FTL: Faster Than Light

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1531 Ratings

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

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  1. Oscar_Crane
    Jun 28, 2014
    0
    This 'game' is not even worth playing unless you have a thing for either A) Modding files and making things easier, B) having the luck of a dozen leprechauns or C) enjoy failure. The game is mind-blowing difficult, requiring a restart from square one. No second chances or back-up saves. The difficulty starts out well for the first few sectors, but then it jumps to near-impossibility, evenThis 'game' is not even worth playing unless you have a thing for either A) Modding files and making things easier, B) having the luck of a dozen leprechauns or C) enjoy failure. The game is mind-blowing difficult, requiring a restart from square one. No second chances or back-up saves. The difficulty starts out well for the first few sectors, but then it jumps to near-impossibility, even on easy mode. I would have liked an option to turn the perma-death off, but until the producers add in an option to respawn at, say, the start of you current sector, I'm not wasting any more of my life on this game.… Expand
  2. hboogie
    Jun 23, 2014
    10
    This is a highly addicting game due to it's roguelike elements. I died so many times I lost count. You need to look up guides to be able to know how to play this game, but once you get the mechanics the game starts to be extremely fun. Even though you start over when you die the game still gives you an incentive to keep playing by being able to unlock other ships, or just playing it againThis is a highly addicting game due to it's roguelike elements. I died so many times I lost count. You need to look up guides to be able to know how to play this game, but once you get the mechanics the game starts to be extremely fun. Even though you start over when you die the game still gives you an incentive to keep playing by being able to unlock other ships, or just playing it again to see if a different strategy will give you a different outcome. This game gives you that sense of progression due to the unlockable features. There are 3 models for each type of ships and you have to unlock each model by doing achievements. The engie and stealth ships are my all time favorites to play with. This game have tons of replay value but with mods it adds even more replay value on top of it. It's a must buy game. 10/10… Expand
  3. rynoth
    Jun 21, 2014
    2
    Reposted because of steams one-sided review system.

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

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

    FTL's most impressive accomplishment is the psychology based around it.
    The gameplay is tedious and repetive, but addictive. This is accomplished by rewarding the player at random intervals with scrap, weapons, new crewman. Sometimes just for jumping into a system.
    By bestowing these rewards upon the player, it encourages the player to continue pumping in hours of their life into the game. If you're having a good run you're motivated by greed and a sense of empowerment. "I want more weapons more scrap, give me MOAR!! I am invincible! HAHAHA!"
    If you're having a bad run you're motivated by hope and desperation. "Just have to make it to a shop to repair. I can do it. Maybe this system...no...maybe the next system."
    The point being to get the player to get sooo close to victory or even die based on bad luck so you’ll run it back.
    Regardless of whether you're having the most amazing run ever, the final boss can still curb-stomp you into the dirt with just a few well placed shots.
    I had one fight where the Rebel Flagship couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and every shot that did connect would hit systemless rooms.
    On the other hand I had encounters where I couldn't hit the Rebel Flagship to save my life and everyone of their shots seemed to hit just the right system at just the right moment.
    There are intances where the boss fight will rage on and it feels like you're both on equal ground, or somethings his first volley will cripple every system you have and you'll die in mere minutes.
    FTL is a game where you can do everything right and still lose.
    That's not a game. Not a good game anyway.
    In FTL you win or lose based on the randomness of the enemy AI and everything that followed before that.
    It's not skill when you defeat an opponent who spent the entire fight teleporting bombs into systemless rooms.
    And it's not a lack of skill if you lost because you all your shots missed thanks to the RNG.
    It's luck, plain and simple.
    If this review keeps one person from buying this travesty I've done my job.
    FTL is more roulette than space simulator. Avoid.    … Expand
  4. Estus
    Jun 10, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game! The graphics are simple and the fictional universe it's incredible rich, a little barely tapped, but still fun and interesting. The difficulty of the game it's very disappointing and exciting at the same time, if you are a impatient person may you be angry sometimes. Anyway, it's amazing!… Expand
  5. carlosgtardon
    Jun 10, 2014
    9
    Para mí la gran aventura espacial de los últimos años, las mecánicas son interesantes y te obliga a la rejugabilidad ya que castiga pero pica. Interesante aunque corto, una experiencia de juego recomendable.
  6. Banhammer0
    May 31, 2014
    8
    Great indie game, I played it for like 20+ hours and had a lot of fun with it.
    Crew and ship management which are the main parts of the game are very well designed and satisfying. The various encounters and quests are varied and well-written adding surprising level of immersion to the game.
    It's rouge-like nature can be a flaw sometimes. Sometimes even if you are a very good player you    Great indie game, I played it for like 20+ hours and had a lot of fun with it.
    Crew and ship management which are the main parts of the game are very well designed and satisfying. The various encounters and quests are varied and well-written adding surprising level of immersion to the game.
    It's rouge-like nature can be a flaw sometimes. Sometimes even if you are a very good player you lose no matter what, for example you spec your ship into drones, and you find only 1 combat drone through entire campaign failing miserably. Sometimes it also can be too easy, it really depends more on luck than skill.
    The graphics are kinda cartoonish but this is okay in an indie game, though better graphics would make this game way more amazing.
    The music is epic, I listened to it outside of the game more than I played it I think, really immersive, you can find in on youtube and see if it suits your style.
    During the game you unlock new ships and new ships layouts which gives it a lot of replay ability. Single campaign will take you only a couple hours to complete, but it's not a problem thanks to it's rouge-like nature.
    What else...technically it's almost perfect as I did not encounter any major glitches or crashes.
    Also it's modable. There are a lot of good mods out there, mostly adding new ships but also total overhauls worth checking out.

    For it's very low price I can't give it any less than 8/10. It's one of the best indie games out there.    … Expand
  7. couchbattle
    May 28, 2014
    9
    What can I say that hasn't been said about this title. Incredibly addicting and well worth the money you will pay for it. Fun and witty with a large learning curve that you can only get more excited about learning about. One of the best titles I have ever played
  8. Gordon7
    May 26, 2014
    5
    This is a great game for skilled gamers, or for a mediocre one like me that has TONS of time (which I don't have. maybe 2-3 hrs/wk to play). This makes it nearly impossible to play. there's really no way to come back to a "saved" game if you die or get close to it. so you have to start from scratch every time. I really don't mind the randomness that many complain about, i like theThis is a great game for skilled gamers, or for a mediocre one like me that has TONS of time (which I don't have. maybe 2-3 hrs/wk to play). This makes it nearly impossible to play. there's really no way to come back to a "saved" game if you die or get close to it. so you have to start from scratch every time. I really don't mind the randomness that many complain about, i like the difficulty it adds. however having to start completely over almost makes it very difficult to achieve much as you can put in a few hours playing only to get killed and have to start all over. This makes it monotonous fairly quickly. I've played this game for 17hrs on easy and only beaten it once (remember: I am not "skilled").

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

    Other than this major flaw (for me) I think this is a fantastic game and I like the retro look and feel    … Expand
  9. coljac
    May 1, 2014
    10
    Looks like you either love or hate FTL. I love it. It's a relaxing and engaging game with infinite replayability.I have only unlocked a fraction of the ships available in the game and my enthusiasm for getting there has only grown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subset Games just released a free expansion. Let me repeat myself if you suddenly became stunned by those words. A FREE EXPANSION. Its awesome. The core game is left unchanged and there is the addition of more content. Seems simple right? Absolutely worth $10. I cannot recommend this game enough. Prepare to die a lot. This is hard, unforgiving, and very, very fun.    … Expand
  16. SilentHell
    Apr 8, 2014
    5
    An interesting game, but the final boss is really, whatever ship u'll have at the end, an unbalanced "pita".

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

    Lets hope FTL2 will erase those defaults.
  17. sbox91
    Apr 6, 2014
    9
    This game doesn't look all that, but play for 20 minutes and you'll be hooked. I keep coming back to it and finding new things in the game or strategies I should use and with a free DLC added, hours more adventure have been added. That is the sign of a studio that cares for their fans. Great game to get your hands onto.
  18. Pestro
    Apr 5, 2014
    10
    This game's addicting. Simple SNES graphics and great game mechanics. Its only $9.99 (got it on Steam sale for about $4.99) and I spent about 100 hours total playing it. Wow. Its now available on iPad and as soon as the come out with it on Android, I'm buying it for my Android devices (all of them). Ship to ship combat never felt so cool until FTL.
  19. Drigun
    Apr 5, 2014
    8
    A small and simple game.
    Yet sometimes it felt so complex and sometimes just great...

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

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

    The only few criticisms I have are that the game could be extended slightly not by much but one or two more sectors so that the player can build more resources although it is doable as it is. Good Luck    … Expand
  25. southpaw317
    Feb 21, 2014
    10
    Money vs. entertainment value - It's hard to beat this game. It's not flashy and almost could've been done on a NES, but it's challenging, strategic, and there's lots of replay value with the things to unlock. Kudos to the guys who made this one! Oh, and it will inevitably be on sale on Steam if you don't want to pay too much. The summer and winter sales will probably have it down toMoney vs. entertainment value - It's hard to beat this game. It's not flashy and almost could've been done on a NES, but it's challenging, strategic, and there's lots of replay value with the things to unlock. Kudos to the guys who made this one! Oh, and it will inevitably be on sale on Steam if you don't want to pay too much. The summer and winter sales will probably have it down to just a few bucks, though the designers probably do deserve a full price, so do what you will.… Expand
  26. kentcoil
    Feb 20, 2014
    9
    I felt compelled to write a review because of all the people saying that the game is "too hard." It is a hard game and you will die a lot in the beginning. And that's OK as long as you try to learn something every time. I can beat it about 90% of the time on Normal and have beat it at least once with all the different ship types. I'm actually looking forward to the Hard mode that will beI felt compelled to write a review because of all the people saying that the game is "too hard." It is a hard game and you will die a lot in the beginning. And that's OK as long as you try to learn something every time. I can beat it about 90% of the time on Normal and have beat it at least once with all the different ship types. I'm actually looking forward to the Hard mode that will be available in the upcoming "Advanced Edition." I give it a 9 rather than a 10 because there is SOME luck and that can be frustrating at times. People who say it's totally dependent on finding a good weapon early or some other random element either haven't played enough or haven't learned enough from their previous losses.… Expand
  27. Newts
    Feb 19, 2014
    7
    I enjoyed the game well enough the danger is very real in some play throughs as all you have is luck and your wits. The challenge of using what cards your dealt with and planning ahead kept me hooked

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

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

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

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

    like I said I liked the game just wish there was more to it, but with the free expansion coming out soon
    I'll probably be playing it religiously once again    … Expand
  28. 60mm
    Feb 19, 2014
    10
    This is definitely a game for tactical/strategy aficionados. If you don't like challenging tactical games, thsi game is not for you. If you enjoyed playing X-Com on Superhuman or getting through FFT with 2 or 3 characters, this game is right up your alley.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    At the end of the day FTL is a very consistent title where gameplay sound design and graphics all fit perfectly. What I liked about this game personally was the amount of luck which is involved here. You very much depend on the encounters that occur and the amount of scrap (game currency) you earn. You could lose the game by simply running out of fuel. This said I found FTL a very difficult game especially in the beginning but this isn't a problem at all as the random world generation and the new ship types one can unlock Faster than light has a very high replay value.    … Expand
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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

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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.
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  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.
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