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. Oscar_Crane
    Jun 28, 2014
    0
    This 'game' is not even worth playing unless you have a thing for either A) Modding files and making things easier, B) having the luck of a dozen leprechauns or C) enjoy failure. The game is mind-blowing difficult, requiring a restart from square one. No second chances or back-up saves. The difficulty starts out well for the first few sectors, but then it jumps to near-impossibility, evenThis 'game' is not even worth playing unless you have a thing for either A) Modding files and making things easier, B) having the luck of a dozen leprechauns or C) enjoy failure. The game is mind-blowing difficult, requiring a restart from square one. No second chances or back-up saves. The difficulty starts out well for the first few sectors, but then it jumps to near-impossibility, even on easy mode. I would have liked an option to turn the perma-death off, but until the producers add in an option to respawn at, say, the start of you current sector, I'm not wasting any more of my life on this game.… Expand
  2. hboogie
    Jun 23, 2014
    10
    This is a highly addicting game due to it's roguelike elements. I died so many times I lost count. You need to look up guides to be able to know how to play this game, but once you get the mechanics the game starts to be extremely fun. Even though you start over when you die the game still gives you an incentive to keep playing by being able to unlock other ships, or just playing it againThis is a highly addicting game due to it's roguelike elements. I died so many times I lost count. You need to look up guides to be able to know how to play this game, but once you get the mechanics the game starts to be extremely fun. Even though you start over when you die the game still gives you an incentive to keep playing by being able to unlock other ships, or just playing it again to see if a different strategy will give you a different outcome. This game gives you that sense of progression due to the unlockable features. There are 3 models for each type of ships and you have to unlock each model by doing achievements. The engie and stealth ships are my all time favorites to play with. This game have tons of replay value but with mods it adds even more replay value on top of it. It's a must buy game. 10/10… Expand
  3. 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
  4. Estus
    Jun 10, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game! The graphics are simple and the fictional universe it's incredible rich, a little barely tapped, but still fun and interesting. The difficulty of the game it's very disappointing and exciting at the same time, if you are a impatient person may you be angry sometimes. Anyway, it's amazing!… Expand
  5. carlosgtardon
    Jun 10, 2014
    9
    Para mí la gran aventura espacial de los últimos años, las mecánicas son interesantes y te obliga a la rejugabilidad ya que castiga pero pica. Interesante aunque corto, una experiencia de juego recomendable.
  6. 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
  7. couchbattle
    May 28, 2014
    9
    What can I say that hasn't been said about this title. Incredibly addicting and well worth the money you will pay for it. Fun and witty with a large learning curve that you can only get more excited about learning about. One of the best titles I have ever played
  8. 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
  9. coljac
    May 1, 2014
    10
    Looks like you either love or hate FTL. I love it. It's a relaxing and engaging game with infinite replayability.I have only unlocked a fraction of the ships available in the game and my enthusiasm for getting there has only grown.

    Pluses: Can play in quick bites. Replayable. Great music. Sense of humour. Minuses: Lots of luck involved. High level difficulty. Parts can be repetitive.    Looks like you either love or hate FTL. I love it. It's a relaxing and engaging game with infinite replayability.I have only unlocked a fraction of the ships available in the game and my enthusiasm for getting there has only grown.

    Pluses: Can play in quick bites. Replayable. Great music. Sense of humour.
    Minuses: Lots of luck involved. High level difficulty. Parts can be repetitive.

    Given the price of the game and number of hours I've gotten out of it, one of the best investments I've made.

    "I should really go to bed."
    *looks at clock*
    "One more jump won't hurt..."    … Expand
  10. Jbod
    Apr 25, 2014
    9
    Hard and addictive. There is a lot of possible combinations to win (and loose) the game. Great music, great pixel style, if you like it.
    A rare game that has a unique spirit, enjoyable gameplay, and you can stop and play back again anytime you want..
  11. pinkj
    Apr 14, 2014
    9
    I believe FTL is one of the those games that people will keep playing for years, maybe decades, in the same way there are still people playing Nethack.

    This is a near perfect game in what it sets out to do - to survive against the odds. The more you play (and die), the more the game opens up which eventually makes you a better strategist in certain situations. It is not fully random    I believe FTL is one of the those games that people will keep playing for years, maybe decades, in the same way there are still people playing Nethack.

    This is a near perfect game in what it sets out to do - to survive against the odds. The more you play (and die), the more the game opens up which eventually makes you a better strategist in certain situations. It is not fully random as some reviewers think as each sector grows in difficulty in a predictable way. Over time, you learn what is more likely to work in one case versus another.

    Also, it doesn't get boring as you have the choice of a large number of ships and the game, from start to finish, is less than 2 hours.

    This game is the complete opposite of games like Diablo 3 where D3 makes you feel incredibly powerful almost from the very start. In FTL, you feel very humbled and at odds with the Universe FTL has created. Only when you beat this game will you feel powerful and sense that you've accomplished something more than almost any other game out there.    … Expand
  12. waterwaterwater
    Apr 13, 2014
    9
    This review includes the Advanced Edition. This game is SUPPOSED to be hard. Yes, it is random but that is part of the fun, every play-through is different. Way too many people are addicted to the hold-your-hand mash one button to get through an interactive cut scene type of game these days. Sure I have died a lot in FTL, but if you actually stop to think about what you were doing you canThis review includes the Advanced Edition. This game is SUPPOSED to be hard. Yes, it is random but that is part of the fun, every play-through is different. Way too many people are addicted to the hold-your-hand mash one button to get through an interactive cut scene type of game these days. Sure I have died a lot in FTL, but if you actually stop to think about what you were doing you can figure out a way to deal with that type of situation when you run into it in the future. One of the negative reviews complains that "I ran into a ship with FOUR SHIELDS but I had run out of missiles so it was impossible to win THIS GAME IS BAD". It's not the game's fault for players not being creative or having a slight bit of foresight. I got the game for 10 dollars and have spent more time with it than I have with some 60 dollar titles. It will be in my library for a very long time and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi games. Also, it was just released for tablets so my time on the toilet is going to be increasing. With the regular edition I would have given the game a 7.5 or 8 because the number of events was rather low but with the new advanced edition I really feel like the game has enough variety to warrant a 9.… Expand
  13. neemz
    Apr 12, 2014
    0
    A very boring game that is difficult to enjoy. It is filled with many circumstances that ruin your game, simply to force you to keep playing their game as it is near impossible to beat. I would recommend not wasting your time with this "indie" piece of garbage.
  14. 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
  15. Chunderfield
    Apr 11, 2014
    9
    I wish FTL was around when I was a kid. To be honest, I feel like this game was designed with nostalgia in mind. The glorious low res music soundtrack is phenomenal. The graphics are beautifully simplistic. The pause-able game play meshes RTS and Turn-based strategy perfectly.

    You have a ship which is represented on screen as a cross section of the rooms within. You start with ~3 crew    I wish FTL was around when I was a kid. To be honest, I feel like this game was designed with nostalgia in mind. The glorious low res music soundtrack is phenomenal. The graphics are beautifully simplistic. The pause-able game play meshes RTS and Turn-based strategy perfectly.

    You have a ship which is represented on screen as a cross section of the rooms within. You start with ~3 crew who you deliver orders to in real time or while paused. Your goal is to reach the main Federation fleet on the right side of the galaxy as you flee from the wave of Rebels converging from the left side. Each planet you stop at has a randomly generated encounter with an enemy ship, or any other of the many possible events. Usually you need to make a decision based on the event you encounter, which can end favorably, disastrously, or mysteriously neutral. You'll encounter shops, ships, and planets which provide you with modules to upgrade your ship in almost every conceivable way; from weapons to shields, to drones and cloaking devices. You'll also recruit more crew, and lose many on the way. This is a rogue-like so when you get blown up, its game over! The combat can be paused and orders delivered. Your decision to target a certain system on board the enemy ship will mean the difference between winning and perma-death.

    Subset Games just released a free expansion. Let me repeat myself if you suddenly became stunned by those words. A FREE EXPANSION. Its awesome. The core game is left unchanged and there is the addition of more content. Seems simple right? Absolutely worth $10. I cannot recommend this game enough. Prepare to die a lot. This is hard, unforgiving, and very, very fun.    … Expand
  16. 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.
  17. sbox91
    Apr 6, 2014
    9
    This game doesn't look all that, but play for 20 minutes and you'll be hooked. I keep coming back to it and finding new things in the game or strategies I should use and with a free DLC added, hours more adventure have been added. That is the sign of a studio that cares for their fans. Great game to get your hands onto.
  18. 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.
  19. Drigun
    Apr 5, 2014
    8
    A small and simple game.
    Yet sometimes it felt so complex and sometimes just great...

    Simple yet somewhat alluring.
    Nice concept, nice idea. just nice!
  20. Skulb
    Mar 23, 2014
    9
    For those among us who enjoy pain and suffering, sci fi themed tactical games with a bit of RP elements thrown in, FTL is an ideal game. A constant barrage of bad luck and impossible situations means you`re likely to spend a lot of time restarting the game, cursing loudly to the annoyance of family members or even crying.
    This skillfully constructed tool for selling more nerve medication    For those among us who enjoy pain and suffering, sci fi themed tactical games with a bit of RP elements thrown in, FTL is an ideal game. A constant barrage of bad luck and impossible situations means you`re likely to spend a lot of time restarting the game, cursing loudly to the annoyance of family members or even crying.
    This skillfully constructed tool for selling more nerve medication will include things like hitting your weapons 1 second after you enter stealth mode to reload your weapon in safety, forcing you to spend stealth putting out fires instead of reloading, which means you`ll be reloading later when the enemy is firing on you. Or killing off your crew with random events and not generating any way to shanghai more crew, leading to death by abandoned ship. Or it may refuse to provide you with a suitable weapon upgrade for level after level, until you can`t break the shields of any enemy and die. Once in a while it will even make dead ends for you, forcing you right back into the pursuing fleet which is what provides the time pressure in the game, preventing free exploration.
    And I could list about 20 similar conspiracies hatched by the makers of FTL without effort; all with the express purpose of driving me insane. Having said this you might think the game is no fun. But it is! Unlocking ships, finding rare events and quests and the interminable difficulty of getting your ship to the last zone in an appropriate condition to fight the last battle is irresistible to all roguelike fans and should not be missed. Although much of the game is random, practice does make things easier to a certain extent. Things like venting the ship into space to deal with boarders while putting all your crew in the medbay for example has apparently not occurred to many of the negative reviewers here. But this simple response makes it easy to deal with boarding parties, and fires from solar activity I might add, since the enemy cannot beam back to the other ship because there is a CD and are forced to fight in your medbay where they will die every time.
    Obviously the easily frustrated should perhaps look elsewhere. Unless you understand the genre concepts of randomness and perma death, and like them, you will not have much fun. For the rest of us though we can only hope that a sequel will appear at some point in the future. Until then, FTL will have to do:)    … Expand
  21. DanySK
    Mar 20, 2014
    8
    You cannot realise how funny is FTL until you really start playing it. It is just addictive, it is hard to tell yourself to quit playing and go to bed.
    The game itself seems very simple: you are in charge of micro-managing a single space ship (power, weapons, crew). It does not sound fun, does it? Well, it is! The difficulty levels are tuned perfectly, the beginner can start with easy and    You cannot realise how funny is FTL until you really start playing it. It is just addictive, it is hard to tell yourself to quit playing and go to bed.
    The game itself seems very simple: you are in charge of micro-managing a single space ship (power, weapons, crew). It does not sound fun, does it? Well, it is! The difficulty levels are tuned perfectly, the beginner can start with easy and beat the game in a tenth of attempts, then switch to normal and,... well, the game really becomes challenging.
    Despite the fact that the technical realisation is all but awesome (seriously, a game stick to 1280x720 is not something of this millennium), it is impossible not to give this game a chance.

    Of course, if you are searching for a "shoot-everything-that-moves" game, look elsewhere.    … Expand
  22. Warpenguin
    Mar 15, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game will leave you screaming when it decides to annihilate your tenderly developed and loved ship and crew, but it is so much fun that you will come back for more. The only issue I have with the game is the amount of luck needed. Luck isn't a huge factor, but it is certainly a factor. (Ex. Suicide Mantis and AI ships orbiting suns, asteroid fields in the first sector, Giant Alien Spiders, Hobos you decide to bring aboard your space ship, etc.) After playing for 34 hours and finally beating the game, I love it.… Expand
  23. PeregrineOmega
    Mar 9, 2014
    10
    Simply put: The Star Trek game they never made. A great little indie title with so much character and heart, it's hard not to get lost in it. It's a real challenge, but not unfair. It encourages replay like no other game I've played, and truly caters to the hardcore sci-fi fan. Worth every penny.
  24. robomination
    Mar 1, 2014
    9
    Ths game was recommended to me by a friend and im glad he did. This game does not look great or worth money but it has one feature which nearly no game has anymore, difficulty and replayability. I have replayed this game over 40 times in a few weeks on easy and have still not finished the game, yes people may argue that should be easier or less randomly generated and frustrating but on theThs game was recommended to me by a friend and im glad he did. This game does not look great or worth money but it has one feature which nearly no game has anymore, difficulty and replayability. I have replayed this game over 40 times in a few weeks on easy and have still not finished the game, yes people may argue that should be easier or less randomly generated and frustrating but on the other hand if you can master the techniques of the game such as how to channel oxygen throughout the ship or which species are better in different rooms.

    The only few criticisms I have are that the game could be extended slightly not by much but one or two more sectors so that the player can build more resources although it is doable as it is. Good Luck    … Expand
  25. 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
  26. kentcoil
    Feb 20, 2014
    9
    I felt compelled to write a review because of all the people saying that the game is "too hard." It is a hard game and you will die a lot in the beginning. And that's OK as long as you try to learn something every time. I can beat it about 90% of the time on Normal and have beat it at least once with all the different ship types. I'm actually looking forward to the Hard mode that will beI felt compelled to write a review because of all the people saying that the game is "too hard." It is a hard game and you will die a lot in the beginning. And that's OK as long as you try to learn something every time. I can beat it about 90% of the time on Normal and have beat it at least once with all the different ship types. I'm actually looking forward to the Hard mode that will be available in the upcoming "Advanced Edition." I give it a 9 rather than a 10 because there is SOME luck and that can be frustrating at times. People who say it's totally dependent on finding a good weapon early or some other random element either haven't played enough or haven't learned enough from their previous losses.… Expand
  27. 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
  28. 60mm
    Feb 19, 2014
    10
    This is definitely a game for tactical/strategy aficionados. If you don't like challenging tactical games, thsi game is not for you. If you enjoyed playing X-Com on Superhuman or getting through FFT with 2 or 3 characters, this game is right up your alley.

    My winning odds on normal nowadays is probably about 2/3 runs. If you really feel this game is too hard or all up to randomness,    This is definitely a game for tactical/strategy aficionados. If you don't like challenging tactical games, thsi game is not for you. If you enjoyed playing X-Com on Superhuman or getting through FFT with 2 or 3 characters, this game is right up your alley.

    My winning odds on normal nowadays is probably about 2/3 runs. If you really feel this game is too hard or all up to randomness, you either have much to learn or maybe it's just too hard for you. I think the difficulty level is excellent.    … Expand
  29. Circadia
    Feb 14, 2014
    9
    Fantastic game. Have put over a hundred hours into it already. How many times I have I finished the game, maybe twice. It is a challenging game, but those frustrated with not being able to make it through to the end each time are missing the point. FTL is about the journey through space, the agony of loosing a character you have ranked up, the thrill of hiding in a nebula making repairs,Fantastic game. Have put over a hundred hours into it already. How many times I have I finished the game, maybe twice. It is a challenging game, but those frustrated with not being able to make it through to the end each time are missing the point. FTL is about the journey through space, the agony of loosing a character you have ranked up, the thrill of hiding in a nebula making repairs, the joy of taking down a hardened foe with new upgrades and the sense of actually traversing a dangerous galaxy. I am conrfused by reviews that argue the game is both random and lacks replayability. The random nature of each adventure is what makes the game replayable. Each trip through the game brings different side-quests, random events and enemy vessels. After all the time I have put into the game, I have yet to unlock much of the content or finish many of the side quests. This is the brilliance of the game. While the concept is simple, the designers have maxed the core ideas of the game. I am very eager to see the new content for FTL advanced.… Expand
  30. ProtPax
    Feb 13, 2014
    8
    This indie game combines strategy and micromanagement. Similar to the IOS title "Star Command" the player is in charge of a spaceship with a big amount of equipment. Ranging from missiles to Drones. But he also controls the crew which can contain six different races with different abilities.

    You navigate your space vessel from one sector to the next where each sector contains a bunch of    This indie game combines strategy and micromanagement. Similar to the IOS title "Star Command" the player is in charge of a spaceship with a big amount of equipment. Ranging from missiles to Drones. But he also controls the crew which can contain six different races with different abilities.

    You navigate your space vessel from one sector to the next where each sector contains a bunch of randomly generated waypoints. The path through the sector is the player's decision. It is most likely that you will encounter a hostile ship though.

    As many other indie titles FTL has a retro pixel-graphics design, which in my opinion perfectly fits into the overall game design. Very worth mentioning is the impressive soundtrack of the game!

    The gameplay mechanics are very focused on management. You have to decide whether you want to use your ship's energy for a stronger shield or maybe invest it in your medical bay where you can heal your crew members. Will you power your drones which can be very helpful in combat or will you just avoid confrontation?

    At the end of the day FTL is a very consistent title where gameplay sound design and graphics all fit perfectly. What I liked about this game personally was the amount of luck which is involved here. You very much depend on the encounters that occur and the amount of scrap (game currency) you earn. You could lose the game by simply running out of fuel. This said I found FTL a very difficult game especially in the beginning but this isn't a problem at all as the random world generation and the new ship types one can unlock Faster than light has a very high replay value.    … Expand
  31. LucasXplode
    Feb 6, 2014
    10
    This game is fantastic. The combat is fun, the different choices makes it re playable and the ship design is gorgeous. But the best thing about this game is the music! It is the best pixel music ever made! You can also get different ships, explore, buy and sell. It's fun to upgrade your ship as well. Best. Game. Of. 2012. I am very excited for iPad release.
  32. benpaco
    Feb 6, 2014
    9
    Is it a perfect game? No. Some things are buggy, some things are just troll-y. Is it very good? Yes. I can't really think of a reason not to like this game, all of its flaws are easily overcome by other pros for it.
  33. 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
  34. Bigboy0007
    Jan 11, 2014
    9
    Humans are stupid. Giving a game a low score because you can't beat it is stupid. That's not the game, it's you. You can blame bad luck all you want, but using 90% of the ships available I can reach the Last Stand on normal almost every time. At start you will perish, no doubt about it. Spending a lot of time on easy is key; try unlocking all available ships (type A and B) on easy so thatHumans are stupid. Giving a game a low score because you can't beat it is stupid. That's not the game, it's you. You can blame bad luck all you want, but using 90% of the ships available I can reach the Last Stand on normal almost every time. At start you will perish, no doubt about it. Spending a lot of time on easy is key; try unlocking all available ships (type A and B) on easy so that you have a decent arsenal to choose from and you get some game experience. 55 hours in and I'm currently trying to unlock all achievements. It can get repetitive at times but given a few days you'll be coming back for more. Could do with more content, but with the upcoming Advanced Edition update (free of charge) I'll have to return to this review. For the ridiculous prices of the Steam sales, this is a no-brainer.… Expand
  35. DJ_Kaas
    Dec 30, 2013
    9
    Really refreshing and new.I look forward to the free expansion pack coming sometime in 2014. What can I say, it's cool and fun when you try different tactics. It was meant that it should have 8/10, but since the news about the free expansion pack, I give it 9/10

    I really like companies, that renew their products, especially when the game, gets older, then instead making a sequence    Really refreshing and new.I look forward to the free expansion pack coming sometime in 2014. What can I say, it's cool and fun when you try different tactics. It was meant that it should have 8/10, but since the news about the free expansion pack, I give it 9/10

    I really like companies, that renew their products, especially when the game, gets older, then instead making a sequence

    GGWP Subset!    … Expand
  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. rdowney1
    Dec 25, 2013
    10
    If you want to control a ship, and the crew of it, putting out fires, repairing stuff, and beaming on board enemy ships and taking on their crew, then this is the game for you. On PC, via Steam the game is dirt cheap! It is coming to IPAD, and they are going to release an update for free! Great game. Go buy this game.
  38. Vauce
    Dec 24, 2013
    10
    FTL is a well polished roguelike-inspired masterpiece. Each time through you pray for a good run, and each failure teaches you a valuable lesson. The combat is very interesting and challenging, the dialogue is fun and interesting, and the graphics are simple yet pleasing. There is a modding community if you get bored, and the developers have stated they will soon release a version withFTL is a well polished roguelike-inspired masterpiece. Each time through you pray for a good run, and each failure teaches you a valuable lesson. The combat is very interesting and challenging, the dialogue is fun and interesting, and the graphics are simple yet pleasing. There is a modding community if you get bored, and the developers have stated they will soon release a version with additional features. My only issue with the game is that there aren't more like it.… Expand
  39. 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
  40. SpardaKnight
    Dec 21, 2013
    10
    Epic game!, challenging game play, addictive, retro type graphics do suite it well, customizable ships, this game just does so many things right exploring the galaxy is fun and the game has great re playability. All around great game.
  41. Dcoy
    Dec 21, 2013
    8
    Lovely game and for $10 I strongly recommend buying it. Its fun but unforgiving and will not hesitate to kill you at any time only gets harder. While there isn't much customization each crew member feel special and a part of your actual team making the game more fun and makes you care about the crew members and bases it around game play not stunning visuals. It'll take awhile to get aLovely game and for $10 I strongly recommend buying it. Its fun but unforgiving and will not hesitate to kill you at any time only gets harder. While there isn't much customization each crew member feel special and a part of your actual team making the game more fun and makes you care about the crew members and bases it around game play not stunning visuals. It'll take awhile to get a hold of and you'll die quite a bit I give this game an 8/10… Expand
  42. tenmuter
    Dec 16, 2013
    9
    I am not an indie gamer. I typically cannot stand games that have or 2d graphics because I grew up around xbox 360s and PS2 or PS3 systems. That however did not stop me from absolutely falling in love with FTL. FTL has great music, gameplay, and is strangely addicting. It is simple enough to be understood by most people and if you read the tips on the wiki page you will find easy mode ofI am not an indie gamer. I typically cannot stand games that have or 2d graphics because I grew up around xbox 360s and PS2 or PS3 systems. That however did not stop me from absolutely falling in love with FTL. FTL has great music, gameplay, and is strangely addicting. It is simple enough to be understood by most people and if you read the tips on the wiki page you will find easy mode of the game quite enjoyable. The normal mode is quite difficult and is often frustrating but I feel that the game is well balanced. Anyways, play the game on easy mode if your ego can handle it and you might actually become as addicted to it as I did. As a closing thought: Great value for a great game. I bought FTL for 10 bucks or less on steam and it was one of the best purchases I have ever made online. Support indie gamers!… Expand
  43. BSim500
    Dec 12, 2013
    4
    Very mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand it's a great example of what indie games can achieve with just 2 developers. The general idea is good. GFX are "old school", but that's certainly not a problem in itself (I like retro gaming in general) and has zero bearing on my score.

    On the other, as others have said, the mechanics are more about luck or "dice throwing" than skill    Very mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand it's a great example of what indie games can achieve with just 2 developers. The general idea is good. GFX are "old school", but that's certainly not a problem in itself (I like retro gaming in general) and has zero bearing on my score.

    On the other, as others have said, the mechanics are more about luck or "dice throwing" than skill or strategy. It's not "hard" in the positive sense of "if you make a mistake you can learn from it and improve", it's hard in the tedious sense of "what a random number generator decides no matter how well you play". When you get "dealt a bad hand" something like 14 times in a row (happened to me) right from the start and there's no manual save, the game gets very tedious very quickly. And playing games should be about enjoying them, not killing off all enthusiasm during the first couple of hours.

    The game also crashed twice, which further underlies the need for a manual save/load, as after the second crash, I just couldn't be bothered to replay it all after losing all progress through no fault of my own. If the game had a better balance between skill & luck (say 75% skill, 25% luck) it would be really good, but right now it's almost 10% skill, 90% luck, which greatly detracts from the gameplay.    … Expand
  44. The_Phoenix2324
    Dec 10, 2013
    9
    The first time I played the video game, FTL (Faster Than Light,) I was a bit of a skeptic. It didn’t really draw me in. Probably because the game isn’t displayed in 3D and doesn’t have all the visual stimulation that comes with many of the high priced games now-a-days. After my first two hours I was hooked. Now somehow I’ve logged 43 hours of game play and in those 43 hours I’ve beatenThe first time I played the video game, FTL (Faster Than Light,) I was a bit of a skeptic. It didn’t really draw me in. Probably because the game isn’t displayed in 3D and doesn’t have all the visual stimulation that comes with many of the high priced games now-a-days. After my first two hours I was hooked. Now somehow I’ve logged 43 hours of game play and in those 43 hours I’ve beaten the game once on the easiest setting. The game is incredibly challenging, but rewarding as well. I enjoy the fact that you have to think fast on your feet to keep your crew alive, and it is not just mindless shooting. It requires thought and logic. The artwork and style reminds me of a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game, but with a great deal more complexity. In any given battle you may find you’ll have to send crew to repair different systems (note: oxygen is very important), you’ll have to fire weapons, power up the med bay to heal your injured crew, cloak your ship, teleport your crew to the enemy ship to engage in combat, or manage your different ships systems like drone control. Drone control can be used to attack, heal, defend, and repair your ship. The price of the game is extremely reasonable at $9.99 USD on STEAM, the FTL site, or GOG site. This game has won quite a few awards and was developed by a two person Indie team who are still active with the product. A new downloadable content (DLC) is schedule to come out in early 2014. I’m sure I’ll be logging even more hours after the DLC drops.… Expand
  45. 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
  46. 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
  47. flame2057
    Nov 30, 2013
    9
    Awesome fun RPG. Very fun and, hard. Great especially if you like star trek! I love how the game doesn't focus on whats outside the ship, but whats going on inside the ship and controlling the crew.
  48. HueyLewisFan
    Nov 23, 2013
    9
    FTL is a strange game. It is most certainly not for everyone, yet I'd recommend it to everyone reading this just the same. It can't really fit into a genre, yet the gameplay feels smooth and refined like it's a polished machine that's been put into play for countless generations of gaming. The music is PHENOMENAL, setting the mood for every zone in a way that can't be done by simply lovingFTL is a strange game. It is most certainly not for everyone, yet I'd recommend it to everyone reading this just the same. It can't really fit into a genre, yet the gameplay feels smooth and refined like it's a polished machine that's been put into play for countless generations of gaming. The music is PHENOMENAL, setting the mood for every zone in a way that can't be done by simply loving music or video games in general; composer Ben Prunty's passion and love for this game can be felt through the soundtrack. The story of your crew's saga is minimal and subtle overall, but for good reason. Each jump and following landing feels like an episode of Star Trek with it's own story devices, choices and dialogues, and of course benefits and consequences. Detracting from each of this individual experiences would make this less of an episodic adventure and more of a summer action blockbuster.

    It is brutally difficult, and you are in no way guaranteed success at any point. You warp out of a bad fight and end up in an asteroid field with Mantis pirates boarding you before you even can repair the holes into the vacuum from the last fight. You could lose crew members to random events that could have just as easily rewarded you. Yet, the game is made for this crushing defeats. As is often said, "Losing is Fun".

    That said, if you can't get past it's brutal difficulty curve, it might not be worth playing. Additionally, the game is rather short if you don't want to do multiple playthroughs. Some sort of never ending "sandbox" mode would have been appreciated.    … Expand
  49. rahto56pilko84
    Nov 22, 2013
    8
    very good game. Not feeling like writing a detailed review, you can just read what others have said already So i am filling this text to reach the 150 character mark!
  50. 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
  51. Hurpix
    Nov 17, 2013
    10
    A very good game. If you like space, aliens, epic fights, events, and more, buy FTL: Faster Than Light and you will support the developers and maybe they can make multiplayer! This game is 10/10 BUY IT! :D
  52. AnonJ
    Nov 16, 2013
    8
    After reading so many unfavorable reviews being rated as most helpful, I actually find the game far beyond my expectation. I understand people's claim about the random difficulty, but otherwise the game is a near-perfect indie game, with a lot of story events and achievements quite attractive. Definitely worth many times of re-playingthrough, unlike some comments claim.(Don't know whetherAfter reading so many unfavorable reviews being rated as most helpful, I actually find the game far beyond my expectation. I understand people's claim about the random difficulty, but otherwise the game is a near-perfect indie game, with a lot of story events and achievements quite attractive. Definitely worth many times of re-playingthrough, unlike some comments claim.(Don't know whether they actually added more elements in later versions, but as long as my experience goes it's really nice). If you really feel some issues about its difficulty, go and use a game editor, now that most of them are already really mature. Then you can enjoy the immersive game world without a gripe.… Expand
  53. thebuttsatisfie
    Nov 16, 2013
    10
    These game developers. They play coy, pretending like they aren't going to make DLC at some point. And as soon as I've finally weaned myself off this wonderful game, as soon as I'm no longer tempted to double-click it in Steam when I'm downloading a big file to pass time, they announce a damn DLC.

    This game is rewarding and enriching when you beat it; the rest of the time it's an    These game developers. They play coy, pretending like they aren't going to make DLC at some point. And as soon as I've finally weaned myself off this wonderful game, as soon as I'm no longer tempted to double-click it in Steam when I'm downloading a big file to pass time, they announce a damn DLC.

    This game is rewarding and enriching when you beat it; the rest of the time it's an alcoholic stepfather who just got back from the bar. You gon git it. Real good. Your ship all tricked out and you feel like the kid with the biggest nuts on the block? I bet you do! Here, remember that time that they disabled your oxygen systems and threw four mantis boarders at you in a random event? Bet you stocked up on Zoltans because you like that power boost. How cute. Good luck having them survive while they repair the oxygen systems.

    Look, it's hard. "Easy" in this game is "normal" everywhere else. Now don't take my word for it, test your pride and start out on "Normal" in this game and see how far you get. You'll go back to "easy". It's okay, we've all done it. Just don't get attached to your ship, crew, equipment, or anything really.

    Except the game. Get attached to the game.    … Expand
  54. keefbaker
    Nov 13, 2013
    10
    THE..... BEST.... ROGUELIKE.... EVER.... BAR.... NONE.... Amazingly well thought out game where you command a spaceship and given the way roguelikes work it doesn't appear to suffer from feeling horribly repetitive unlike the lions share of this genre.
  55. 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
  56. Dokkodo
    Nov 8, 2013
    8
    If you get easily frustrated, do not play this game. You very well may punch your monitor.

    As other reviews have said, it's a RTS ship management rogue-like game. Chances are, you're going to die. You may even do everything perfectly and still die. The random elements get frustrating, but it's kinda like poker. You make the best of your hands whether it's good or bad. You play a good    If you get easily frustrated, do not play this game. You very well may punch your monitor.

    As other reviews have said, it's a RTS ship management rogue-like game. Chances are, you're going to die. You may even do everything perfectly and still die.

    The random elements get frustrating, but it's kinda like poker. You make the best of your hands whether it's good or bad. You play a good hand badly, you're gonna die. You play a bad hand good, well you still might die, but you'll give it a helluva fight before you do.

    It's challenging and unique, haven't played a game quite like this one which is always a plus when the market is so full of stale copies of one another.

    If you like challenges, like management, and can tolerate some WTF moments, you'll enjoy this game.    … Expand
  57. g0ing2f4st
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    Space based rouge like with a bit of combat tactics. Music is incredible. Game can be very challenging at first. Start on easy and take your time to learn when to make what choices and what setups are the best. It sucks you in with your desire to get further each run and once beating the boss the pursuit of unlocking more ships provides many hours of entertainment.
  58. BeatHour
    Oct 28, 2013
    10
    Amazing game. Best space simulator I've played, and a ton of fun. Hours and hours of playtime to be had. It could use some more content and further expansion, because its a marvelous base. A warning, though, its a killer to people who don't like to think or who can't learn (as witnessed by the few negative comments saying "this is impossible").

    It might help to watch a YouTube Let's    Amazing game. Best space simulator I've played, and a ton of fun. Hours and hours of playtime to be had. It could use some more content and further expansion, because its a marvelous base. A warning, though, its a killer to people who don't like to think or who can't learn (as witnessed by the few negative comments saying "this is impossible").

    It might help to watch a YouTube Let's Play of it before you jump in.    … Expand
  59. fffred
    Oct 26, 2013
    9
    Fantastic little game. Best value ever. The strategy-oriented gameplay is very straightforward but also deep and new to my experience. It is a very challenging game, and you could get frustrated. The only bad point is that the story gets repetitive after some point. Well, I played already 150h, so it's not bad at all.
  60. GPuzzle
    Oct 21, 2013
    9
    Roguelikes.
    If you like them, go buy this ASAP.
    If you don't, I'll give you some critical reviews on this game: The game is fun if you enjoy the process of creating something, not the end of it that means that I had more fun trying to figure what would be the most efficient way to solve a problem launch that Hermes Missile right into their weapons or try to set their shields down with    Roguelikes.
    If you like them, go buy this ASAP.
    If you don't, I'll give you some critical reviews on this game:
    The game is fun if you enjoy the process of creating something, not the end of it that means that I had more fun trying to figure what would be the most efficient way to solve a problem launch that Hermes Missile right into their weapons or try to set their shields down with a Ion Beam and a Burst Laser MkII? than I had actually winning the fights. It also raises some morality questions while getting a slave free is certainly the best option, you must spend quite some scrap on it perhaps you could force the slaver into giving on for free for you if you damage his ship enough then again, this won't stop his activities, so you may as well destroy his ship. Also, there are several other options do I upgrade my shields or try to upgrade my weapons? And then again, how am I gonna get the scrap? By killing people?
    The entire game runs on randomness, so it is quite similar to RPG games, and I mean the ones with actual Roleplay, where you throw dice and this makes the entire point of the game. I've never had a single equal game yet. It's fun to see what you can do in the situation. Sure, your skills and your choices matter a lot. They are the main things that you'd expect to be used. Your knowledge. I've gone through over 200 games now, all of them ended up differently. My knowledge mattered. What I did, mattered. It's the fact that your captain may die right now if he doesn't stop fighting the mantises and you'll lose someone with two stars on driving a starship, but, at the same time, the mantises may be able to take down your weapons and you won't be able to fire again until you've cleared them out.
    It's a game where you need to think "maybe I could have done X right here... I should do Y now to counter that and allow me to do Z."
    Not one where you can say "I'll do X and then Y".    … Expand
  61. Talbis
    Oct 20, 2013
    10
    A perfect game doesn't exist, but FTL: Faster Than Light is the closest thing to it I saw in recent years. Graphics may not look amazing, but they don't have to. They're clean, they allow you to both get an accurate view on what's going on on the screen and leave enough for your imagination to roam. Sounds and most importantly, music is amazing. Nothing short of art. It creates the properA perfect game doesn't exist, but FTL: Faster Than Light is the closest thing to it I saw in recent years. Graphics may not look amazing, but they don't have to. They're clean, they allow you to both get an accurate view on what's going on on the screen and leave enough for your imagination to roam. Sounds and most importantly, music is amazing. Nothing short of art. It creates the proper atmosphere and fits thematically to the game. It's great. Gameplay is quite possibly the best feature of FTL. It's simple to understand and hard to master. Never will this game allow you to be the best at everything, and the real time tactical battles with an active pause wirks in advantage for this title. It's a hard game, it will kick your ass, but it's also very addictive. And the story... Some people might say that this game has no story and that the text in the game is not a good script, if any... I treat FTL as a story generator. Just name your ship and crew, turn on your imagination and make a story for yourself! It's great deal of fun!

    This is easly one of the best games in recent years. It's a must play. It will kick your ass and you're going to love every second of it. It's been years since the last time I couldn't leave the game until I completely unlocked everything and got every achievement in the game... Give it a chance, you won't regret it.    … Expand
  62. Jadetiger
    Oct 18, 2013
    8
    When I first booted this game up, I didn't get what all the fuss was about. It's low tech, with very simple graphics. But after I played a while, upgraded my ship, found new crew members, and journeyed deeper into the galaxy, I got it.

    Different weapons work against different shield types. You can upgrade your ship with drones which can ward off missiles or attack an enemy ship.    When I first booted this game up, I didn't get what all the fuss was about. It's low tech, with very simple graphics. But after I played a while, upgraded my ship, found new crew members, and journeyed deeper into the galaxy, I got it.

    Different weapons work against different shield types. You can upgrade your ship with drones which can ward off missiles or attack an enemy ship. This is all presented in a simple manner, but the gameplay is very addicting. The game is perma-death, which keeps you on the edge of your seat.    … Expand
  63. makeswell
    Oct 10, 2013
    8
    You choose what weapons to fire, what enemies to engage, what weapons to buy for your ship. Lots of choices like that. I like the big boss at the last level. He is very hard so the rest of the game is in some ways a preparation in the sense that you accumulate credit by defeating enemies and use that credit to buy weapons you need to defeat the boss.

    I really liked this game. The only    You choose what weapons to fire, what enemies to engage, what weapons to buy for your ship. Lots of choices like that. I like the big boss at the last level. He is very hard so the rest of the game is in some ways a preparation in the sense that you accumulate credit by defeating enemies and use that credit to buy weapons you need to defeat the boss.

    I really liked this game. The only reason I've sworn off this game is that you have little control over what weapons you can buy at the store. There are only certain items available at the store each time and so you have to keep checking and hope that they have what you want. This sounds nice but in practice this means you can play the whole game and not see that one sweet item you need to defeat the boss and then you'll lose at the end. I didn't like that element, I wish I'd had more control over whether I win or not (such as did I make a mistake here or there, or perhaps I will try some new strategy next time) rather than depend on lady luck to be there for me when I go to the stores.    … Expand
  64. Megatanis
    Oct 9, 2013
    10
    YES!! Finally, this is pure genius. A light in the dark.. take this modern uber hyped crap games!
    The proof that a good game is based on a good concept, passion, love for your work.
    No need for super graphics and 2gb cutscenes, no need for a 2000$ rig to run this gem. All those multimillion developers/corporations should be ASHAMED, faster than light is simply perfect. And it is    YES!! Finally, this is pure genius. A light in the dark.. take this modern uber hyped crap games!
    The proof that a good game is based on a good concept, passion, love for your work.
    No need for super graphics and 2gb cutscenes, no need for a 2000$ rig to run this gem.
    All those multimillion developers/corporations should be ASHAMED, faster than light is simply perfect. And it is unbelievable how much fun you'll have playing it.    … Expand
  65. DemiGoth
    Oct 7, 2013
    8
    I've always skipped FTL because of the 8-bit graphics look and sounds, but when I got it in a bundle I thought to give it a try. Damn, was I sad that I judged this game on it's looks & sounds the movie gave me. Yeah, as expected, it's not much to look at and sounds are really mediocre, but you forget all about it when you start to play FTL! It's the addictive gameplay that compensates it'sI've always skipped FTL because of the 8-bit graphics look and sounds, but when I got it in a bundle I thought to give it a try. Damn, was I sad that I judged this game on it's looks & sounds the movie gave me. Yeah, as expected, it's not much to look at and sounds are really mediocre, but you forget all about it when you start to play FTL! It's the addictive gameplay that compensates it's look and I can't stop playing it whenever I have a few minutes to kill behind my PC I'm playing FTL.… Expand
  66. Dcruize
    Oct 4, 2013
    9
    The best rogue-like game I've played I'm not usually a fan of them( and stop playing after a couple of deaths), but FTL is an enjoyable and highly challenging blast. The difficulty is very random and I'm convinced the vast majority of seeds are not 'winnable', but hey, all part of the fun.
  67. VideoGameCritic
    Oct 4, 2013
    8
    This was a huge surprise to me when I first played this game. Faster Tan Light was never boring, there were so many adventures I had that my friends didn't have. Each time you board your ship a whole new adventure is about to began. I was always nervous to go through the purple clouds that were almost always in my way, regardless of that this game was pretty challenging but in the bestThis was a huge surprise to me when I first played this game. Faster Tan Light was never boring, there were so many adventures I had that my friends didn't have. Each time you board your ship a whole new adventure is about to began. I was always nervous to go through the purple clouds that were almost always in my way, regardless of that this game was pretty challenging but in the best way. I never fought a death because they are always justified. If my ship blow up it was because I used to much power on my weapons and not enough on my shields. Maybe I was trying to save up for a cool weapon and I choice not to fix my ship and ran into a pirate ship. I always caused my own death and because of that I never raged over this game. FTL was so simple yet technical, the upgrades were very useful and none of them were money pits. The idea of having other alien species is really cool and I could never get all of them on my ship at once. In the end I couldn't ask for a better experience, the only issue I have is that there are the same quest and enemies no matter what, if there were more options It would be a nine out of ten but the squeal will get that score. This however is still pretty great and a solid eight out of ten is more than enough for one of the best game I played this year.… Expand
  68. thefreeman140
    Oct 2, 2013
    8
    Very fun. I love the different scenarios implemented to give it more of an "adventurous" feel as if you were actually on an adventure with this crew you created. The combat is just as amazing. Its exciting because while your fighting an enemy ship, you are also maintaining all of ships different functions and you're always doing something to the point where its almost exhausting. In a goodVery fun. I love the different scenarios implemented to give it more of an "adventurous" feel as if you were actually on an adventure with this crew you created. The combat is just as amazing. Its exciting because while your fighting an enemy ship, you are also maintaining all of ships different functions and you're always doing something to the point where its almost exhausting. In a good way. The reason I did not give this game an 8 is because although it had a lot of situations implemented, I didn't feel there was enough to keep me interested for a super long time. But for a $10 price tag, it's definitely a steal.… Expand
  69. 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
  70. Idiocracy
    Sep 30, 2013
    10
    I adore this game, enjoyed every minute of it, loved the originality, and loved that the gameplay was exactly what they said it was, there was no trickery. So to decide if you want to play this just read the description and watch the video, easy peasy no way to coq it up. Yes this is a Roguelike game which means yes once you die you die, it also means is random, so if you read that in theI adore this game, enjoyed every minute of it, loved the originality, and loved that the gameplay was exactly what they said it was, there was no trickery. So to decide if you want to play this just read the description and watch the video, easy peasy no way to coq it up. Yes this is a Roguelike game which means yes once you die you die, it also means is random, so if you read that in the description, then saw it in the video, then bought the game and said WTF THIS IS RANDOM AND HARD, then got on here to talk trash about it, then its your fault and go die.… Expand
  71. flametail
    Sep 29, 2013
    8
    Its a fun space game, but you will get stuck on something, like for example; they ships running out of oxygen and there is a drone in the "O2" chamber, and the doors are open for killing alien reasons.

    That's the fun part, figure it out find out a way to save them.
  72. 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
  73. neigenoire
    Sep 25, 2013
    10
    Pros:
    + Very fun and addictive
    + Gameplay is simple but very tactical + Can be extremely challenging + Randomness factor coupled with interesting achievements and unlockables add a degree of replayability + Music is absolutely perfect + Makes you feel like a captain of a spaceship Can't really think of any big cons off the top of my head. Just a fun, little game that will rid you    Pros:
    + Very fun and addictive
    + Gameplay is simple but very tactical
    + Can be extremely challenging
    + Randomness factor coupled with interesting achievements and unlockables add a degree of replayability
    + Music is absolutely perfect
    + Makes you feel like a captain of a spaceship

    Can't really think of any big cons off the top of my head. Just a fun, little game that will rid you of sleep for a couple days/weeks.    … Expand
  74. Muscularmouse
    Sep 23, 2013
    8
    FLT is a perma-death game based on living the Star Trek life you've always wanted to live, being the captain of the vessel. To clarify, FLT being a perma-death game completely changes the way people play the game and how the game is made in general (Not necessarily for the worst). It makes people think twice before making a decision, which is mostly what FLT is based upon, makingFLT is a perma-death game based on living the Star Trek life you've always wanted to live, being the captain of the vessel. To clarify, FLT being a perma-death game completely changes the way people play the game and how the game is made in general (Not necessarily for the worst). It makes people think twice before making a decision, which is mostly what FLT is based upon, making decisions. This is a great approach on a perma-death game rather than it just be 60% luck..... well, it would be if that weren't true for this game.
    All of the decisions you make are based on luck, where you end up teleporting is based on luck, how strong the enemy is luck, but these aren't bad things. These are necessary for a game that has random-generating levels, though, they come with the consequence of needed luck. This would be fine for FLT, but FLT is, as said before, based upon making decisions, which are based upon luck. So, while you have quite some control over how your fate ends, the decisions you make are more like rolling the dice, and choosing which dice to roll, the 6-sided dice, or the 8-sided dice.
    Now on to the part of the game that bothered me the most, the ending, ending boss in particular. Final bosses in games are typically grand, massive, exciting, and the climax of the game. FLT covers all of these factors, however, they overdid one aspect of a final boss that isn't always thought of. The difficulty. The FLT final boss is VERY difficult to defeat, and by VERY difficult, I mean, it makes Ghosts N' Goblins bosses seem like a joke. The difference between FTL and most other games, as said before, is that it's perma-death, and if you can't save at a checkpoint of any sort, you're going to fight that final boss and lose and not be able to fight him again for a while... because the rest of the game is pretty hard too. You can't learn from your mistakes or learns a strategy for the final boss. While you could argue that it's a perma-death game and isn't meant to be memorized, you can't say that beating the final boss the first time around is possible either. The thing is that the boss comes as a surprise. While the hardest ships you may be fighting with may have 3 shields and 2 weapons, the final boss has 5 shields, 4 weapons (including a freaking tri-rocket-launcher thingy that wrecks havoc) with massive health and a cloaking device...... see where the difficulty spike is here?
    Now despite the problems mentioned here, FLT is still a really good game. It puts your strategy to the test is a unique space commanding adventure. It challenges you with thought-provoking problems and and many different situations to deal with. While some situations may be dealt with luck, you will know that you are making your own decisions for the majority of the game..... at least until you reach the final boss.    … Expand
  75. Pomegranate23
    Sep 22, 2013
    10
    EPICLY AWESOME GAME! For 10€ I have had 100+ hours of fun. T
    The game is hard, very hard. Its unforgiving and brutal but that makes it awesome. You will have such an epic feeling when you beat the game. Replay value is high since the game has alot of randomness in it.

    The setting and music is also great. Will make you feel like you're truely flying trough space.
  76. Mutilated_Melon
    Sep 21, 2013
    9
    This game is very reliant on strategy, and it does it well. Unlike other games, which jam skills and devices down your throat making the game hard to comprehend. In games like DOTA 2, you have nowhere to start and feel clueless (not that DOTA 2 is bad, just really complicated). FTL manages to keep it simple, with a clear, clean cut design. The way you manage your systems through power barsThis game is very reliant on strategy, and it does it well. Unlike other games, which jam skills and devices down your throat making the game hard to comprehend. In games like DOTA 2, you have nowhere to start and feel clueless (not that DOTA 2 is bad, just really complicated). FTL manages to keep it simple, with a clear, clean cut design. The way you manage your systems through power bars is easy to understand. It makes the game easier to pick up and play without much tutorial. But late in the game when you cap your power bars you need to strategize which systems are more important. Like, should I use it towards engines or an extra beam weapon? This form of simplicity on the outside and strategy on the inside leaves a very fun game. The one downside (and this is bound to come with rogue-likes and the such) is that when you die from something stupid, like an intruder, or a ship with much better weapons than you, it's hard to not be frustrated. Overall: 9/10 great game, suggest you pick it up especially if it's on sale.… Expand
  77. LD9000
    Sep 18, 2013
    8
    A decent fun game with an average game duration of about an hour, very addictive for a couple days. Also very hard, out of a over a dozen attempts I managed to win once using a stealth cruiser.
  78. Type4101
    Sep 13, 2013
    8
    FTL is proof that gameplay--not graphics--make a game fun. A reasonably-priced indie gem, FTL offers surprising depth in a little package. It is a "rogue-like" game, and that has some pros and cons (brutal difficulty at times due to randomness and permanent death, but a level of satisfaction upon winning that feels like an accomplishment). I eagerly look forward to an even deeper sequelFTL is proof that gameplay--not graphics--make a game fun. A reasonably-priced indie gem, FTL offers surprising depth in a little package. It is a "rogue-like" game, and that has some pros and cons (brutal difficulty at times due to randomness and permanent death, but a level of satisfaction upon winning that feels like an accomplishment). I eagerly look forward to an even deeper sequel (let us hope!).… Expand
  79. not_good
    Sep 11, 2013
    10
    One of the best hour/dollar ratios in gaming. This game is hard as balls though, not that there's anything wrong with that. As far as roguelikes go this is one of my favorites.

    I love this game.
  80. fbtsjxl
    Sep 11, 2013
    9
    FTL is fun, despite the fact that most of the time you die a horrible death as your ship breaks apart and explodes. You play the Captain or Commander of a small starship with an important mission essentially save the galaxy from the enemy fleet.

    On the rare occasion your ship isn’t destroyed prepare to see your roguish crew eviscerated in front of your eyes by praying mantises,    FTL is fun, despite the fact that most of the time you die a horrible death as your ship breaks apart and explodes. You play the Captain or Commander of a small starship with an important mission essentially save the galaxy from the enemy fleet.

    On the rare occasion your ship isn’t destroyed prepare to see your roguish crew eviscerated in front of your eyes by praying mantises, suffocate in the airless corridors of your ship, or test the old adage that in space no one can here you scream.

    Your neighbours will here you scream though as the ship and crew you’ve navigated star systems with and grown attached to are subjected to all sorts of interstellar bad luck.

    That is where the game shines. It's a simple premise, you select a ship, choose and name your crew and set off into the galaxy. The entire galaxy is randomly generated so you will get a different experience each play through you could get very lucky and have a breezy first couple of systems and luck out and find some great weapon systems and tech, or you could have a tough time of it as you are forced to fight your way out of system after system. Your crew give life to the galaxy, you really do grow attached as they do their stuff, as your engineer makes a life saving fix on the damaged engines allowing you the few precious seconds dodging enemy fire and missiles to charge your jump drive then making a dramatic escape! That was just one example of the things that could happen in your run!

    The simple retro-stylings of the graphic make the game feel light hearted and fun despite the threat of your crew being ejected into the void of space at any moment.

    Staying ahead of the encroaching enemy fleet leaves you little time to explore star systems at your leisure. At the same time, this tension forces you to make sure the route you plot through systems is filled with difficult choices. Do I head into a nebula to slow enemy sensors? Blast through a ring of pirates? Or slide my way around enemy ships to make it to the end of the level? This combination of choice and danger makes FTL a gripping experience that is surprisingly nuanced for such a simple premise.    … Expand
  81. mariomeetslego
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    I was looking on steam for some cheap games to buy. I found this and Reus, but I chose this, and as soon as I started playing, I couldn't stop. I spent 4 hours straight just messing around and failing. The game always has something new in store and is your always thinking "should I sent my crew in to find survivors? Or will they get killed by an alien spider" meaning you always need to beI was looking on steam for some cheap games to buy. I found this and Reus, but I chose this, and as soon as I started playing, I couldn't stop. I spent 4 hours straight just messing around and failing. The game always has something new in store and is your always thinking "should I sent my crew in to find survivors? Or will they get killed by an alien spider" meaning you always need to be careful of your choices. The incredible amount of content is this game is just wow. All the different ships to unlock, and their multiple layouts, the achievements, the different species of aliens to hire, the enemies, everything is just so entertaining and addictive. Its not too difficult if you play on easy, which is nice for people who want to try the game but do not want to be challenged. The game is very fun, very addicting and very replayable. This is an INCREDIBLE value for just $10 and Its Definitely worth it.

    With the great value, replayability, and addictiveness this definitely deserves a 9.5. One of the best
    indie games you can get for really cheap. I really suggest you go buy it RIGHT NOW! Stop reading this. Buy it. If you already bought it, PLAY IT! What are you waiting for, this game is great!    … Expand
  82. SgtRexPowwer
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    This game could be very frustrating. I ve raged when i died because Little mistakes everytime. But one time i won it and the feeling was great FTL is a very nice indie game. 10 Points for it.
  83. Rootbeerpants
    Sep 2, 2013
    8
    I love this game I really do but it seems to hate me. There's a lot of dick moves the game pulls off along with giving some amazing amounts of frustration. But you really do care about your crew and your ship.
    Super addictive as well and I always come back for more. The game has a few faults such as a poor soundtrack and truly frustrating moments that it throws your way, such as the final    I love this game I really do but it seems to hate me. There's a lot of dick moves the game pulls off along with giving some amazing amounts of frustration. But you really do care about your crew and your ship.
    Super addictive as well and I always come back for more. The game has a few faults such as a poor soundtrack and truly frustrating moments that it throws your way, such as the final boss who is just insane levels of powerful. Overall I would say watch a video of someone playing it and see if its for you before putting money into it.    … Expand
  84. 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
  85. Ian277
    Aug 25, 2013
    8
    a very enjoyable game. it isn't too difficult in the beginning and gradually gets harder... WAY harder. most rogue like games forget to use a easier beginning to draw you in before smashing you to pieces. his game however does a great job of tricking you into thinking "my ship is great i'll beat it this time!". i like the soundtrack. the images in the background are repeated a bit tooa very enjoyable game. it isn't too difficult in the beginning and gradually gets harder... WAY harder. most rogue like games forget to use a easier beginning to draw you in before smashing you to pieces. his game however does a great job of tricking you into thinking "my ship is great i'll beat it this time!". i like the soundtrack. the images in the background are repeated a bit too often, but it's not that big of a deal. anyway one of the better rogue like games i have ever played.… Expand
  86. Orctownorc
    Aug 24, 2013
    8
    While I agree with all the negative comments, I think the red score guys are giving up too fast rather than getting serious and trying harder. YES you will fail most play-through attempts, but it isn't futile. The whole point of the game is to find and unlock the various ship builds and to learn which weapons are useful in the endgame. You can't do this with 2-3 failed runs. You need toWhile I agree with all the negative comments, I think the red score guys are giving up too fast rather than getting serious and trying harder. YES you will fail most play-through attempts, but it isn't futile. The whole point of the game is to find and unlock the various ship builds and to learn which weapons are useful in the endgame. You can't do this with 2-3 failed runs. You need to do MORE failed runs and keep learning. Then, when you understand what you need, you go for the win. And obviously it isn't so hard after all, once you have unlocks, once you understand. A single play-though takes about four hours. But of course you can quit before then or restart if you mess up. The game is fine. It is what it says it would be.

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set a few bad habits straight: Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red. For the sake of accountability: you can reply if needed: Orctowngrot: Tim Rawlins: timtimjp@yahoo.com    … Expand
  87. sypisybi
    Aug 22, 2013
    9
    The enjoyment of simply playing FTL, as well as the amount of replayability through discovering new ships, makes it one of the most enjoyable rogue-likes that you can currently get.
  88. TrueGamer81
    Aug 21, 2013
    10
    How can anyone give this game anything less than a 10? I will be the first to admit that this is my very first experience with a rogue-like, let alone a rogue-like RTS space sim, but I am having more fun with this Indie game than I have had with AAA titles. This is such an amazing concept and the replayability is endless.

    I can't recommend this title enough. You have heard it said, "Buy    How can anyone give this game anything less than a 10? I will be the first to admit that this is my very first experience with a rogue-like, let alone a rogue-like RTS space sim, but I am having more fun with this Indie game than I have had with AAA titles. This is such an amazing concept and the replayability is endless.

    I can't recommend this title enough. You have heard it said, "Buy this if you are a fan of *insert*, or a gamer in general". Well I say, "Buy this if you are a human being". That may sound silly, but it really is that good.    … Expand
  89. Ursa
    Aug 13, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Like others here, I really enjoyed the game at parts. Unfortunately it is not quite finished, and extremely unbalanced towards the end. (spoiler alert). The endgame consists of 3 battles with the enemy mothership, however the second encounter is impossible to finish. For some reason the enemy ship will board endless times, and also extremely often, so you cannot defeat the first one before the second comes on. Also the enemies are unable to suffocate via the doors for some reason And as if that weren't enough for some reason the ship loses it's shields every 10 seconds or so, and it's impossible to stop this from happening. When developers fix this bug, I will raise score to 8. It's really annoying, because when you're defeated at the second endgame boss encounter, you realize you've wasted 10 hours of your life because of this bug. Hope this will be fixed soon. -Ursa… Expand
  90. Yu_Jin_X5
    Aug 12, 2013
    9
    A very good game with hours of entertainment. At first I was not sure if I would like it, but I bought it for only $2.50 but once I got playing I was addicted and played it for hours. I is really fun building your crew and deciding who to help and who to accept bribes from. Playing this game you even get attached to your crew who try to battle to keep your ship from falling apart. And, forA very good game with hours of entertainment. At first I was not sure if I would like it, but I bought it for only $2.50 but once I got playing I was addicted and played it for hours. I is really fun building your crew and deciding who to help and who to accept bribes from. Playing this game you even get attached to your crew who try to battle to keep your ship from falling apart. And, for fairly cheep whats stopping you from getting this game?… Expand
  91. Ryald_King
    Aug 12, 2013
    9
    This is a sweet game. It is a bit too dependent on luck, but with time you develop response strategies to different situations. The key is to maximize on good situations and retreat when things get bad if necessary. I guess that's a part of this game's appeal mainstream games today simply aren't trying to kill you anymore. They always try to hold your hand. Now where's the fun in that?
  92. PhantomLimb
    Aug 9, 2013
    10
    I'll just start off by saying that "Losing is part of the fun", the game itself tells you this. Even if/when you beat the game, you realize it's not a lengthy game. You're meant to play this over and over again.

    Because of the randomness, you will have to play several times to get the quests to unlock ships. The reason I have so much fun is because I want to unlock each ship and    I'll just start off by saying that "Losing is part of the fun", the game itself tells you this. Even if/when you beat the game, you realize it's not a lengthy game. You're meant to play this over and over again.

    Because of the randomness, you will have to play several times to get the quests to unlock ships. The reason I have so much fun is because I want to unlock each ship and practice with each one until I beat the game with each ship because that's fun for me. Each ship has a different playstyle and figuring that out is fun.

    For people that don't like to try and try again when playing a game should just stay away.    … Expand
  93. 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
  94. 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
  95. overfiend87
    Aug 7, 2013
    10
    a very nice catch by steam here. This game is basically star trek as you have many different rooms and systems and at times I felt like saying to myself "move full power to the shields" and it is a lot of fun. It's somewhat a simple game, but it's done so well and in such a way that it's like playing your own little star trek game. You have a story where you have to run ahead of thea very nice catch by steam here. This game is basically star trek as you have many different rooms and systems and at times I felt like saying to myself "move full power to the shields" and it is a lot of fun. It's somewhat a simple game, but it's done so well and in such a way that it's like playing your own little star trek game. You have a story where you have to run ahead of the rebellion to pass on the message to the guys in charge to give yourself a advantage. A lot of effort and fun in this game and well worth the price.… Expand
  96. GolovA
    Aug 2, 2013
    8
    Be warned right away this is a Rogue Type of Game, and you cannot load a save if you die! That said the game is pretty cool. Enjoyed it a lot: there is a development element you hook up you ship, but and sell weapons and augmentations, upgrade systems, etc., your crew also gets experience for performing tasks. There is also the Combat element you battle other ships, loot them, orBe warned right away this is a Rogue Type of Game, and you cannot load a save if you die! That said the game is pretty cool. Enjoyed it a lot: there is a development element you hook up you ship, but and sell weapons and augmentations, upgrade systems, etc., your crew also gets experience for performing tasks. There is also the Combat element you battle other ships, loot them, or run away screaming (since, like i mentioned there are loads!). Then, there is the exploring element you explore the galaxy, pressed by the hostile Rebels, who pursue you throughout sectors; random events spice up the game, and so no. One drawback is that the game is hard even on Easy setting it will take quite a few passes to complete. And the Normal Setting is absurd. I wish the difficulty would be better balanced. Yet again this is a rogue game Overall had a lot of fun with this one!… Expand
  97. Sznurek44
    Aug 2, 2013
    9
    Gives "Just One More Level" syndrome every time. Addictive. Hard as One of the best indies. FTL stimulates the imagination, You can "touch" climate of science fiction. Must have for all non-casual gamers.
  98. kingzardoz
    Jul 28, 2013
    8
    I had to submit a new review because my first impression of the game was very wrong and I shouldn't have written a review so quickly. This game is actually very deep to the point of every item in the game having a strategic purpose. I originally thought it was very random and while it is very random there are routine strategies you can follow that can help turn the randomness in your favor.
  99. youngzen69
    Jul 24, 2013
    9
    FTL is a fun and addictive game that will suck hours away from your life but be warned this is not a game for everyone. This game caters to a certain niche of gamers. Those easily frustrated by hardcore difficult games with no clear cut solutions steer clear.
  100. speedycerv
    Jul 21, 2013
    3
    This game is good for about 4 hours of entertainment and that is about it. The game is fun until you realize how random it is and how a stroke of fate can make your playthrough impossible and you have to start over. The worst is randomly you'll move to a new location and there will be a star close by starting fires all over and at the same time a ship is attacking you along withThis game is good for about 4 hours of entertainment and that is about it. The game is fun until you realize how random it is and how a stroke of fate can make your playthrough impossible and you have to start over. The worst is randomly you'll move to a new location and there will be a star close by starting fires all over and at the same time a ship is attacking you along with teleporting crew onto your ship to kill you. In this situation it's basically a coinflip if you die or not, and if you do survive most of your crew will be dead and make future encounters hard to catch up. One playthrough can take about 2 hours and if you get to the final boss, even on easy, there is no doubt you will lose and have to start over.

    Though no doubt as you play more you learn to curb the randomness to a degree as the same situations come up every playthrough as there isn't that many of them. After about 2 hours you will find yourself not even reading the dialog as it's just meaningless and timewasting to read since no matter what you do, more times than not you will find yourself near a star while another ship teleports everyone over and kills your crew so it burns to a crisp.

    If you do end up liking the game, first piece of advice is get blast doors so enemy crew has to break down doors and fires can't spread as easily. 2nd, get as much crew as possible since they will mostly be dying due to random encounter choices or having 5 seconds worth of life bars. 3rd, get lucky enough to find a weapon that shoots 3 or 4 shots consecutively, otherwise you will never be able to kill the ships that have 3 or 4 shields.

    All in all, it's good until your get bogged down with the random constant deaths and realize that if you decide to exit the game without saving, you will start from the beginning again..    … Expand
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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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