't complain about the graphics or the limited    Where is the fun after losing, and losing,and losing,and losing...so on, from brief periods of time?Somebody could explain to me?
    I don't have anything against indie games or people who liked them.For example limbo and zombie vs plants are good examples of very good indie games but in this case thiis game is just annoying to say the best.
    Can't complain about the graphics or the limited resources like music but you can't win on this game and there's no fun about that.Your first and probably only ship that you will play is pure garbage.And that couldn't be too much upgraded because game money and bonuses are as scarce as the chances to survive at least to achieve a new one.Whatever the case I unlocked another better than the stock and still surviving is very improbable for long periods of time.And to unlock another ships it's very odd as to like this game more than 3 days!If at least some upgrades where left on your inventory, to have more chances of surviving no matter how long to get them but no.Only ships very unreachable at very impossible chances to accomplish.I put all my effort to "enjoy" the game but I came after 2 half days that this game is a complete waste of time.Maybe 15 years ago this could be a huge success but today can only be enjoyed with alcohol or some drug!    … Expand
  100. Jord68
    Sep 20, 2012
    10
    This is one of the best indie games I've ever played. It deserves every cent, I honestly can't wait to see what other games this company will make in the future.
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Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best PC Game of 2012
21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
13
#13 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Gamers' Temple
    May 27, 2013
    87
    Fulfill a sci-fi fantasy by becoming the Captain of your own starship! Don't expect great graphics, but do except to lose many hours to FTL and expect to lose your ship ... a lot.
    Read full review
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    85
    Kickstarter has accomplished its mission in this one, giving the opportunity to an original, non-mainstream title to go public and meet its well-deserved success. Especially for sci-fi fans, it’s a no-brainer; buy this game at once and live the life of a courageous pilot that only has one mission: survival. [November 2012]
  3. GameStar
    Nov 24, 2012
    77
    Quotation forthcoming.
    Read full review
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