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. mr_bob_grey
    Jul 14, 2013
    7
    The reviews for this game seem to be incredibly polarized. In my opinion, this game basically feels like The Oregon Trail in space with a larger amount of user control. That being said, therein lies the 'random' frustration that people experience; Even if you have been totally successful for the first hour of a play through, you may find yourself getting boarded by pirates, or a fire mightThe reviews for this game seem to be incredibly polarized. In my opinion, this game basically feels like The Oregon Trail in space with a larger amount of user control. That being said, therein lies the 'random' frustration that people experience; Even if you have been totally successful for the first hour of a play through, you may find yourself getting boarded by pirates, or a fire might spread to your oxygen tanks and everyone may die trying to repair it. The game seems complex at first, but once you are familiar with the interface it is fairly simple to play. You can certainly make decisions that will save your crew just as often as you can lose it all in a random encounter. If you get frustrated by perma-deaths (and sometimes a seemingly unfair death at that) you may want to consider another game. But if the concept of commanding a space ship through dangerous and uncharted territory, where consequences are always final ..give it a try.

    While incredibly addictive, the game is still not a messiah among indie games.. the feeling of complexity in the game play wares off as you become more familiar with the interface, but certainly it is still worth a try.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. jphung
    Nov 3, 2014
    7
    Soundtrack: The soundtrack in this game is quite fitting. It uses techno music to put forth a feeling of being in a spaceship. The music itself isn’t distracting and allows the player to immerse himself into the game. However, after a while the music does get quite repetitive. 7/10

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

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

    Graphics: Graphics in this game are highly pixelated, but this does not take away from the game nor does it add depth. This time graphic section is N/A.    … Expand
  4. chars1991
    Jul 22, 2016
    7
    Any game dubbed 'rogue-like' should be expected to be more like morbid Dark Souls series where trial and error is the norm, rather than the minecraft or pokemon series in which you're treated with velvet gloves all the way to the bosses. And FTL is no exception, with its capricious random factor and its overpowered final bosses with literally all kinds of weaponry and 'cheats' to boot. AAny game dubbed 'rogue-like' should be expected to be more like morbid Dark Souls series where trial and error is the norm, rather than the minecraft or pokemon series in which you're treated with velvet gloves all the way to the bosses. And FTL is no exception, with its capricious random factor and its overpowered final bosses with literally all kinds of weaponry and 'cheats' to boot. A hair-pulling, gut-wrenching, madness-inducing, FTL is an engaging, addictive strategy game with one heck of a soundtrack, albeit a tad tampered by its lack of depth and its frustrating gameplay even on easy mode. Causal gamers be warned: buyers' remorse is a common symptom after purchasing FTL, be sure to consult your physicians before use.

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

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

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

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

    Overall, an thoroughly engaging game with a sliver of strategic elements and a tinge of Star-trek-like adventurous suspense, albeit marred by the repetitive, monotone game play and its notorious, almost condescending difficulty. An injection of a more diverse game play(three way battles, missions, personnel escort or protection during enemy boarding, all of them during the battle stage I must stress, you name it) is sorely needed for anyone to be investing anything up to four days into this game.    … Expand
  5. aditya1101
    Oct 5, 2017
    7
    Pretty fun and really well designed game. I didn't like it as much as I was hoping I would, but I don't really have many bad things to say about the game
  6. Wrathzo
    Mar 21, 2022
    7
    FTL: Faster Than Light is a space-based top-down real-time strategy roguelike game created by indie developer Subset Games, which was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2012. In the game, the player controls the crew of a single spacecraft, holding critical information to be delivered to an allied fleet, while being pursued by a large rebel fleet. The player mustFTL: Faster Than Light is a space-based top-down real-time strategy roguelike game created by indie developer Subset Games, which was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2012. In the game, the player controls the crew of a single spacecraft, holding critical information to be delivered to an allied fleet, while being pursued by a large rebel fleet. The player must guide the spacecraft over eight sectors, each with planetary systems and events procedurally generated in a roguelike fashion, while facing rebel and other hostile forces, recruiting new crew, and outfitting and upgrading their ship. Combat takes place in pausable real time, and if the ship is destroyed or all of its crew lost, the game ends, forcing the player to restart with a new ship.… Expand
  7. tommydlbass
    Aug 16, 2020
    7
    A good strategy-simulator ship game where you gotta scape from different worlds and fight to other kind of human beings. Has it's problems (it's maybe too hard, some of the perks are more useless than others, there are some random events that once you know the game lost the magic) but overall it's worth a try.
  8. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    Fun roguelike but very punishing RNG and the final boss is completely out of tune with the difficulty of the rest of the game.
  9. AlphaRebel
    Sep 25, 2012
    6
    It's a very interesting concept but after about 30 hours Its pretty obvious that the game really is in need for a wider range of events as the "random encounters" soon become predicable and even the choices you make seem to return the same outcomes (e.g. a ship offers to sell you a "mystery weapon" saying yes means you get ripped off nearly EVERY time (as in they don't give you anythingIt's a very interesting concept but after about 30 hours Its pretty obvious that the game really is in need for a wider range of events as the "random encounters" soon become predicable and even the choices you make seem to return the same outcomes (e.g. a ship offers to sell you a "mystery weapon" saying yes means you get ripped off nearly EVERY time (as in they don't give you anything let alone just a bad gun) while it would be more interesting if they gave you just one of the weapons at random. or trying to free a trapped ship will nearly always result in damage to your ship which basically encourages you to say no to everything.

    It's a shame as it's a nice concept and it's written by a indie company of just 2 guys. I hope more content and patches comes soon.    … Expand
  10. Ciraaxx
    May 28, 2013
    6
    If it wasn't for the horrible, horrible balance issues, I would give this game a 10.

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

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

    Myself, I can't play more than once because I just can't bring up the necessary willpower to start all over again.    … Expand
  11. angrywombat
    Mar 14, 2013
    6
    Fantastic for the first couple hours. Once you play through it once, pretty repetitive and incredibly luck based. One unlucky encounter early in the game and you've just wasted a bunch of time. Cool Concept, minimal content and difficulty design.
  12. Vas
    Jun 29, 2014
    6
    Well, it was a good game a few play throughs. I don't like how extremely difficult the end game boss is. Nearly impossible to defeat. It has so much randomness to it, yet it's almost always the same. You fly a ship multiple locations, buy things, get to the end game boss to have your arse kicked, cooked, handed to you, and forced down your throat, then you're blown up. A recent updateWell, it was a good game a few play throughs. I don't like how extremely difficult the end game boss is. Nearly impossible to defeat. It has so much randomness to it, yet it's almost always the same. You fly a ship multiple locations, buy things, get to the end game boss to have your arse kicked, cooked, handed to you, and forced down your throat, then you're blown up. A recent update added some new things which made the game more interesting for a while, but really, it's still pretty much the same old same old. It might be worth it though, if you like rogue like games with randomness to them. At least it wasn't terrible. I say I think it was worth getting, just isn't as fun as I had hoped it would be.… Expand
  13. Vectis99
    Oct 18, 2018
    6
    FTL can be a very gripping experience which teaches players how to best optimize their available resources in the most synergistic way possible. Doing so successfully and efficiently proves to be a fun challenge which is very satisfying to pursue. Unfortunately, the game can quickly turn into a very mechanical process as decision making becomes either negligible or automatic for playersFTL can be a very gripping experience which teaches players how to best optimize their available resources in the most synergistic way possible. Doing so successfully and efficiently proves to be a fun challenge which is very satisfying to pursue. Unfortunately, the game can quickly turn into a very mechanical process as decision making becomes either negligible or automatic for players who are more familiar with the game's dynamic. The game has a pleasant aesthetic and a modular narrative which is well written, but not particularly deep or memorable. Overall, FTL can vacillate between being a relaxing and stressful experience, depending on the mood of the player.… Expand
  14. edxtan
    Jun 19, 2023
    6
    The roguelike elements in FTL: Faster Than Light's get you to always think about optimizing your long-term and short-term strategies, but the extreme randomness and lack of mechanical skill often makes the game unwinnable.
  15. ZetaJiffils
    Dec 27, 2019
    6
    Está bien, pero el jefe final es IMPOSIBLE de ganar incluso en modo fácil, aunque tengas toda tu nave mejorada al máximo.
    Eso ha hecho que deje de jugarlo...y lo que me molesta es que si no derrotas a esa nave final no te dan recompensas para tener más naves....
  16. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    6
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»
  17. meraka
    Sep 18, 2012
    5
    If you're a familiar with the board game Galaxy Trucker, this game is basically a single player version PC port. If you liked the board game you'll probably like this as well even though it can be equally frustrating. The graphics are a matter of taste, personally I like them. The music is nice as well but gets a bit repetitive after a while. The UI and controls are well done. GameIf you're a familiar with the board game Galaxy Trucker, this game is basically a single player version PC port. If you liked the board game you'll probably like this as well even though it can be equally frustrating. The graphics are a matter of taste, personally I like them. The music is nice as well but gets a bit repetitive after a while. The UI and controls are well done. Game mechanics are simple and easy to learn but allow for varied strategies and challenging fights. Unfortunately it's too random and you're too dependent on simply being lucky and getting enough resources or good events. There will be encounters where you simply have no chance of survival. Also it has very limited content so after only a few times playing you will have seen everything. Could have used a possibility for constructing your own ships or maybe coop-multiplayer (It'd be perfect for this).… Expand
  18. 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
  19. KillerAlfa
    Jan 9, 2013
    5
    Game is a real fail. Developer asked 10 000$, he got GOD DAMN 200 000$, and the game which he released doesn't cost even 500$. First of all it is just old alpha version for backers with a new name, developer stopped working long ago. It has a great lack of content and events, even some flash games are more diverse.
  20. 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
  21. Beeftinkle
    Mar 9, 2013
    5
    A decent game ruined by the unfairness of the gambling based game play which more than often rolls the dice against you. After playing this game for about 30 hours just to beat it once on normal difficulty i have given up because, honestly, its almost impossible to beat the last boss on normal unless you are one lucky sun of a B, and receive every upgrade along the way without losing oneA decent game ruined by the unfairness of the gambling based game play which more than often rolls the dice against you. After playing this game for about 30 hours just to beat it once on normal difficulty i have given up because, honestly, its almost impossible to beat the last boss on normal unless you are one lucky sun of a B, and receive every upgrade along the way without losing one crew member and everything always goes perfect for you. For 5 10 dollars its a fun time killer (don't spend more money), but no where near an epic game.… Expand
  22. Audius
    Oct 5, 2012
    5
    The game is fun if you want to kill time for maybe an hour or two, but chances are you'll probably be pounding your head after a number of losses due to a few unfair combinations all the while dealing with micromanaging repairs on the ship and killing fires and killing invaders. While the game is extremely well polished in terms of controls and music, the game gets lost in sometimesThe game is fun if you want to kill time for maybe an hour or two, but chances are you'll probably be pounding your head after a number of losses due to a few unfair combinations all the while dealing with micromanaging repairs on the ship and killing fires and killing invaders. While the game is extremely well polished in terms of controls and music, the game gets lost in sometimes terrible RNG and overcomplicated micromanagement that could've been simplified by rethinking the "crew" feature. Oh and by the way, each time you enter a zone, you have a fleet of elite rebels chasing you every step of the way, so you constantly feel like you're in a rush to move on to the next zone, which only gets progressively more difficult.

    I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to have to keep spamming pause to input commands, I want the game to flow. FTL just doesn't do that for me.    … Expand
  23. faircritic
    Sep 30, 2012
    5
    Where is the fun after losing, and losing,and losing,and losing...so on, from brief periods of time?Somebody could explain to me?
    I don't have anything against indie games or people who liked them.For example limbo and zombie vs plants are good examples of very good indie games but in this case thiis game is just annoying to say the best.
    Can't complain about the graphics or the limited    Where is the fun after losing, and losing,and losing,and losing...so on, from brief periods of time?Somebody could explain to me?
    I don't have anything against indie games or people who liked them.For example limbo and zombie vs plants are good examples of very good indie games but in this case thiis game is just annoying to say the best.
    Can't complain about the graphics or the limited resources like music but you can't win on this game and there's no fun about that.Your first and probably only ship that you will play is pure garbage.And that couldn't be too much upgraded because game money and bonuses are as scarce as the chances to survive at least to achieve a new one.Whatever the case I unlocked another better than the stock and still surviving is very improbable for long periods of time.And to unlock another ships it's very odd as to like this game more than 3 days!If at least some upgrades where left on your inventory, to have more chances of surviving no matter how long to get them but no.Only ships very unreachable at very impossible chances to accomplish.I put all my effort to "enjoy" the game but I came after 2 half days that this game is a complete waste of time.Maybe 15 years ago this could be a huge success but today can only be enjoyed with alcohol or some drug!    … Expand
  24. Nesterhews
    Oct 12, 2012
    5
    A good simple and fun game.
    Not too much depth, but still fun! Yay
  25. xopets
    Apr 13, 2013
    5
    Well, this game has obviously got mixed feelings about it, and well the game is wonderful at first +1, but unlike the haters that think that the game loses its greatness after 24 hours it is still a nice (other things are better) game. But there is a point where the fun ends, and that is when you have beat the game with every ship (guides help, but you shouldn't need to have a guide, -1Well, this game has obviously got mixed feelings about it, and well the game is wonderful at first +1, but unlike the haters that think that the game loses its greatness after 24 hours it is still a nice (other things are better) game. But there is a point where the fun ends, and that is when you have beat the game with every ship (guides help, but you shouldn't need to have a guide, -1 point) -1 point. The achievements are fun to get +1, it could use some steam badges -1, but its still fun to play. And at a decent price, well... whether you buy it is dependent on whether you like the games randomness which isn't THAT bad but bugs some people… Expand
  26. 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
  27. 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.
  28. 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
  29. yoloswagins
    Apr 21, 2015
    5
    At first this game feels like the game every sci-fi fan has been waiting for; command your own ship, crew, power usage and more just like on your favorite movies/TV shows. The combat system is also fun and the game feels like a fresh new idea, at first.

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

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

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

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

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

    To conclude, FTL is worth the buy because of how cheap it is but don't expect anything spectacular out of this game.    … Expand
  30. Oshiri_Maeda
    Aug 29, 2021
    5
    Space bar pressing simulator. A bit too tedious for my liking. However, I see why it's popular, just not my cup of tea. Into the Breach gave a way stronger impression.
  31. Samvell
    Sep 1, 2023
    5
    Good game at its core, but it basically suffers from the same major problem as Into The Breach - you're always, and I mean ALWAYS, just one mistake away from losing. I've had so many successful runs where I though I was finally able to enjoy the game, just to be completely annihilated within minutes. FTL has some insane difficulty spikes. In one sector your enemies are basically punchingGood game at its core, but it basically suffers from the same major problem as Into The Breach - you're always, and I mean ALWAYS, just one mistake away from losing. I've had so many successful runs where I though I was finally able to enjoy the game, just to be completely annihilated within minutes. FTL has some insane difficulty spikes. In one sector your enemies are basically punching bags who can barely penetrate your shields. In the next one they have so many advantages over you you'd think they're using cheatcodes. In one sector you are just showered with all sorts of upgrades, crew members, weapons, etc. In the next one you get exactly jack point sh*t just because RNG says so. In one sector you don't have any events on, like, 60% of planets. In the next one every second planet is in nebula, and every third one has solar flares that will ruin your run faster than you can say the word "run".
    I assume some people might enjoy ths particular sort of unpredictability, but to me it's just unfair. I really wanted to like this game because it has some nice visuals, good music, and interesting ship-building/upgrading mechanics, but opponents ALWAYS having the upper hand just ruined any kind of enjoyment for me personally.    … Expand
  32. Andrew_Paterson
    Dec 9, 2012
    4
    I want to like this game, I really, really do. But it's so frustrating that I'm not willing to take any more time to play it.

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

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

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

    Rather save money, get a dice, roll it till a six; then declare yourself a winner. It'll be far less aggravating all 'round.    … Expand
  33. HerrJoebob
    Sep 16, 2012
    4
    This is a great roguelike, but not a fun game by any stretch. You win or lose by the flip of a coin you have no control over - you might run into a (literally) unbeatable enemy, you may or may not find the upgrades you need, etc. It is incredibly unfair and this is exactly what they were trying for - it's a great gambling sim and addictive as heck because of that. The music's nice and theThis is a great roguelike, but not a fun game by any stretch. You win or lose by the flip of a coin you have no control over - you might run into a (literally) unbeatable enemy, you may or may not find the upgrades you need, etc. It is incredibly unfair and this is exactly what they were trying for - it's a great gambling sim and addictive as heck because of that. The music's nice and the graphics are decent. Once you get past the (again, intentional) unfairness, the biggest problem is that almost all combat is a tedious "click same keys over and over" thing. However, if you get boarded - and you will, a LOT if the coin flips go against you - it turns into intensive micromanagement with a UI that is not very responsive - not fun.… Expand
  34. Puzzola
    Jan 8, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well, at first I was lured into this game and I enjoyed it. But after 3 weeks of games I found that it's a game based mostly on LUCK, not on skill. I made it to the last boss 9 times. All lost because I didn't have enough firepower, enough shields or enemy shots hit me all in the right rooms while mine missed 3-4 times in a row. Well, I suggest you of restarting game each time you reach 4-5 zone and you don't have the right equipment. Another font of disappointment is the random encounters. Some are matched to your strenght. Others are IMPOSSIBLE to kill. At least 4 times in a row I found 3 enemy ships with 4 (FOUR) shields. After third my missiles were gone, so the fourth killed me without any hope. Well, It's a nice game, but sometimes it seem only a loss of time.… Expand
  35. Dravius
    Sep 20, 2012
    4
    The single biggest factor in this game is luck. As every encounter is completely random it removes any real sort of skill or challenge from the game, or a sense of achievement to more accurate. When you do 'finish' it you realise it wasn't because you did anything in particular, but because you happened upon the right encounters. The gameplay is fun, but the sheer amount of luck in theThe single biggest factor in this game is luck. As every encounter is completely random it removes any real sort of skill or challenge from the game, or a sense of achievement to more accurate. When you do 'finish' it you realise it wasn't because you did anything in particular, but because you happened upon the right encounters. The gameplay is fun, but the sheer amount of luck in the game completely detracts from it… Expand
  36. Kobold
    Dec 31, 2012
    4
    FUN GAME RUINED BY RANDOMNESS

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

    Okay if you like games of skill and being able to not die to sheer randomness then avoid this game. It starts off fun enough, the graphics are functional enough and easy to see what is going on, the sound is decent enough too. A brief summary of the game's plot is you're a ship from the Federation outrunning the evil Rebels and you must reach a set stage and confront and kill the Rebel's flagship. It has a nice sci-fi space opera feel to it but where it goes wrong, very wrong is that more or less your chance of success or failure is based on pure luck and even then when you get the Rebel's ship on it's last legs it's clear the programmers are messing with you as it suddenly fires off a load of lasers. The only way to win is pretty much get a right combination of weapons and ship upgrades that are very much luck dependent, not on your skill as a player. This sours the overall experience and yes so what if they claim it to be rogue like but really if all you want to do is die to the end boss again and again and the other stages seems pretty much repetitive after a while. At first I thought the game was fun but it became very clear it's just designed to kill you off and then becomes just repetitive. Nice ideas, sloppy end game, once beaten no real inclination to go back and play it again. Some hope for the games redemption is with mods but as the games stands on it's own merits, it is far too random to be fun.    … Expand
  37. CoSm1c_gAm3r
    Apr 6, 2015
    4
    At first try that game was annoying to me because player spend hour or more and then he is killed and every progress is lost. This is high score based game and not discovery/explore and for me that is very bad thing to make for game that may take long time to play. High score based games in majority are very short games so when high score system is put into game that can take more than 2At first try that game was annoying to me because player spend hour or more and then he is killed and every progress is lost. This is high score based game and not discovery/explore and for me that is very bad thing to make for game that may take long time to play. High score based games in majority are very short games so when high score system is put into game that can take more than 2 hours of gameplay then it is very frustrating and I personally hate this solution in this game that could be fun game if punishment would not be perma death. Yes I cheated and I copied save file to make myself safe :) Otherwise I would get mad and throw my computer out of my window :D That way at least I could hold my temper at bay :]

    So that degraded score the most. Rest is fun to play piece of game

    If someone is annoyed by this here is tip. After quiting game go into profile folder in my documents and my games. Find "continue" file and copy it somewhere. Like into created folder. Then if you want to save just quit+save. Go into that folder, copy "continue" somewhere so if you die go to that folder and copy it to original place. Repeat that every time you want to save. That way it can be less annoying for you if you cannot stand IRON MODE in games. I mean I personally very much like idea of iron man but here it is forced on every player! Because main point of this game is only to get better high score every time and nothing more. My first score was 0 for this game because it made me mad but after some time with it it can be fun for some time and it can be time killer if you have some time to kill and want to do it with fun :)    … Expand
  38. Iconiu
    Feb 4, 2013
    4
    It is fun to explore in this space adventure, but your success is mostly random. Unlocking new ships is mostly an exercise of hoping for 3 random events to happen in succession or you finally get that one good run where your ship stays more advanced than your enemies. Then, when you beat the boss and get an advanced ship that is 10% better, then enemies get 25% harder making a negativeIt is fun to explore in this space adventure, but your success is mostly random. Unlocking new ships is mostly an exercise of hoping for 3 random events to happen in succession or you finally get that one good run where your ship stays more advanced than your enemies. Then, when you beat the boss and get an advanced ship that is 10% better, then enemies get 25% harder making a negative progression. At first, the main game is hard to the point of frustration, but not too hard to discourage you. Spending a half hour running around in space only to have some elite ship come out of nowhere and kill you in 3 volleys of shots is infuriating. It wouldn’t be so bad if you could spend your “score” on permanent upgrades or be able to customize your ships with the load out you want. Score is meaningful in a skill based game but has no place here other than a consolation price when the difficulty doubles for a particular battle. If you are like me, you’ll stick with it to beat the boss by which time you’ll have seen 90% of all mission content. I thought that I’d finally have a 4/10 chance at having a good run rather than a 2/10 chance after unlocking the ship you get for killing the boss. But now, the chances seem to go down to 1/10. And then, you’d just be killing the boss again unless you are lucky enough to unlock some other ship. I suppose that’s why they made it harder (lack of a second quest). My time is valuable and I expect at least something to improve if I pour my time into it. You’ll learn what missions have a higher success rate and can make better decisions, but mostly failed missions gain you nothing. Overall you’ll feel mostly frustrated, a little helpless, and then have a few moments of triumph.… Expand
  39. asfhgwt
    Feb 13, 2013
    4
    FTL is addictive alright, but for me that lasted about 10 hours. Even on "easy" mode, the game becomes exasperating quickly. With a little help from various tips on the web, I can get through five sectors before getting summarily clobbered by an enemy ship. Once I space-jumped into two consecutive suns (which shut down some systems and start fires) and got destroyed by the enemy (whichFTL is addictive alright, but for me that lasted about 10 hours. Even on "easy" mode, the game becomes exasperating quickly. With a little help from various tips on the web, I can get through five sectors before getting summarily clobbered by an enemy ship. Once I space-jumped into two consecutive suns (which shut down some systems and start fires) and got destroyed by the enemy (which seemed less affected). One time my oxygen room got hit by enemy fire and I couldn't repair it for some unknown reason, so all my crew died and the game ended. Every time I'm doing just fine, rolling along, then a ship more powerful than mine in some way shows up and crushes me. Easy mode should be easier than this; I should at least be able to get to the final (8th) sector before I get wasted. Also, the game offers no help or tips and you can't save it as you go. That's right, when your ship dies you have to start all over again. I, for one, have had enough.… Expand
  40. FurthestFlung
    Apr 7, 2013
    4
    To give a short description, this game feels like Candyland IN SPAAAACE! Fundamentally, this game feels like it was only half-built, and all the parts that should have been actual gameplay that made the game fun were replaced with completely arbitrary dice rolls. Games are short to the point of feeling abrupt and unfulfilling when you complete them, but the reason why is obvious: OnceTo give a short description, this game feels like Candyland IN SPAAAACE! Fundamentally, this game feels like it was only half-built, and all the parts that should have been actual gameplay that made the game fun were replaced with completely arbitrary dice rolls. Games are short to the point of feeling abrupt and unfulfilling when you complete them, but the reason why is obvious: Once you have any halfway-decent equipment, all challenge to the game is over. Basically, the game is won or lost in the first sector, and you'll be restarting the game 10 times for every 1 time you get past the second sector. It's a game you don't so much play as have happen to you. You can screw up the game, definitely, but you can't win it through any of your own power you just have to keep restarting until the game lets you get lucky and suddenly be handed powerful weapons that let you beat the game easily, and from then on, it's just a matter of not screwing up what you have. I just wish there were more actual GAME in this game to play.… Expand
  41. 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
  42. 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
  43. Nhin
    Jul 19, 2013
    4
    Overall, FTL is worth the money. Until 22nd of July it's 5 bucks on steam, and I would suggest you try it out if you haven't. But I will say, i'm glad I did not pay more for it. FTL is simply to random and way too frustrating for the average player. And that's a shame, because the game has the potential to be very entertaining and enjoyable. But it seems the game designers, out of someOverall, FTL is worth the money. Until 22nd of July it's 5 bucks on steam, and I would suggest you try it out if you haven't. But I will say, i'm glad I did not pay more for it. FTL is simply to random and way too frustrating for the average player. And that's a shame, because the game has the potential to be very entertaining and enjoyable. But it seems the game designers, out of some misfit idea of game design or general stubborness, on purpose have made it so. A shame because most books on game design written by the professionals, will tell you to avoid exactly these frustration points, if you don't want to trow away customers. That's why I can only give it a 4.

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

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

    It's too bad, cause as it is, FTL only makes me annoyed when playing. Succeeding 1 times out of 5 mostly because of bad luck is not good game design.    … Expand
  44. reinaldons
    Jul 21, 2013
    4
    Frustration. If you wanna a game to get your space full loaded and shine, forget, this game is a simple one chance strategy game for you train your detachment by your items and game progress. You will die easy by chose the wrong sequence of upgrades and get a stronger enemy without any advice. You have no options for randomness enemies encounters.
  45. 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
  46. sealedinterface
    Sep 11, 2015
    4
    I don't have a lot of experience with difficult games, since I'm mostly a casual gamer. I was looking forward to the "space simulator" part of this game; managing a spaceship seemed quite appealing. Instead, the game puts far more emphasis on the "roguelike" part of this game. In order to do well in this game, you have to know exactly what to do in every situation, have the skill to do so,I don't have a lot of experience with difficult games, since I'm mostly a casual gamer. I was looking forward to the "space simulator" part of this game; managing a spaceship seemed quite appealing. Instead, the game puts far more emphasis on the "roguelike" part of this game. In order to do well in this game, you have to know exactly what to do in every situation, have the skill to do so, and of course befriend the forever hostile RNG. If anything goes wrong, you're doomed to die, and you lose all the progress in your entire game.

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

    I'm very much regretting buying this game, and I would recommend NOT to get it unless you're prepared for an extremely difficult and frustrating game.    … Expand
  47. Tabbou
    Jun 1, 2022
    4
    I don't understand all the 9 and 10/10, just looks like others rogue-lite and strategy games, disapointed
  48. Coeco
    Feb 22, 2013
    3
    After getting swarmed by all the hype of this game and playing it for myself, I can only call this title a mediocre experience and that's saying a lot considering how much I usually like these kind of games but at the end of the day, it had the same disappointing qualities as the latest XCOM minus the save-abuse which is replaced by mandatory "hardcore" mode frustrations instead where ifAfter getting swarmed by all the hype of this game and playing it for myself, I can only call this title a mediocre experience and that's saying a lot considering how much I usually like these kind of games but at the end of the day, it had the same disappointing qualities as the latest XCOM minus the save-abuse which is replaced by mandatory "hardcore" mode frustrations instead where if you die, you die permanently and same goes if any of your crew also die. You begin by being thrown into a stringed-together series of space locations consisting of small "dots" as "locations" where random sh!t will happen, be it getting raped by some random enemy ship or just driving into some scrap (currency). And that's it. This is all that the game expands upon. A randomized stringed-together pile of event that gradually just gets harder and harder until you fail while having you abide by a timer (Invading rebel fleet "chasing" you). Looking at it now in retrospect, I guess a more fitting description for this game would be Tetris. But in space. So is it a good game? It's mediocre. Why? Because it's good enough to kill time, even if the fashion of killing this time is not very desirable which strives quite a stretch from what a GAME is supposed to be. FUN.… Expand
  49. Crimson
    May 12, 2013
    3
    The game starts off as fun, but once you peer past the curtain you quickly become annoyed/frustrated. Once you realize that every single action in the game is random, it quickly dawns on you that there's little point to playing the game. Its like solitaire, everything is pre-determined, you simply go through the actions and pray the RNG comes out in your favor. There's absolutely zeroThe game starts off as fun, but once you peer past the curtain you quickly become annoyed/frustrated. Once you realize that every single action in the game is random, it quickly dawns on you that there's little point to playing the game. Its like solitaire, everything is pre-determined, you simply go through the actions and pray the RNG comes out in your favor. There's absolutely zero strategy involved, each turn you 'pull the level' and hope the slot machine rolls in your favor. Quite disappointing.… Expand
  50. ExpFist
    Oct 27, 2012
    3
    Game is really fun when it works, but random crashes to desktop destroy this game as it is now. There is no ability to save, so when you crash to the desktop (random), then you've lost your game and need to restart. This has happened to me now two games in a row and I'm giving up. The ability to save games, or at least auto-save after every jump so you can resume after a crash would atGame is really fun when it works, but random crashes to desktop destroy this game as it is now. There is no ability to save, so when you crash to the desktop (random), then you've lost your game and need to restart. This has happened to me now two games in a row and I'm giving up. The ability to save games, or at least auto-save after every jump so you can resume after a crash would at least make this game playable while they work out the bugs.… Expand
  51. Vistance
    Sep 22, 2012
    3
    The people writing the high reviews have played the game for maximum of 2-3 hours. FTL seems fun when you first start out, but as you repeat the game over and over and over and over and over and over again you realize the entire game is rubbish because your chances of winning a particular run are controlled very minimally by you. All you do is steer the ship and click on parts of enemyThe people writing the high reviews have played the game for maximum of 2-3 hours. FTL seems fun when you first start out, but as you repeat the game over and over and over and over and over and over again you realize the entire game is rubbish because your chances of winning a particular run are controlled very minimally by you. All you do is steer the ship and click on parts of enemy ships. I had a run where I had nothing but the starter guns all the way up to the 7th sector, I explored many beacons and found nothing. The game is rogue like but fails to provide even a reasonably fair amount of random chance. Other times the game will reward you with something amazing that you can't use at the most inopportune time - one run I was given what was claimed by the game to be an amazing laser - but I had no means at all to operate this gun on my ship as I found it in the 1st sector. On another run I did great, but could not find a weapon like that laser to save my life - and was shafted by random chance. This SOUNDS like it could be fun sometimes, but after you play the game over and over you get real sick of "oh look, no weapons, oh look no new crew members" and you end up eventually running out of fuel and scrap and dying helplessly or you somehow get far then are ill-equipped for the higher powered enemy ships and die extremely quickly. The game has terrible pacing and while the mechanics operate fine, some things like the AI leave a LOT to be desired. I don't know why people feel like they must love indie games no matter how good or bad they are - if you give them false praise you're only hurting them. The game could be improved with patching, but somehow I sincerely doubt the odds the game will ever see an update - the developers got our money and have so far shown no real interest in doing much else with the game based on statements they've publicly made. For a half-working title like this I would not pay the price it's going for, $10 is too steep for a broken indie game and as gamers we should demand better quality from indie studios if we ever want them to replace corporate studios that just create more franchise games.… Expand
  52. kuehnau
    Jul 13, 2013
    3
    Take a bit of roguelike, mix in some sci-fi and a dash of completely unfair game mechanics and you have Faster then Light.

    The game's set up is completely randomized, so much so to the point that it's completely unfair. It's quite possible to start a brand new game and die in a matter of moves, not because you are being stupid, not because you are a bad gamer, but simply because that's    Take a bit of roguelike, mix in some sci-fi and a dash of completely unfair game mechanics and you have Faster then Light.

    The game's set up is completely randomized, so much so to the point that it's completely unfair. It's quite possible to start a brand new game and die in a matter of moves, not because you are being stupid, not because you are a bad gamer, but simply because that's how the game generated.

    I have already encountered completely decked out prison ships or bounty hunters and all over manner of enemies that I would never have a chance against.

    The game uses the term "roguelike" as an excuse for it's excessive amount of difficulty, but the reality is most roguelike games, allow you to build up in order to face new challenges. You won't encounter a God on the first floor, you won't encounter a level 20 Beholder on the first floor, because most roguelikes understand that you need to be given a little bit of time to breath and grow, unlike Faster then Light..

    If you want a completely unfair, unbalanced game, because the developers didn't have enough foresight to actually have some sort of checks and balances in place, then be my guest, for the rest of us, avoid at all costs.    … Expand
  53. 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
  54. Slackerboy
    Oct 22, 2012
    3
    This game has so much potential it could be a ton of fun, but most games are ruined by simple bad luck. In order to win you MUST get the right weapon upgrades or you are doomed, but getting them is a matter of pure luck.

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

    This could be resolved by re-balancing the sectors and allowing people to explore more, or making weapon drops more common. Until this is fixed I would avoid the game unless you want to lose or win based on pure luck.    … Expand
  55. Jintoss
    Oct 10, 2012
    3
    A glorified waste of time which punishes any poor sap the longer he sticks around. Poorly designed, with all the addictiveness of a flash game. Steer well clear, you'll be glad you did.
  56. Lacuentadejoako
    Dec 24, 2012
    3
    There is a big difference between hard and unfair, this game is unfair and not hard because the outcome of the decisions you take ,your rewards and enemies are random. It doesnt take any skill to beat the game is just having a lot of luck, every time you die because of bad luck you will have to start all over again so the game becomes boring very fast. Pirate the game,play it on normal andThere is a big difference between hard and unfair, this game is unfair and not hard because the outcome of the decisions you take ,your rewards and enemies are random. It doesnt take any skill to beat the game is just having a lot of luck, every time you die because of bad luck you will have to start all over again so the game becomes boring very fast. Pirate the game,play it on normal and if you like it buy it, that way you will understand what all the negative ratings mean when they say this game purely about luck.… Expand
  57. 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
  58. Vonnd
    Jul 20, 2013
    3
    My friend liked this game and I decided to check it out. It reminded me a lot of those java games where you have to fill an order in a cafe or a burger place. In fact I've played better java games with similar settings. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. This game has no depth. On the other hand if you want a really simple game with absolutely nothing more to offer to you than what you'reMy friend liked this game and I decided to check it out. It reminded me a lot of those java games where you have to fill an order in a cafe or a burger place. In fact I've played better java games with similar settings. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. This game has no depth. On the other hand if you want a really simple game with absolutely nothing more to offer to you than what you're given at minute 1, then be my guest.… Expand
  59. 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
  60. 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
  61. deweee
    Jan 1, 2015
    3
    Are you ready for a "literally" unbeatable enemy which spawns randomly in your journey when you think you are going really well which destroys you in 3 seconds even though you are with full crew? No, you aren't.

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

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

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

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

    This is one overrated game, its a snakes and ladders with some stats.    … Expand
  63. Soullex
    Nov 15, 2022
    3
    Aslında farlı bir şeyler denemişler, ama birkaç saatin ardından mantığını çözünce, sadece düşmanın silahlarına ateş edip ilerlediğim bir oyun oldu.
  64. 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
  65. Boris
    Sep 18, 2012
    2
    This is an indie game, made by two fellas like you and me, and because of that, I'll try to be as constructive as possible in this review. My rating is 2, and it's OBVIOUS that this game would deserve more. So, why do I give it only two? Well, there are a couple of reasons. A bit more actually. As someone else pointed out, this game is interesting and provides a strong "sci-fi experience".This is an indie game, made by two fellas like you and me, and because of that, I'll try to be as constructive as possible in this review. My rating is 2, and it's OBVIOUS that this game would deserve more. So, why do I give it only two? Well, there are a couple of reasons. A bit more actually. As someone else pointed out, this game is interesting and provides a strong "sci-fi experience". This is for the bright side. I've backed this game on Kickstarter, and I've had the chance to play it before its release. According to steam, more than 18 hours. To be honest, I must have spent the first 15 hours almost in a row, right after downloading it. The rest corresponds to a few tries I gave it from this moment until now; to see if the flaws were corrected yet. In fact, once a wave of enthusiasm has passed, the game becomes really boring : its main problem is re-playability. The experience which feels great at start becomes repetitive really rapidly. Each play-through is really not different. And the game is quite difficult, you find yourself dying all the time (this is relative to the genre, I think), which doesn't help at all about that. Indeed, the difficulty lacks a normal mode : the easy mode is damn easy, and the so called "normal" mode is kinda hard. The second complaint I have is : things are WAY too random. The fact that you flee before an entire fleet means that you don't have the leisure to explore your surroundings. As a consequence, you either are lucky enough to find some weapons, a new crew member or some good stuff; or you have bad luck and your only outcome is usually to start a new game. I could throw dice instead, I would have pretty much the same feeling. And because of the "balance" of the game, you often don't have the choice but to upgrade your shields ASAP, and pray to find good weapons soon enough. So the "freedom" upon upgrade choices isn't really there, at least if you want to survive. Your skills are very rarely involved, it's only gambling. To such extent, that after a hundred of games or so, the only new things you have are a bunch of unlocked ships which don't modify game experience that much. Same goes for the music : it's really entertaining at first, pleasing and so. And after some time, you find yourself muting it, and listening to Internet radio or so. So, even if this game is made from good ideas and obviously a lot of work, it lacks a lot of polish to reach the intended replayability. I was hoping something really different and way more satisfying. I really hope I will have to rewrite this review because the developers corrected these mistakes. Until then, that's not worth buying, really.… Expand
  66. sweet
    Dec 8, 2012
    2
    People have far too romantic a view of games depending on the source, or having been an early supporter of the game pre-release are unwilling to look at it with a truly critical eye. As a marketing exercise it's been fantastically successful, but as a game it fails miserably. It is no better than a slot machine. Yes, there is some strategy and tactics involved that improve your odds, butPeople have far too romantic a view of games depending on the source, or having been an early supporter of the game pre-release are unwilling to look at it with a truly critical eye. As a marketing exercise it's been fantastically successful, but as a game it fails miserably. It is no better than a slot machine. Yes, there is some strategy and tactics involved that improve your odds, but they're so outweighed by random circumstance as to be virtually pointless, it's like buying two lottery tickets instead of one. It needs to be fixed and that won't happen as long as people are willing to put a smiley face on any old rubbish.… Expand
  67. GameReviews35
    Jul 13, 2013
    2
    This game is crap. It's all random, and everything is designed to kill you. Don't get any weapons on the first two levels, you're dead. Don't find enough fuel, you're dead. Down to two crew members, you're probably dead. Enemy boards in your oxygen room, dead. Spend resources upgrading the wrong thing, dead. Don't find a store, dead. Don't upgrade enough, dead. Don't save enough, dead.This game is crap. It's all random, and everything is designed to kill you. Don't get any weapons on the first two levels, you're dead. Don't find enough fuel, you're dead. Down to two crew members, you're probably dead. Enemy boards in your oxygen room, dead. Spend resources upgrading the wrong thing, dead. Don't find a store, dead. Don't upgrade enough, dead. Don't save enough, dead.

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

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

    The thing is, this could be really fun if they'd make it more about skill than dumb luck. (Crew members gain abilities, multiple battle strategies, each play is a little different, and there are no time sinks at all.) And I'm sure we all get tired of games that force us to memorize what enemies are where and how to beat them. But they make it just too stupid and frustrating. if you want a game that is winnable based on clever or crafty playing, don't even waste $5 on this one.    … Expand
  68. marc5477
    Apr 4, 2015
    2
    Insanely overrated. Its basically a casino game where you get lucky and get the items you need or you simply dont and there isnt a thing you can do about it. For example, i had a run where I did not find a single weapon (aside from starter weapons) anywhere and died in the 4th system... not fun. In another quickie run, the very 1st fight had me go up against a shielded missile shootingInsanely overrated. Its basically a casino game where you get lucky and get the items you need or you simply dont and there isnt a thing you can do about it. For example, i had a run where I did not find a single weapon (aside from starter weapons) anywhere and died in the 4th system... not fun. In another quickie run, the very 1st fight had me go up against a shielded missile shooting ship and as you might have guessed, I missed my 1st 4 salvos and he hit me every time, disabled my weapons, started fires and I simply couldnt do anything and lost on the 1st encounter (lol). In another run, i got to the end boss, but the only weapons I had were very slow (vulcan, starter stuff, and beams), somehow I reached the 3rd stage only to get get slammed on every surge with laser attacks that... as you might have guessed, took out my guns every time. Again, nothing I can do, it lasted 5 minutes but I could never peal his shield and he just whittled me down with his cheap surge (albeit I took out all the landing parties).

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

    The game is overhyped. It reminds me a lot of gem quest many years ago (around 10 years ago). It was all luck too and was the talk of the town but now no one even remembers that game. The same will happen here. It needs more depth and more strategy.    … Expand
  69. dplehwalder
    Jul 17, 2013
    1
    Absolute garbage. There is so many design flaws on this game, it sure feels unfinished. Units and doors often do not respond, or the unit/door next to where you clicked responds instead of what you clicked on. The randomization routine really needs an overhaul. Just about every play through you will be shorted at least one crucial type of needed item.
  70. Funksatron
    Mar 14, 2013
    1
    The most painful aspect of this game is that there is evidence of a game hidden deep inside FTL that I really want to play. The dominant part of the gaming mechanic interferes with my ability to play the game I want to play. There are numerous random elements which have overwhelmingly powerful consequences. This is not a game you can complete with sheer determination. It seems that theThe most painful aspect of this game is that there is evidence of a game hidden deep inside FTL that I really want to play. The dominant part of the gaming mechanic interferes with my ability to play the game I want to play. There are numerous random elements which have overwhelmingly powerful consequences. This is not a game you can complete with sheer determination. It seems that the developer mourns the absence of games that make us lose more frequently. Desperately wanting to play the game which I saw with my mind's eye, I applied cheats and save game editors. No matter what I tried, I was not able to find a way to have fun playing this game, hence my score. Still, if you can get a free demo, I would encourage you to try it. Evidence suggests some people enjoy this kind of gameplay.… Expand
  71. GREW50ME
    Jan 13, 2013
    1
    In this game, you click rooms on your ship, watch timers move, and do little else. There are some reading sections, but as far as gameplay, it's a bland, uninventive game. It is extremely over-rated.
  72. DocGonz1897
    Jul 14, 2013
    1
    I had to make an account to finally write my first review because of this game, to warn anyone else who got lured in by all the good reviews. If you are a PC gamer that does not enjoy watching hours of your time go down the toilet because of RNG, do not play this game. It is just a glorified slot machine with a GUI, not a game. You can be the most seasoned veteran of strategy games, andI had to make an account to finally write my first review because of this game, to warn anyone else who got lured in by all the good reviews. If you are a PC gamer that does not enjoy watching hours of your time go down the toilet because of RNG, do not play this game. It is just a glorified slot machine with a GUI, not a game. You can be the most seasoned veteran of strategy games, and still suck at it, simply because everything in the game is randomized and has a built in chance of success/failure. The "quests" you get can easily be broken on each random map, sending you to planets you can't get to because of the "rebel creep" mechanic, you can be destroyed by a much lesser ship just because they landed 2 lucky shots with OP missiles, etc. Is it fun? Sure, kinda. Will it be enormously frustrating? Absolutely. I realize it is cheap, but your wasted time is the real expense.… Expand
  73. 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
  74. The_Norwood
    May 18, 2015
    1
    A game that cheats like hell as its main feature. Unless you purify yourself every morning and enjoy cold showers, inserting nails into your scrotum, self-flagellation and such, then steer clear, it will just wind you up.
  75. Molok
    Apr 24, 2021
    1
    FTL is composed of wide variety of possible scenarios that are arranged randomly to create a unique run. Each play is distinct and creates a personal story of individual player's struggle. Here is just another one of them.

    I started with federation cruiser. Defying odds I progressed through increasingly difficult sectors before arriving to the Nebula under the control of Slugs. There I    FTL is composed of wide variety of possible scenarios that are arranged randomly to create a unique run. Each play is distinct and creates a personal story of individual player's struggle. Here is just another one of them.

    I started with federation cruiser. Defying odds I progressed through increasingly difficult sectors before arriving to the Nebula under the control of Slugs. There I resolved a few challenging combat scenarios, taking heavy damage because I didn't encounter any appropriate equipment and didn't really have an opportunity to upgrade weapons in earlier sectors. Luckily I found one more advanced weapon in stock, randomly found earlier. But I couldn't power it yet, needing a separate upgrade. With that in mind I pressed on. Eventually I arrived at a sector that housed a planet with several moons. The slug found on the surface quizzed me about the number of natural satellites orbiting the planet and taking advantage of my momentous distraction stole some of my missiles, drone parts, all of my exp and most of my remaining fuel. With exp gone and without a way to upgrade my system I didn't have realistic way to win future altercations but I pressed on.
    I encountered a dangerous ship. I disabled shields using my remaining missiles so I could actually damage systems using my pitiful lasers. All of my shots missed and I without ammo I couldn't switch to missile weapons. I dropped the shields, disabled the weapons, ordered all of doors opened to vent the ship of oxygen and concentrated the crew in one large chamber so they would suffocate. After they slowly and (I hope) painfully died I uninstalled the damn game.

    FTL is based entirely on your luck. It is a digital version of Russian roulette. Some weapons, augmentations and systems are just better than others. If you luck out and get them advancing through the game becomes trivial. If you do not it is impossible.
    I understand that it is alluring to some people as they like the risk. But I would advise anybody who likes to have any actual agency to stay away from the game.

    There are achievements that you can collect and unlock bonus ships. Unfortunately a standard run seems to be at least two hours long and if you die before getting an achievement you don't unlock anything. In that case each minute of your life spent playing is retroactively wasted away. There is absolutely no payoff if you lose. A standard tagline for rogue-lites is "Losing is fun". But this game simply isn't fun.

    On the other hand soundtrack is awesome. I would say that if you can get it without the game it's worth buying. Just don't buy FTL and don't give it any bump in it's statistics.    … Expand
  76. BatmanLover
    Dec 10, 2012
    0
    I know it is a roguelike, but even on those terms it is completely and impossibly stupid. This is not Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden, where the difficulty comes from the intense challenge to learn how to play the game right. Here the difficulty comes from the programmers laughing at you while they slap unfair situations in your face. Almost every situation is decided by pure luck, especiallyI know it is a roguelike, but even on those terms it is completely and impossibly stupid. This is not Dark Souls or Ninja Gaiden, where the difficulty comes from the intense challenge to learn how to play the game right. Here the difficulty comes from the programmers laughing at you while they slap unfair situations in your face. Almost every situation is decided by pure luck, especially when you have learned to multi-task. Avoid this game at all costs, it is frustrating and pointless since the good premise and slick production conceals a game that is not fun, entertaining, rewarding or actually challenging (having good luck is not a challenge) in any way.… Expand
  77. hiphoptherobot
    May 15, 2013
    0
    Faster Than Light is either a boring hardcore game or a casual game ruined by tremendous moments of frustration. The experience is sandwiched between a woefully inadequate starting ship that sends many straight to rage quit and a disproportionately difficult end boss. Everything in between is random, but generally simple and repetitive. The point is to keep unlocking new ships, but evenFaster Than Light is either a boring hardcore game or a casual game ruined by tremendous moments of frustration. The experience is sandwiched between a woefully inadequate starting ship that sends many straight to rage quit and a disproportionately difficult end boss. Everything in between is random, but generally simple and repetitive. The point is to keep unlocking new ships, but even that becomes tedious without a consistent map.… Expand
  78. SweetrollJim
    May 10, 2013
    0
    two words. BULL Ive tried to play this game. I really have. It just is not fun in the least for me. I guess I'm missing something because everyone seems to love it but I, for the life of me can not play it. First time i played it i had my oxygen supplie taken out and a boarding party come on my ship. my entire crew was killed either by the boarding party or the lack of oxygen. secondtwo words. BULL Ive tried to play this game. I really have. It just is not fun in the least for me. I guess I'm missing something because everyone seems to love it but I, for the life of me can not play it. First time i played it i had my oxygen supplie taken out and a boarding party come on my ship. my entire crew was killed either by the boarding party or the lack of oxygen. second time my oxygen was taken out again and it couldnt be fixed because everyone who tried to suffocated. thrid time everyone was killed again by a boarding party. I have tried probably 30 times to squeeze any incling of enjoyment out of this game but I simply cannot do it. 0/10… Expand
  79. 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
  80. 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.
  81. Alpacalypse
    Aug 19, 2014
    0
    I'd like this to be formally renamed to FTL: **** than XCOM.
    Now that it's out of the way, let me explain why. The game is about 95% luck based. I think the only real skill is knowing when to restart because your luck ran out. I spent about 5 hours playing consecutively, and I only made it to the 8th sector once. Most of the time, it was because I would find a ship with 3 layer shields in    I'd like this to be formally renamed to FTL: **** than XCOM.
    Now that it's out of the way, let me explain why. The game is about 95% luck based. I think the only real skill is knowing when to restart because your luck ran out. I spent about 5 hours playing consecutively, and I only made it to the 8th sector once. Most of the time, it was because I would find a ship with 3 layer shields in the 1st sector, or all 3 of my crew would die in a single event, etc. Games like these need to understand that relying solely on luck make a game bad. You can have something like XCOM which incorporates luck into skill-based gameplay, but when your entire game is a living random number generator, you know you have a **** game. See: FTL. I wanted to like the game. Arguably, the most fun part is boarding. But, until you unlock ships that start with the capability of boarding enemy ships (Which can only be unlocked if you get LUCKY enough to find the sector the RANDOMLY placed event is in. Emphasis on the luck part. There is NO WAY that involves the slightest amount of skill or understanding of the game.), you have to be LUCKY enough to stumble across enough scrap, and then lucky enough to find a shopkeeper who will sell the teleporter bay, letting you board. Oh yeah, and you'll need to be lucky enough to find a suitable crew for boarding.
    If you couldn't tell my by obvious subtlety, let me give you a metaphor on how you win or lose. A computer rolls a 24 sided dice. If it lands on 20, you win. Anything else, you lose. If you try to roll the dice yourself for better odds, the computer burns your house down. If you're a person with a lot of luck, and you just won the lottery, go buy a car. Don't waste your time on this game. Even at 10 dollars, it was a pathetic waste of money.
    This is the constructive part of the review. The game has a nice way of telling you what happens, albeit a lazy one. You get a text box. But, the text box is charming, and less generic than the game is. So, 1/10. Other than that, dog **** Your entire experience is based around a random number generator. It's like if a game took the worst part of a strategy game, combined it with the worst part of an mmo (grinding), and then combined it with the worst part of Dungeons and Dragons (Random, uncontrollable outcomes), an then had it brained on the wall, you'd get FTL.
    Don't pick this game up. Ever. It's abysmal. And this is coming from someone who LOVED the luck-based part of XCOM. My only hope is that I'll be able to obtain a ship that lets me board from the beginning of the game (Because boarding yields more scrap, meaning more upgrades, meaning an easier time. It also triples the chance of recovering a ship augmentation, a potential crewmate, a weapon or a quest trigger), and until the unlocks are based less around throwing a dice at a speeding train, I'm not going to bother. Even the combat, the ONLY part that requires skill comes off as half-assed and generic. The starting ship has a gaping weakness to missiles, as enemy weapons charge 50% faster than yours, meaning they ALWAYS get off a first shot. If a missile hits your shields, it takes you 50% longer to repair it than the enemy ships, meaning that you might as well restart, because you're boned.
    TL:DR; A game that is only luck, with generic combat, and NO progressive rewards. So, nothing ever gets easier. There is no progression. There is no real plot. It's 3 words. "Run from rebels". There is no GAME. Just a number generator. And that is why FTL: Rapist's Delight is one of the worst "games" of the decade. It's definitely the worst strategy game.    … Expand
  82. 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
  83. Darius_84
    Feb 24, 2016
    0
    This game sucks. Basically it's all about luck, no strategy nor skill is involved. Even on sale spare you this pain and use your money for something else... Anything else would be better, thrust me.
    Avoid this crap at all cost
  84. Unospazmatic
    Jan 21, 2016
    0
    Game is based purely on luck. I have spent too long just reading guides to make a ship viable for system 5 let alone come close to even beating the game. Save yourself some time and trouble and avoid this one.

    Basically you have to treat this like any other crap tier roguelike and if you don't get a perfect run in the first system(take too much damage, don't find the right weapons, make    Game is based purely on luck. I have spent too long just reading guides to make a ship viable for system 5 let alone come close to even beating the game. Save yourself some time and trouble and avoid this one.

    Basically you have to treat this like any other crap tier roguelike and if you don't get a perfect run in the first system(take too much damage, don't find the right weapons, make 1 wrong decision) you need to restart. Basically you have to streamline every possible combination and then have super good luck or restart until that happens.

    If there were some way to actually customize your load out before starting the game or not making certain pieces of equipment a requirement to proceed then the game might be enjoyable, as it stands now its the "space cookie cutter ship with the identical build to everyone else is the only way to proceed" game and is not fun at all.    … Expand
  85. JustSomeGamer
    Jun 27, 2017
    0
    pure cancer..........................................................................................
    100% luck.............................................................................................
  86. Scruffey
    Apr 15, 2019
    0
    I can't see why this game gets favourable reviews.
    I started the game on the "Normal" setting and got beaten to death in the first system all the time.
    OK. Maybe I'm a bit dumb - I said to myself. I started the game on the "Easier" setting and got beaten to death in the first system all the time. OK. I'm really dumb - I said to myself. I modded the game with Twinge's Balance & Bugfix    I can't see why this game gets favourable reviews.
    I started the game on the "Normal" setting and got beaten to death in the first system all the time.
    OK. Maybe I'm a bit dumb - I said to myself.
    I started the game on the "Easier" setting and got beaten to death in the first system all the time.
    OK. I'm really dumb - I said to myself.
    I modded the game with Twinge's Balance & Bugfix Mod v3.0.6 which is supposed to make the game a lot easier < : 0 )
    I started the game on the "Easier" setting and got beaten to death in the first system all the time.
    OK. I'm not just really dumb, I must be a bit moronic !
    Enough.
    I'm going back to PacMan - at least I might get somewhere with that...    … Expand
  87. tastybaldeagle
    Feb 5, 2018
    0
    An absolutely must play game. I don't like adventure games but this one goes above and beyond.
  88. Loadstone
    Oct 26, 2018
    0
    This game is amazing. It is very fun and gets me exited. But one thing... how the hell do you even launch the game.

    it wont even launch in discord or the folder even with administrator. It a good game just this is more about it doesn't work and is glitchy AF. It only works in a virtual machine and that sucks. remember the game is good but if you get it be warned it might not work.    This game is amazing. It is very fun and gets me exited. But one thing... how the hell do you even launch the game.

    it wont even launch in discord or the folder even with administrator. It a good game just this is more about it doesn't work and is glitchy AF. It only works in a virtual machine and that sucks.
    remember the game is good but if you get it be warned it might not work.

    It even says in one of the README folders that "We don't promise that this software works." WHAT... THEN... WHY PUBLISH IT FOR EVERYONE TO BUY YOU... ***A*F**GS*G*A*F*GS*DG. ITS JUST SO STUPID.

    They even put a fail safe in their game so if you launch it, it wont work; when you troubleshot it, it says that ITS INCOMPATIBLE EVEN THO THE BLOODY GAMESITE SAID ITS COMPATIBLE FOR WINDOWS. This is retarded and i don't want to go through the pain of opening a virtual machine EVERY BLOODY TIME i want to play... AND IT DOESN'T EVEN SAVE.

    ITS A GOOD GAME AND VERY INNOVATIVE AND ENJOYABLE BUT IF YOUR LOOKING AT THE USABILITY ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO GIVE IT A POSITIVE RATING!!!!

    "Beware that if you get the game it MAY or MAYNOT work."    … 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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