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. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. Nesterhews
    Oct 12, 2012
    5
    A good simple and fun game.
    Not too much depth, but still fun! Yay
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. AlphaRebel
    Sep 25, 2012
    6
    It's a very interesting concept but after about 30 hours Its pretty obvious that the game really is in need for a wider range of events as the "random encounters" soon become predicable and even the choices you make seem to return the same outcomes (e.g. a ship offers to sell you a "mystery weapon" saying yes means you get ripped off nearly EVERY time (as in they don't give you anythingIt's a very interesting concept but after about 30 hours Its pretty obvious that the game really is in need for a wider range of events as the "random encounters" soon become predicable and even the choices you make seem to return the same outcomes (e.g. a ship offers to sell you a "mystery weapon" saying yes means you get ripped off nearly EVERY time (as in they don't give you anything let alone just a bad gun) while it would be more interesting if they gave you just one of the weapons at random. or trying to free a trapped ship will nearly always result in damage to your ship which basically encourages you to say no to everything.

    It's a shame as it's a nice concept and it's written by a indie company of just 2 guys. I hope more content and patches comes soon.    … Expand
  13. UserExperienceS
    Jan 14, 2013
    7
    At second glance, this game is fun if you do not attach yourself to your achievements in individual games and instead look at this as a unique repeatable puzzle largely dependent upon chance.
  14. angrywombat
    Mar 14, 2013
    6
    Fantastic for the first couple hours. Once you play through it once, pretty repetitive and incredibly luck based. One unlucky encounter early in the game and you've just wasted a bunch of time. Cool Concept, minimal content and difficulty design.
  15. xopets
    Apr 13, 2013
    5
    Well, this game has obviously got mixed feelings about it, and well the game is wonderful at first +1, but unlike the haters that think that the game loses its greatness after 24 hours it is still a nice (other things are better) game. But there is a point where the fun ends, and that is when you have beat the game with every ship (guides help, but you shouldn't need to have a guide, -1Well, this game has obviously got mixed feelings about it, and well the game is wonderful at first +1, but unlike the haters that think that the game loses its greatness after 24 hours it is still a nice (other things are better) game. But there is a point where the fun ends, and that is when you have beat the game with every ship (guides help, but you shouldn't need to have a guide, -1 point) -1 point. The achievements are fun to get +1, it could use some steam badges -1, but its still fun to play. And at a decent price, well... whether you buy it is dependent on whether you like the games randomness which isn't THAT bad but bugs some people… Expand
  16. KillerAlfa
    Jan 9, 2013
    5
    Game is a real fail. Developer asked 10 000$, he got GOD DAMN 200 000$, and the game which he released doesn't cost even 500$. First of all it is just old alpha version for backers with a new name, developer stopped working long ago. It has a great lack of content and events, even some flash games are more diverse.
  17. Newts
    Feb 19, 2014
    7
    I enjoyed the game well enough the danger is very real in some play throughs as all you have is luck and your wits. The challenge of using what cards your dealt with and planning ahead kept me hooked

    my favorite tactic was to board enemy ships, tear apart the crew and loot the place. the game gave me a very satisfying sense of accomplishment when I managed to take down a superior ship    I enjoyed the game well enough the danger is very real in some play throughs as all you have is luck and your wits. The challenge of using what cards your dealt with and planning ahead kept me hooked

    my favorite tactic was to board enemy ships, tear apart the crew and loot the place. the game gave me a very satisfying sense of accomplishment when I managed to take down a superior ship with some planning

    but, my boarding strategy which works great throughout the game then totally flops on the boss (the only boss)
    where if you kill the crew the boss instantly gets 10x harder thanks to its "A.I." repairing everything

    if the ship is that good on its own, why have a crew? why does a strategy that works everywhere not work here? seemed pretty lazy to me
    regardless I managed to beat the boss 2-3 play throughs later by leaving 1 crew member alive
    because that makes sense

    like I said I liked the game just wish there was more to it, but with the free expansion coming out soon
    I'll probably be playing it religiously once again    … Expand
  18. GISP
    Nov 4, 2012
    7
    FTL is a great space rougelike timesink.
    Amazing soundtrack, and nifty 2d grafics.
    Being a rougelike game, whit alot of random elements, it is a bit short. And after several playtroughs, i wish they would have added, a few more ships, weapons, augmentations, shiplayouts and equipment. A infinate gamemode would allso bring some longevity to the title. But all on all, this is a great    FTL is a great space rougelike timesink.
    Amazing soundtrack, and nifty 2d grafics.
    Being a rougelike game, whit alot of random elements, it is a bit short. And after several playtroughs, i wish they would have added, a few more ships, weapons, augmentations, shiplayouts and equipment.
    A infinate gamemode would allso bring some longevity to the title.
    But all on all, this is a great casual game and is well worth the money.    … Expand
  19. Vas
    Jun 29, 2014
    6
    Well, it was a good game a few play throughs. I don't like how extremely difficult the end game boss is. Nearly impossible to defeat. It has so much randomness to it, yet it's almost always the same. You fly a ship multiple locations, buy things, get to the end game boss to have your arse kicked, cooked, handed to you, and forced down your throat, then you're blown up. A recent updateWell, it was a good game a few play throughs. I don't like how extremely difficult the end game boss is. Nearly impossible to defeat. It has so much randomness to it, yet it's almost always the same. You fly a ship multiple locations, buy things, get to the end game boss to have your arse kicked, cooked, handed to you, and forced down your throat, then you're blown up. A recent update added some new things which made the game more interesting for a while, but really, it's still pretty much the same old same old. It might be worth it though, if you like rogue like games with randomness to them. At least it wasn't terrible. I say I think it was worth getting, just isn't as fun as I had hoped it would be.… Expand
  20. pacoda
    Aug 30, 2013
    7
    This is a really cool idea. You control a ship with crew and need to make it to the rebel fleet far, far away. Its a point and click so you dont actually navigate your ship and there are several ships to choose from but only one to start with. The rest you have to unlock. The ship has rooms controlling oxygen, surveillance, weapons, shields and engine. These can be upgraded along with someThis is a really cool idea. You control a ship with crew and need to make it to the rebel fleet far, far away. Its a point and click so you dont actually navigate your ship and there are several ships to choose from but only one to start with. The rest you have to unlock. The ship has rooms controlling oxygen, surveillance, weapons, shields and engine. These can be upgraded along with some other things. To upgrade you use "scrap" which is this sci-fi's currency. There also shops on the randomized starmap in which you can buy unique upgrades for your ship along with crew-members, weapons and more. These shops will be crucial for repairing your ship. Thats how you die btw. Your ship braking. The events that happen on the starmap is randomized and quite cool. There are a few short quests, traps, battles and if your lucky you come upon scrap freely given away!

    What this game lacks imo is more content. There are only so many events that can happen when you move around in space and after a few hours you have seen them all. I dont have much more to say about the game that is negative but its big enough for me. It makes it repetetive and i find myself not reading what happens in the text screen cause it dont really matter. Just click ahead and fight or accept whatever happens. I beat the game once on normal and unlocked 2-3 ships and thats about how much i played it. The music is kind of cool too. Anyway its a good game but it could have been so much more.    … Expand
  21. sfporter
    Jan 20, 2014
    5
    I love these kinds of games, but there is always a certain amount of respect for the user when it comes to the production of a product like this. First the cons
    The difficulty being stuck at what arguably could be called hard, and wtf am I doing with my life shows a massive lack of respect for the user. The point of a game is to be enjoyable, and allow a certain amount of freedom for    I love these kinds of games, but there is always a certain amount of respect for the user when it comes to the production of a product like this. First the cons
    The difficulty being stuck at what arguably could be called hard, and wtf am I doing with my life shows a massive lack of respect for the user. The point of a game is to be enjoyable, and allow a certain amount of freedom for the user to branch out in the game.
    2.) User restrictions on power usage, event generation, or allowing the user any kind of sector preplanning being used as leverage for a higher difficulty are my biggest concerns. because they constrict your ability to play to the point that as both a software engineer, and gamer. Some of these details aren't really big details , and they will make the game easier. if included However, they're also the small details that,from the outside, make a game look polished, and the lack there of makes me wish i had a hard copy to return.

    Alright now that i had a chance to point that out I'll point out the pros.

    Overall, I have spent some time to master this game, and get past the first boss stage. This game is beat-able, and I have found that the premise, construction, and function of the game enjoyable. The constrictive play is obnoxious, but easily avoidable like all early games from my childhood that have a random number generator as the focus of the players outcome "spam restart."

    CONCLUSION: Other than the pile of small details I'd love to backhand someone for... This is a good game, and could be an awesome game for me if I didn't feel like the kings virgin daughter with a chastity belt on all the time... I would love to say this game is worth the cost, but at 20$ not on sale from steam and I'm still the virgin princess throughout? Then I'd have to say to me this games is a low five. Fix some things, and polish a few more this is an easy 9.2.    … Expand
  22. drlowdon
    Aug 30, 2014
    7
    FTL: Faster than light tasks the player with running a space ship as you travel through uncharted space. Along the way randomised events, usually battles against other ships, occur which can often be quite a challenge to survive. Like most rouge-likes death is quite literally the end and should your ship be destroyed or crew killed you have no other option but to start over (and trust meFTL: Faster than light tasks the player with running a space ship as you travel through uncharted space. Along the way randomised events, usually battles against other ships, occur which can often be quite a challenge to survive. Like most rouge-likes death is quite literally the end and should your ship be destroyed or crew killed you have no other option but to start over (and trust me that will happen a lot!)

    What at first glance may seem to be quite a simple game soon reveals a fair amount of depth with all aspects of the ship from the crew, to the weapons to the shields needing to be managed and, when possible, upgraded. To be honest the random nature of events, combined with the perma-death, can be a little frustrating when you see hours of hard work quite literally going up in smoke but FTLs addictive gameplay will ensure most keep coming back for just one more try.    … Expand
  23. Lokathor
    Dec 5, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. FTL is essentially a ship management game with a strong battle minigame and a weak set of non-combat encounters. All the non-combats are either "choice adventures" with 2 or 3 choices, or something simply happens automatically in some cases. Compared to the difficulty of writing a paragraph of text and putting it into a data file, there aren't too many non-combat encounters, and you'll start to see many of the same ones after playing through the game a few times (which you will, since this is a permadeath game). The combats are pretty well done, but the final boss requires such specific tactics to beat that you have to build your ship as you go towards just beating the final boss, so you end up drifting towards the same tactics even though the game claims to have several paths to victory.

    The real killer to this game is that the final boss just comes out of nowhere, has 3 super hard stages to it, and it kills you quickly unless you're specifically planning for it. Even then, you need a little luck to find the right setup, and to have gotten enough scrap to level up your ship enough. Perhaps the expansion will add enough to this game to bring it higher, but until then the game is just kinda average on the whole.    … Expand
  24. BeatYourHeadIn
    Sep 19, 2021
    7
    FTL is a unique blend. It's action. It's strategy. It's roguelike. It's casual. However, none of those over-arching titles actually capture FTL's vibe. Perhaps "Jean-Luc Picard Flees the Borg Simulator" best gets the point across.

    The strength of this seemingly simple game is its surprising level of depth. As a playthrough progresses, you have full control over the customization of the    FTL is a unique blend. It's action. It's strategy. It's roguelike. It's casual. However, none of those over-arching titles actually capture FTL's vibe. Perhaps "Jean-Luc Picard Flees the Borg Simulator" best gets the point across.

    The strength of this seemingly simple game is its surprising level of depth. As a playthrough progresses, you have full control over the customization of the ship's various systems and upgrades. You're not likely to max out every category (or even a couple, for that matter), so you'll have to customize the ship around your play-style and your play-style around the RNGesus loot generator in order to see success.

    Diplomacy is non-existent. Talking one's way out of a dispute rarely an option, so arm the photon torpedoes and report to battle stations! FTL does cater to different play-styles: one could focus on offensive abilities or defensive abilities. Thankfully, the game is deep in terms of customization, resulting in branching upgrade paths for both offence and defense. For example, one may choose to focus on dodge instead of shielding, or boarding parties instead of heavy weaponry. The choice is yours... sort-of. Allow me to elaborate.

    First, acknowledge that it is unwise to start a new game of FTL with a certain strategy in mind, and then command your ship with upgrade tunnel vision. The game is based around entirely random encounters; adaptation is a virtue. To all those who like to plan ahead, this game flips you the bird! Sure you can have an overall goal in mind, but the game is random: you get what you get. Work with what you can scrounge up and/or to die trying!

    Commanding the crew RTS-style works great! Crew members gain proficiencies in various ship-stations and tasks over time. Different alien species bring different bonuses as crew, which adds a layer of depth to starship customization. Crew mortality serves to heighten the level of tension in battles, and even post-battle in some cases. You could win a battle, but if your life support systems were knocked out, you could lose crew members if you can't repair the O2 generator in time. It can feel like a heartbreaking loss when you lose say a Tier 2 Weapons Specialist.

    A few quirks and negative points are to be found in FTL. Crew members seem like "crew statues": they aren't affected by ferocious blasts or vacuum-sucking hull breaches. No... no one can get sucked into space in this game, not even enemy boarding parties. Disappointing, I know, for all you Among Us fans out there! Also, enemy ships with higher levels of shielding can be VERY difficult to defeat without shield piercing weapons or boarding parties. Losing is FUN, or so I'm told...

    Ultimately, despite the procedural generation of every new start, replay-ability in FTL is fairly limited. It is a casual game, and it is best to play it in casual doses. Great if you have a little time to kill: 20 minutes here, half hour there. However, I found my interest in FTL easily burns out during hour long or longer sessions.

    The game's unscripted charm is the main draw. You tell your own stories, the game just makes sure the endings are abrupt and filled with explosions. Experience your own journeys, filled with adversity, strife, sorrow, and success... mainly adversity, strife and sorrow. It is these player-driven stories that will keep you coming back for more Jean-Luc Picard-ing around.

    Make it so, Number 1!    … Expand
  25. toastofchaos
    Oct 5, 2012
    7
    This is a great game, but it leaves me wanting more. I want more in one play-through. The scrap resource is too precious. I find it hard to balance between offense and defense. If your primary means of offense uses either missiles or drones, good luck. I find that stores are a little too sparse and the drone parts and missiles to be too expensive. So basically, unless you're either reallyThis is a great game, but it leaves me wanting more. I want more in one play-through. The scrap resource is too precious. I find it hard to balance between offense and defense. If your primary means of offense uses either missiles or drones, good luck. I find that stores are a little too sparse and the drone parts and missiles to be too expensive. So basically, unless you're either really lucky or like blowing all of your cash on drones (which easily get blown up in asteroid fields) and missiles, then it leaves you with the laser/beam/ion type cannons which are great. I did, however, find myself getting very excited during a crisis: pause! command units! aim weapons! resume game! Phew, fires are all out and the invaders on my ship are dispatched... Time to go blow all my cash on drones and repairs.… Expand
  26. TheUnbeholden
    Feb 1, 2013
    7
    The thing about randomness in core gameplay mechanics is that you are essentially gambling, while there is always a luck factor in other games, here its everything. The events that you run into are random at each planet, the problem is so is the result. Theres no thinking things through because theres no way to predict what will happen. You can have the finest tactical mind on Earth whoThe thing about randomness in core gameplay mechanics is that you are essentially gambling, while there is always a luck factor in other games, here its everything. The events that you run into are random at each planet, the problem is so is the result. Theres no thinking things through because theres no way to predict what will happen. You can have the finest tactical mind on Earth who knows to fire a beam weapon across six different rooms in the split second after the last shield goes down, but lady luck provides the opportunity to get a beam, then you're stuck flicking ion pulses at 4-shielded ships. I've always had a problem with any game mechanic the player is powerless to influence. So you can't pretend to play as Captain Pickard who has to find ways to get around situations by diplomacy or other smart alternative ways.
    Even just the addition of a "luck" stat that can be influenced with upgrades or pickups would at least give a slight edge on which an informed decision can be made. So would hints as to what someone is planning when you speak to them. The addition of more diplomacy options or even a graphic representation of the person your talking to would do wonders for the "thinkers" out there.

    I had a similar problem with XCOM along these lines, but in that case I was being asked to make a much bigger investment. Playing through the campaign and gradually building up your capability is a far longer operation and while randomly UFOs appearing or not appearing does dictate what you do, but not your progress! You are always building, upgrading or researching new equipment... while a game of FTL might last about an hour due to a lack of depth, balance issues and progress thats way to fast or way to slow. Randomness I can tolerate better in the shorter Roguelike style of game, but in longer games it can't be the 100% determining factor.    … Expand
  27. Ciraaxx
    May 28, 2013
    6
    If it wasn't for the horrible, horrible balance issues, I would give this game a 10.

    The game is fun, but be prepared for hours and hours of aggravation. If you can handle losing an entire hour of play, your beautiful high powered, well armed ship. Then this game won't faze you one bit and you'll play for days! Myself, I can't play more than once because I just can't bring up the    If it wasn't for the horrible, horrible balance issues, I would give this game a 10.

    The game is fun, but be prepared for hours and hours of aggravation.
    If you can handle losing an entire hour of play, your beautiful high powered, well armed ship. Then this game won't faze you one bit and you'll play for days!

    Myself, I can't play more than once because I just can't bring up the necessary willpower to start all over again.    … Expand
  28. Roisman
    Mar 31, 2020
    7
    Roguelike games always have the prospect for both delight and frustration. It's a recipe that a lot of people enjoy and, if you are one of them, make no mistake, this a good game for you.

    Personally, I do not enjoy the randomness so much. I think the game evolves too slow. I mean, you have this really **** ship to start with and absolutely no options. Some may argue in favour of this,    Roguelike games always have the prospect for both delight and frustration. It's a recipe that a lot of people enjoy and, if you are one of them, make no mistake, this a good game for you.

    Personally, I do not enjoy the randomness so much. I think the game evolves too slow. I mean, you have this really **** ship to start with and absolutely no options. Some may argue in favour of this, but besides Binding of Isaac, I never seen a game do this properly. It's 5 frustrating gameplays in a roll, then on your next play you find a cool iten at the start, but hey, on the next jump, there is an unbeatable enemy and, well, you had the ilusion of fun for 45 minutes before being heavily frustrated again. Why don't you have a option of surrendering resources/weapons in order to flee ? There are different encounters, there should be different options. I deeply dislike game in which the developers want you to play in a specific way and you HAVE to like it.

    PROS: The game makes a huge effort of diversifying the encounters, has a great atmosphere that pressure you to go foward and the gameplay is enjoyable and it makes sense.

    Overall, I think labeling things as rogue-like is a good modern excuse for lazy developing. You can control probabilities of events and rewards as you progress and STILL have the caothic atmosphere of what rogue-like games require.    … Expand
  29. jcasetnl
    Oct 26, 2014
    7
    At first I really hated this game. It seems really straightforward (as far as tactics/strategy), and yet random and unfair. The tutorial is extremely basic and doesn't really prepare you for how to play.

    The biggest omission is that while the game happens in real-time, you can pause everything and coordinate multiple actions, and then un-pause to set them in motion. In fact, it's    At first I really hated this game. It seems really straightforward (as far as tactics/strategy), and yet random and unfair. The tutorial is extremely basic and doesn't really prepare you for how to play.

    The biggest omission is that while the game happens in real-time, you can pause everything and coordinate multiple actions, and then un-pause to set them in motion. In fact, it's absolutely critical that you do. It's sort of a combination of real-time and turn-based.

    You can play the game real-time but eventually it will throw a situation with four or five things going on and you'll get rolled. You're meant to pause everything, figure out the best counter-moves and then set everything in motion. Once you "get it", the game isn't nearly so frustrating.    … Expand
  30. mr_bob_grey
    Jul 14, 2013
    7
    The reviews for this game seem to be incredibly polarized. In my opinion, this game basically feels like The Oregon Trail in space with a larger amount of user control. That being said, therein lies the 'random' frustration that people experience; Even if you have been totally successful for the first hour of a play through, you may find yourself getting boarded by pirates, or a fire mightThe reviews for this game seem to be incredibly polarized. In my opinion, this game basically feels like The Oregon Trail in space with a larger amount of user control. That being said, therein lies the 'random' frustration that people experience; Even if you have been totally successful for the first hour of a play through, you may find yourself getting boarded by pirates, or a fire might spread to your oxygen tanks and everyone may die trying to repair it. The game seems complex at first, but once you are familiar with the interface it is fairly simple to play. You can certainly make decisions that will save your crew just as often as you can lose it all in a random encounter. If you get frustrated by perma-deaths (and sometimes a seemingly unfair death at that) you may want to consider another game. But if the concept of commanding a space ship through dangerous and uncharted territory, where consequences are always final ..give it a try.

    While incredibly addictive, the game is still not a messiah among indie games.. the feeling of complexity in the game play wares off as you become more familiar with the interface, but certainly it is still worth a try.    … Expand
  31. SilentHell
    Apr 8, 2014
    5
    An interesting game, but the final boss is really, whatever ship u'll have at the end, an unbalanced "pita".

    Another point is the fact that luck (a lil less with last patch) is a too important part : it brings tactics and strategy to a secondary level, and doesnt reward ur carefully assembled setups...

    Lets hope FTL2 will erase those defaults.
  32. Gordon7
    May 26, 2014
    5
    This is a great game for skilled gamers, or for a mediocre one like me that has TONS of time (which I don't have. maybe 2-3 hrs/wk to play). This makes it nearly impossible to play. there's really no way to come back to a "saved" game if you die or get close to it. so you have to start from scratch every time. I really don't mind the randomness that many complain about, i like theThis is a great game for skilled gamers, or for a mediocre one like me that has TONS of time (which I don't have. maybe 2-3 hrs/wk to play). This makes it nearly impossible to play. there's really no way to come back to a "saved" game if you die or get close to it. so you have to start from scratch every time. I really don't mind the randomness that many complain about, i like the difficulty it adds. however having to start completely over almost makes it very difficult to achieve much as you can put in a few hours playing only to get killed and have to start all over. This makes it monotonous fairly quickly. I've played this game for 17hrs on easy and only beaten it once (remember: I am not "skilled").

    It would be nice to at least have a "checkpoint" or something to make some recovery of the time spent playing to build up a good ship, i sorta kinda regret the money i've spent on this game now

    Other than this major flaw (for me) I think this is a fantastic game and I like the retro look and feel    … Expand
  33. jphung
    Nov 3, 2014
    7
    Soundtrack: The soundtrack in this game is quite fitting. It uses techno music to put forth a feeling of being in a spaceship. The music itself isn’t distracting and allows the player to immerse himself into the game. However, after a while the music does get quite repetitive. 7/10

    Gameplay: The gameplay for FTL is quite enjoyable as it allows the audience to feel like each decision    Soundtrack: The soundtrack in this game is quite fitting. It uses techno music to put forth a feeling of being in a spaceship. The music itself isn’t distracting and allows the player to immerse himself into the game. However, after a while the music does get quite repetitive. 7/10

    Gameplay: The gameplay for FTL is quite enjoyable as it allows the audience to feel like each decision matters. Each decision in the game comes with pros and cons and makes the player think about each decision they are about to make. Do I send in my crewmembers to help out another crew ship and risk them dying or do I go the safe route and get no reward though? Each decision matters in this game and eventually starts to stack up on the final stage of the game. However, the RNG (Random Number Generator) in this game can screw the player over without notice. Sometimes the game will produce scenarios where it is a lose lose situation over and over again until the player loses. Although this is rare within the game it is still very frustrating to deal with. Overall the gameplay is 8/10.
    Storyline: The storyline in the game is not very long, but is sufficient enough to portray what the game is trying to sell you. In the end though the games storyline feels irrelevant after a couple play through and is quite repetitive. 6/10

    Graphics: Graphics in this game are highly pixelated, but this does not take away from the game nor does it add depth. This time graphic section is N/A.    … Expand
  34. yoloswagins
    Apr 21, 2015
    5
    At first this game feels like the game every sci-fi fan has been waiting for; command your own ship, crew, power usage and more just like on your favorite movies/TV shows. The combat system is also fun and the game feels like a fresh new idea, at first.

    It's not surprising how this game has so many high scores(roughly 8, 9 and 10s) as this game is inviting and will quickly draw you in.    At first this game feels like the game every sci-fi fan has been waiting for; command your own ship, crew, power usage and more just like on your favorite movies/TV shows. The combat system is also fun and the game feels like a fresh new idea, at first.

    It's not surprising how this game has so many high scores(roughly 8, 9 and 10s) as this game is inviting and will quickly draw you in. However when the novelty begins to ware off, it's flaws become more and more noticeable.

    FTL is very repetitive and you will find yourself grinding your way through the game. The game almost forces you to grind because if you don't get good enough gear before advancing to the next sector you will probably be greatly outmatched. It doesn't help either that, once you beat the game a couple of times, you will begin to notice the random events happening repeatedly and get a bit bored of them. The different ship layouts do help add variety however it's disappointing that there isn't even the option to design your own ship in the vanilla game. Each ship has an advantage and a disadvantage at the beginning of the game which means your playstyle is already greatly determined from the start of the game which is out of your control.

    If you are the type of person that likes grinding, then FTL still has issues such as the dependence on the randomness of the game. For example, the way you play the game is greatly effected by what gear you can find in stores and random events will punish you for no apparent reason e.g. an event goes something like this: "you find a mysterious capsule with a life form inside it. Open the capsule? ... Yes ... one of you crew members got killed by the life form" WTF what sort of incapable crew am I leading? Who the f*** would get themselves killed like this? If I was opening the capsule I would get the f*** out of there as soon as possible or at least get a machine or something to open it for me. Anyway the game is filled with these frustrating events but these 2 problems aren't the biggest problems. Possibly the biggest problem with the randomness is a mechanic called "dodge". This is blatantly bad game design. It is very hard to execute any strategy when there is a chance that the strategy won't work, not because the AI anticipated your strategy and adapted like it should be, but because the game thought "sorry if I let you do that, things would be too easy" so instead makes you repeatedly try the same timing over and over again until it finally works and by which time the enemy has somehow got really lucky and screwed you over. This is one of the things that prompts many people to adopt strategies that don't involve dodge such as teleporters, cloaking or ... teleporters which seems to be one of the only viable (but admittedly fun) real strategies. The reason the game developers probably put dodge into the game is to make things more interesting, basically to hide underdeveloped strategies.

    The AI in FTL is also very simplistic. It doesn't feel like you are fighting intelligent enemies which makes victories a bit hollow. You didn't win because you had more skill than the AI, you won because you had better gear/timing/luck (the AI is horrible at timing btw). Skill is a component in winning however it is too small of a factor in the game-play (think about videos you have watched about FTL, do you see any unique play-styles that can be used to beat a heavily stronger opponent? not really, everyone seems to play in an almost identical way imo). Because of the simple AI, enemy ships are buffed to greatly out-stat your own ship (e.g. the flagship). Unfortunately some of the only ways to beat the flagship are exploits that don't even make sense (e.g. killing everyone but one person because any captain of a star ship would obviously do that).

    To conclude, FTL is worth the buy because of how cheap it is but don't expect anything spectacular out of this game.    … Expand
  35. chars1991
    Jul 22, 2016
    7
    Any game dubbed 'rogue-like' should be expected to be more like morbid Dark Souls series where trial and error is the norm, rather than the minecraft or pokemon series in which you're treated with velvet gloves all the way to the bosses. And FTL is no exception, with its capricious random factor and its overpowered final bosses with literally all kinds of weaponry and 'cheats' to boot. AAny game dubbed 'rogue-like' should be expected to be more like morbid Dark Souls series where trial and error is the norm, rather than the minecraft or pokemon series in which you're treated with velvet gloves all the way to the bosses. And FTL is no exception, with its capricious random factor and its overpowered final bosses with literally all kinds of weaponry and 'cheats' to boot. A hair-pulling, gut-wrenching, madness-inducing, FTL is an engaging, addictive strategy game with one heck of a soundtrack, albeit a tad tampered by its lack of depth and its frustrating gameplay even on easy mode. Causal gamers be warned: buyers' remorse is a common symptom after purchasing FTL, be sure to consult your physicians before use.

    Notable features:
    1. Length of gameplay: it's neither too long nor short for a strategy game, with one round lasting 3 hours at most. Critics largely lashed out at the constant chase by the rebels throughout the game, but without the overarching threat of being caught up by the rebels would render the gameplay stale, its pace ground to a halt. Grinding for scraps and weapons WITHIN THE TIME LIMIT is a thrilling experience essential and indispensable to the game, without which FTL would just turn into another grind-it-until-you-make-it game like all the other mainstream games.

    2. Difficulty: That said, the same argument cannot be made for the random factor that is another glorified feature of the game. There is no lack of reviews here that lambasted the luck factor at play in the game. Sometimes it works in your favor (random drops of weapons or drones at certain nodes); but mostly it works against your game plan in a myriad of ways (the harrowing Giant alien spiders, the mantis boarding events, etc.) It reminds me of Mike Tyson's famous words: Everyone has a plan until they got hit in the face. Ocassionally, regardless of how well-planned you seem to be, an ill-fated jump to a troubling node, a gamble gone totally awry in some events, or simply an enemy so well-equipped that can crippled your systems and wreak havoc on your ship before you can jump away, can send all those so-called game plans into oblivion. While it's desirably challenging at times, the learning curve of this game can be so steep that it can be off-putting to a lot of gamers. Worse of all, FTL needs some serious balancing in terms of the ship systems, notably Cloaking. It is arguably the most critical system in deciding the outcome of the game. Your chances of surviving the last boss are greatly enhanced once you have cloaking installed. And that stifles the strategic element of the game if only because it turns the game into saving enough scraps for certain game-breaking systems or weapons, which is too under the heavy influence(or interference) of the random factor. Simply put, the slot-machine feature and the masochistic difficulty of the game are what alienate most of the gamers.

    FTL also suffers from its repetitive game play. The game started to get monotonous after beating the boss several times. The lack of interaction with other ships, be they friendly or hostile, other than the one you are fighting against during the battle stage is appalling. It appears that the game developers can't think of anything to add into the game play other than just TWO ships battling out at every node. How about three-way battles in which three ships are hostile against each other, and you have to decide, during not before the battle stage, which one to shoot down. Sounds familiar? Because there's indeed such an event in the game (the conflict between mantis and zoltans, slugs and pirates), and developers can seem to flesh out their events enough to diversify the game play - a glaring and disappointing omission from FTL.

    3. Soundtrack by Ben Prunty: one of the bright spots of the entire game. Mostly suspenseful, at times adrenaline-pumping, Ben's soundtracks do not just complement the game, they elevate the gameplay. The battle scores are the spiced-up of the navigation ones. Be sure to check out the new Lanius music.

    Overall, an thoroughly engaging game with a sliver of strategic elements and a tinge of Star-trek-like adventurous suspense, albeit marred by the repetitive, monotone game play and its notorious, almost condescending difficulty. An injection of a more diverse game play(three way battles, missions, personnel escort or protection during enemy boarding, all of them during the battle stage I must stress, you name it) is sorely needed for anyone to be investing anything up to four days into this game.    … Expand
  36. aditya1101
    Oct 5, 2017
    7
    Pretty fun and really well designed game. I didn't like it as much as I was hoping I would, but I don't really have many bad things to say about the game
  37. Vectis99
    Oct 18, 2018
    6
    FTL can be a very gripping experience which teaches players how to best optimize their available resources in the most synergistic way possible. Doing so successfully and efficiently proves to be a fun challenge which is very satisfying to pursue. Unfortunately, the game can quickly turn into a very mechanical process as decision making becomes either negligible or automatic for playersFTL can be a very gripping experience which teaches players how to best optimize their available resources in the most synergistic way possible. Doing so successfully and efficiently proves to be a fun challenge which is very satisfying to pursue. Unfortunately, the game can quickly turn into a very mechanical process as decision making becomes either negligible or automatic for players who are more familiar with the game's dynamic. The game has a pleasant aesthetic and a modular narrative which is well written, but not particularly deep or memorable. Overall, FTL can vacillate between being a relaxing and stressful experience, depending on the mood of the player.… Expand
  38. edxtan
    Jun 19, 2023
    6
    The roguelike elements in FTL: Faster Than Light's get you to always think about optimizing your long-term and short-term strategies, but the extreme randomness and lack of mechanical skill often makes the game unwinnable.
  39. ZetaJiffils
    Dec 27, 2019
    6
    Está bien, pero el jefe final es IMPOSIBLE de ganar incluso en modo fácil, aunque tengas toda tu nave mejorada al máximo.
    Eso ha hecho que deje de jugarlo...y lo que me molesta es que si no derrotas a esa nave final no te dan recompensas para tener más naves....
  40. Wrathzo
    Mar 21, 2022
    7
    FTL: Faster Than Light is a space-based top-down real-time strategy roguelike game created by indie developer Subset Games, which was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2012. In the game, the player controls the crew of a single spacecraft, holding critical information to be delivered to an allied fleet, while being pursued by a large rebel fleet. The player mustFTL: Faster Than Light is a space-based top-down real-time strategy roguelike game created by indie developer Subset Games, which was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2012. In the game, the player controls the crew of a single spacecraft, holding critical information to be delivered to an allied fleet, while being pursued by a large rebel fleet. The player must guide the spacecraft over eight sectors, each with planetary systems and events procedurally generated in a roguelike fashion, while facing rebel and other hostile forces, recruiting new crew, and outfitting and upgrading their ship. Combat takes place in pausable real time, and if the ship is destroyed or all of its crew lost, the game ends, forcing the player to restart with a new ship.… Expand
  41. tommydlbass
    Aug 16, 2020
    7
    A good strategy-simulator ship game where you gotta scape from different worlds and fight to other kind of human beings. Has it's problems (it's maybe too hard, some of the perks are more useless than others, there are some random events that once you know the game lost the magic) but overall it's worth a try.
  42. Oshiri_Maeda
    Aug 29, 2021
    5
    Space bar pressing simulator. A bit too tedious for my liking. However, I see why it's popular, just not my cup of tea. Into the Breach gave a way stronger impression.
  43. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    6
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»
  44. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    Fun roguelike but very punishing RNG and the final boss is completely out of tune with the difficulty of the rest of the game.

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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