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. Adamanian
    Sep 26, 2012
    10
    Wow. I haven't gotten so immediately and utterly addicted to a game this fast since... Civ II?! It's a little hard at first but once you learn from your mistakes things start going more smoothly. The Faster Than Light webpage has some good Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced tip sections that I highly recommend.
  2. 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
  3. CrummyInsomniac
    Sep 24, 2012
    9
    Faster Than Light is a sci-fi roguelike that follows in the vein of Star Trek. The objective of the game is to lead your single ship across eight sectors and defeat the boss before the enemy fleet catches up to you. The core part of the gameplay is the ship battles, which is quite variable when it comes to the encounters and strategies to win. Do you want to knock down the shields and ripFaster Than Light is a sci-fi roguelike that follows in the vein of Star Trek. The objective of the game is to lead your single ship across eight sectors and defeat the boss before the enemy fleet catches up to you. The core part of the gameplay is the ship battles, which is quite variable when it comes to the encounters and strategies to win. Do you want to knock down the shields and rip them apart with every laser and missile you've got? Maybe you will take it steady by constantly disabling their weapons, giving them a slow but efficient death. You could disable their oxygen supply and set the medical room on fire so they can slowly burn or suffocate to death, leaving you to salvage a ship still in condition. The variable is vast and the fights are an enjoyable factor of the game that keep you on your toes to make sure your crew comes out unscratched. Outside of the combat the gameplay becomes a little lacking. You try manage scraps to buy new items or upgrade your own ship and try to complete quests or special events for a nice reward. It may come out a bit meager compared to the combat gameplay but it helps provide a little stress relief for the big haul you have to make.

    When it comes to the game's design, the pleasant colors and pixels mesh into a simple but endearing style. The music plays off with pleasant and groovy electro tunes that only moderately pick up in tensity when a battle occurs. The game's interface is organized and well-sized, not relying on menu navigation while going through your options.

    Being a roguelike, it's to be expected that the game is going to be difficult. And it is. Even trying the Easy difficulty doesn't show me any differences except that I will get more scraps from accomplishing things. The game is more luck than skill. Running into a solar flare that wipes out your crew or having your weapons constantly disabled in a firefight can quickly stop your adventure despite it having just started five minutes ago. This game can become very generous in one session and quite brutal in another. Losing is not just a possibility, it's to be expected. But with a successful run being around 45-60 minutes, it doesn't feel as upsetting when you can quickly get back on your feet for another round. In the chance that you do defeat the end boss and complete the game, there isn't much to go by replay value except unlocking new ships and doing game achievements. Faster Than Light is an enjoyable game that's very easy to learn but very tough to master. The gameplay's simplicity and short length gives it the lethally addictive formula that gives you the desperation to try another attempt at reaching the end. The reward of finally winning completely renews your spirit It's a fun game but a very harsh one. Game price: $10. Worth: Every penny.    … Expand
  4. 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
  5. UserExperienceS
    Jan 14, 2013
    7
    At second glance, this game is fun if you do not attach yourself to your achievements in individual games and instead look at this as a unique repeatable puzzle largely dependent upon chance.
  6. M13
    Sep 28, 2012
    10
    Having the most fun playing this game that I've had in a looong time. Love the permadeath. And remember people the fights are just as hard on "easy" you just get a bit more money. When I was very young about 24 years ago there was a turn based Mech Warrior RPG.......I loved that then. And I love this now. They seem very similar.
  7. kaiser10951
    Oct 9, 2012
    10
    Very fun game that may or may not keep you glued for hours. It has a crazy hard difficulty that may turn off some players or may attract some like flies to honey. Be warned, you will either love it or want to smash your computer to tiny bits in rage.
  8. MrSniker
    Oct 2, 2012
    8
    Fun game, have logged ~20 hours into it and for $10 it's pretty solid.

    The graphics are simple and easy to understand, the UI is well laid out and lays all need to know information at your disposal, game's got some difficulty and the game's skill/luck system is pretty balanced. The problems are there's just a lack of content for random encounters. After a few replays you start to    Fun game, have logged ~20 hours into it and for $10 it's pretty solid.

    The graphics are simple and easy to understand, the UI is well laid out and lays all need to know information at your disposal, game's got some difficulty and the game's skill/luck system is pretty balanced.

    The problems are there's just a lack of content for random encounters. After a few replays you start to see patterns in encounters and know what path to pick even before you read the whole thing. Some encounters just seem predetermined for you to fail or lack any substantial rewards to risk your crew and ship over. It just gets a tad old.

    Another problem is un-lockable ships aren't the easiest to unlock and it'd be nice for the developers to include maybe an extra ship or two at the beginning to allow new people for more flexible game play initially. If you've got $10 and enjoy tactical game play with some luck involved, you won't be disappointed.    … Expand
  9. dwhee
    Sep 26, 2012
    10
    Better than any game I've played this year at a fraction of the price. It offers so many things that the industry seems to be completely devoid of these days. First off, there's an actual learning curve. You have to learn by doing in FTL, and it usually results in a few miserable failures before you have any chance of success. There is no hand-holding, no quicksaving- you're simplyBetter than any game I've played this year at a fraction of the price. It offers so many things that the industry seems to be completely devoid of these days. First off, there's an actual learning curve. You have to learn by doing in FTL, and it usually results in a few miserable failures before you have any chance of success. There is no hand-holding, no quicksaving- you're simply expected to go down with the ship and then give it another go. But when you do, you're prepared for more contingencies. What was your flaw? Did you get boarded and defeated because you lacked a strong crew? Did you over-invest in weapons while neglecting defensive subsystems like shields, engines, and cloaking? And if so, which subsystems should you have invested in? The gameplay is about preparing for contingencies, and there are only so many. Once you learn all of them you can adequately spec your ship to be able to counter all of them. However, the game makes it VERY difficult to cover all of your bases, mostly due to a simple lack of resources and time. Not a single player, no matter how experienced, enters the final boss fight with every contingency covered. And as a result, the final battle is always rewarding no matter how prepared you are.

    On top of all that, there are unique random events that can happen in the game that can really change your experience for the better- or the worse. I will always remember an event where my female human pilot was killed trying to save an alien crewmember from a civilian ship- there's no cutscene, no fanfair, just a dialog saying that your pilot is dead and the crewmember survived. That alien crewmember became my new pilot and led us to victory. Sometimes it's more harsh and less dramatic. Find an alien artifact in space? Be careful approaching it. It might cause one of your crew to rapidly age in reverse until they disappear.

    There are lots of achievements, which I'm not usually fond of, but in this case I think they complement the game well. Everyone's going to make multiple attempts at the game, so why not make certain starting options unlockables? I really don't mind achievements when they're not half-ass. Either the entire game should be based around them or they shouldn't be there. The designers of FTL seem to feel the same way.

    Most importantly, the game offers challenge. The "Easy" gamemode is almost inevitably what everyone will start out with, and everyone will likely die several times on it. The difficulty is what made me nostalgic more than any of the excellent retro music and graphics- what happened to side-scrolling action games without a save option, where the last level was legitimately SCARY just because you were afraid of losing your progress? I haven't felt that way about the final battle in a video game in a long time. In almost every game today, you die at the hands of the final boss- and then you're instantly resurrected in the fight again. For example, I remember in Batman- Arkham Asylum where the best strategy was to die in the second phase of the boss fight, because it would instantly resurrect you during that specific phase with full health. Ridiculous. NONE of that bs in FTL.

    FTL is a game about feeling a sense of learning and accomplishment. Victory is only earned through experience and endurance. In your first "winning" game, there will almost assuredly be times when, in any other game, you would have reloaded. A crew member dies to your own negligence; you run out of fuel and have to wait for help; you realize too late that you would've specced differently if you had known better. In any other game you restart. In this game, you keep going. You make it work. After all, it's just a game. Remember when games were like that?    … Expand
  10. The14th
    Jun 4, 2013
    10
    An excellent take on the rouge-like, and possibly the closest we've ever come to how it feels to captain a ship from Star Trek. If you don't love this game and become addicted to it's simple brilliance then you truly have no soul. And FYI, if you can't handle the random encounter generator then you are simply not playing right.
  11. Bigboy0007
    Jan 11, 2014
    9
    Humans are stupid. Giving a game a low score because you can't beat it is stupid. That's not the game, it's you. You can blame bad luck all you want, but using 90% of the ships available I can reach the Last Stand on normal almost every time. At start you will perish, no doubt about it. Spending a lot of time on easy is key; try unlocking all available ships (type A and B) on easy so thatHumans are stupid. Giving a game a low score because you can't beat it is stupid. That's not the game, it's you. You can blame bad luck all you want, but using 90% of the ships available I can reach the Last Stand on normal almost every time. At start you will perish, no doubt about it. Spending a lot of time on easy is key; try unlocking all available ships (type A and B) on easy so that you have a decent arsenal to choose from and you get some game experience. 55 hours in and I'm currently trying to unlock all achievements. It can get repetitive at times but given a few days you'll be coming back for more. Could do with more content, but with the upcoming Advanced Edition update (free of charge) I'll have to return to this review. For the ridiculous prices of the Steam sales, this is a no-brainer.… Expand
  12. PlanByHero
    Jan 22, 2013
    9
    This is a truly excellent game with lovely artwork and an easy pick up & play style. However, it is EXTREMELY difficult. I've been playing it non-stop for weeks since I bought and still haven't beaten it on easy. The randomisation of loot/encounters is done very well so the game never feels unfair but it's still bloody difficult.
  13. sundog005
    Sep 26, 2012
    10
    awesome little game, i'm bewildered by the negative reviews...how anyone can criticize this game so heavily is ridiculous I've read their complaints and as a hardcore FTLer of some 89 hours i can tell you most of them are totally unfounded and written by impartial trolls...if you like Sci-Fi and RPG's and don't belong to the "ADD i like my games all graphics and no content and one buttonawesome little game, i'm bewildered by the negative reviews...how anyone can criticize this game so heavily is ridiculous I've read their complaints and as a hardcore FTLer of some 89 hours i can tell you most of them are totally unfounded and written by impartial trolls...if you like Sci-Fi and RPG's and don't belong to the "ADD i like my games all graphics and no content and one button wins" generation, buy it.... its cheap and genius, these guys need to be supported.… Expand
  14. 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
  15. InspectorJ
    Dec 6, 2012
    9
    An impressive Indie game which is very surprising: With random sectors generated with each playing, combined with an array of weapons, equipment, encounters and crew which leads along a short storyline which can be completed in several different ways; this truly is a game travelling at Faster Than Light.
  16. heychrisfox
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    An amazingly addictive game. There is so much depth, so much variety, and so much risk. You really want to succeed as you continue playing, but the game ramps up difficulty to higher and higher levels. One act of hubris, or one moment of bad luck, and you'll find your ship exploding into pieces. The variety of mechanics all balance themselves out fantastically, and the game never feelsAn amazingly addictive game. There is so much depth, so much variety, and so much risk. You really want to succeed as you continue playing, but the game ramps up difficulty to higher and higher levels. One act of hubris, or one moment of bad luck, and you'll find your ship exploding into pieces. The variety of mechanics all balance themselves out fantastically, and the game never feels like it's getting dull, especially with the constant onslaught of the Rebel Army, which prods you into keeping pace and jumping into the next solar system.

    I would probably write even more compliments, but my ship is in Mantis territory, and I don't want to let my crew of five down.    … Expand
  17. aggrazel
    Oct 5, 2012
    8
    I -hate- this game.

    But I -love- this game. Just feels like any time I think I'm getting somewhere and I got an awesome ship with a great crew with powerful weapons and a great strategy, something I did not expect comes out of left field to put me in my place.

    10 play throughs so far, 10 deaths. HORRID GAME STAY AWAY (you will get addicted). Buy it so you can hate it too.
  18. Chomp
    Nov 30, 2012
    9
    FTL is a great, original roguelike. Addictive gameplay, great design, and all around top notch experience. At a $10 price tag this game is a FANTASTIC value. The replayability is immense and according to Steam I've put 38 hours into this game in just two weeks (I believe it). This game rocks. The combat is fun and surprising deep. This is actually the first roguelike game I've played andFTL is a great, original roguelike. Addictive gameplay, great design, and all around top notch experience. At a $10 price tag this game is a FANTASTIC value. The replayability is immense and according to Steam I've put 38 hours into this game in just two weeks (I believe it). This game rocks. The combat is fun and surprising deep. This is actually the first roguelike game I've played and it's introduced the genre to me in the best way possible. If you like space ships, challenging gameplay, and hardcore but fun gameplay experience this is game you owe it to yourself to play.… Expand
  19. Girsc
    Dec 3, 2012
    9
    I hopped on to disagree with the reviews who say this game takes a lot of luck to win. You can almost certainly win most (85+% of the time I'd say) as long as you play smart: specifically (1) you need to play to your ship's strengths (2) timing and the order of your actions is ** everything **. If you set your weapons on auto all the time, you're going to have a bad time. Simple toyI hopped on to disagree with the reviews who say this game takes a lot of luck to win. You can almost certainly win most (85+% of the time I'd say) as long as you play smart: specifically (1) you need to play to your ship's strengths (2) timing and the order of your actions is ** everything **. If you set your weapons on auto all the time, you're going to have a bad time. Simple toy example: your enemy ship has two shields, you have a single laser burst that takes 10 seconds to charge, and dual burst that takes 17 seconds. Rather than just letting both immediately discharge, you need to wait for both to be charged and discharge both weapons at the same time - so you can exploit the small amount of time both shields might be down (but not nec. destroyed). There's actually a lot of nuance to playing well, and the whole system is actually very well balanced.

    I would argue that getting the right drops is more of bonus, rather than a necessity. You should be able to maneuver most of the ships at least past sector 3 without a single upgrade. On that note, you should be collecting as much scrap as you can in these earlier levels.

    That's not to say this game doesn't involve any luck at all. Every now and then, a mildly risky maneuver can totally be the end of you and your crew.

    I give the game a 9 for its well-balanced play and many nuances. I'd give it a 10, but the game gets pretty repetitive after a while.    … Expand
  20. Mykwon
    Dec 23, 2012
    10
    A very simple game with very simple graphics, yet very addictive! The strategy is extremely well balanced and the progress in succeeding in the game is constant. So, the pleasure is always renewed, the replay value is big and the potentials are vast. This is a magic game that is at the opposite of any gaming hypes but is tremendously well done. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! One of the best gamesA very simple game with very simple graphics, yet very addictive! The strategy is extremely well balanced and the progress in succeeding in the game is constant. So, the pleasure is always renewed, the replay value is big and the potentials are vast. This is a magic game that is at the opposite of any gaming hypes but is tremendously well done. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! One of the best games I've ever played in my 30 year gaming experience.… Expand
  21. MediaGuru
    Dec 9, 2012
    9
    I can't believe I'm giving this game a 9/10, but is way more fun and addictive than it has any right to be.

    Occasionally I browse the indie games on Steam, and this one was on sale so I took a glance. Metacritic score of 84 (at the time I purchased)? Really?? I found that intriguing. I would have never purchased this game just from looking at the screenshots. It looked like a    I can't believe I'm giving this game a 9/10, but is way more fun and addictive than it has any right to be.

    Occasionally I browse the indie games on Steam, and this one was on sale so I took a glance. Metacritic score of 84 (at the time I purchased)? Really?? I found that intriguing. I would have never purchased this game just from looking at the screenshots. It looked like a point-and-click-as-fast-as-you-can RTS. This is only half-true.

    First of all, let me say I don't know if this game is brilliant or just sadistic. Maybe both. It dangles just enough of a carrot every time you play that you think "If I just woulda..." Just woulda found some fuel in time. Just woulda escaped from that last battle with a couple crew. Just woulda decided to repair my hull instead of buying that drone. Etc.

    Reviewers keep calling this game "Roguelike", but I think that is pretty incorrect. It is Roguelike in the sense that it is randomly-generated so every game is different and has a lot of replayability, and you can't save your progress. It's a short-but-brutal all-or-nothing journey.

    But the look, feel, theme, and more all remind me of one of the first addictive computer games I ever owned: Starflight 2 - Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula. These guys were inspired by the Starflight series, for sure. So maybe the nostalgia is making me happy, too, but this game is good in its own right. Some people have complained it is merely a statgrinder, and while yes, this is technically true, you could say that about all sorts of games (anything with points or scores or money or upgrades, really. So, by that measure, most FPS, RPGs, and even friggin Mario Brothers would count as a "statgrinder")

    What it is, really, is an exercise in damage-control. It's all about emergency preparedness and weighing calculated risks for rewards, and deciding how to best invest those rewards because -- just like in real life -- there are never enough resources at your disposal. So you have to pick and choose carefully, and if you choose a one-sided approach (heavy firepower, or defense, or only one type of weapon, or skimping on fuel or ammo to buy those things), you WILL get blindsided. The game demands you consider possible emergencies and how you are going to deal with them -- the space combat part is an obvious one, but what if the enemy boards your ship? What if your wonderful weapons get damaged? What if a fire breaks out? Will you have a backup plan, or will you be doomed?

    Often, you are doomed. Some people complain about that. It's true that you can be wonderfully rewarded or brutally punished based on the whim of chaos. But then again, that's just like real life. The question i not "Will I face some impossibly-destructive scenario?" -- because, oh yes, you will. It's not a matter of if, but when (it's rarely in the first sector, but they start showing up by Sector 3. In the 24 hours I've been playing the game, I've only made it to Sector 5, a little more than halfway through)

    The genius lies in the fact that, even though these punishing scenarios exist, none of them really feel IMPOSSIBLE. The game dangles enough of a carrot every time that you are motivated to jump back in and try again. It is ridiculous effective at making you want to play again. It's like Pringles -- you can't just take one bite.

    Sure, sometimes you simply can't breach an enemy's defenses. Or they may have a brutal weaponry. But the beauty is you can prepare for that by: (a) bolstering your defense; (b) getting stronger weapons; (c) having a plan for how to hunker down, take some damage, and fire up the engines to escape quickly. The game keeps it interesting by also unlocking other ships you can use, each with very different strategies involved to use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. I love it.

    More than one way for success, and WAY more than one way to fail. In fact, I think this game is a great training in real-life decision making, where disaster can strike at any moment, there's never enough resources, and you have to figure out how to make it work anyway.    … Expand
  22. MagnesiumDew
    Dec 18, 2012
    9
    When I heard that the Kickstarter for this game had finished and that I had to wait 5 months for it to be on Steam, I was annoyed to say the least. But when it hit Steam, it was well worth the wait. FTL is a great addition to the strategy category as a whole as it's fast game play, fights and trading allow for full games to be played within an hour (it being a rouge-like). After the firstWhen I heard that the Kickstarter for this game had finished and that I had to wait 5 months for it to be on Steam, I was annoyed to say the least. But when it hit Steam, it was well worth the wait. FTL is a great addition to the strategy category as a whole as it's fast game play, fights and trading allow for full games to be played within an hour (it being a rouge-like). After the first play through, it may feel slightly boring the next time round. But pushing through and trying different weapons, ships etc, makes the game fun and good to play for brief periods of time. This game is not for long strategic play (although I would advise pausing a lot) but for quick tactical decisions. It is also very easy for anyone to pick up. While it is very combat heavy, it handles other non-combat options such as trading very well. The excellent soundtrack also adds depth and excitement tho the overall experience.

    For its £6.99 price tag on Steam it is well worth your money for the general combat, soundtrack and variation. Although the game is very random, the amount of player control allows for an exciting and addictive experience.    … Expand
  23. bwettfett
    Jan 15, 2013
    9
    If you don't cheat by save-scumming, this game is brutal.
    And I mean brutal.
    Make a jump into an ambush at a low level? Prepare to restart. But stick together and get your ship up to par? That's the true goal, and the game rewards you for it with new ships, layouts and other cool rewards everytime you make it through the game. High replayability and an original idea make FTL one of my    If you don't cheat by save-scumming, this game is brutal.
    And I mean brutal.
    Make a jump into an ambush at a low level? Prepare to restart.
    But stick together and get your ship up to par? That's the true goal, and the game rewards you for it with new ships, layouts and other cool rewards everytime you make it through the game. High replayability and an original idea make FTL one of my favorite games this year. The only real downside in my opinion is that ship combat can be a bit unbalanced, and that you can't manually upgrade crewmembers.    … Expand
  24. Cyberjepp
    Jul 13, 2013
    10
    I'd glanced at 'Faster Than Light' on the Steam store occasionally, but had never been a fan of strategy games. I had heard good things about this game, so I picked it up at a sale. Since then I've been thoroughly enjoying playing it on plenty of occasions, and there is still plenty to do in the game. Easily a solid 10.
  25. Noruka
    Feb 19, 2013
    9
    What a great little game. FTL takes you back to the 32 bit days when skill, luck and some persistence engrosses you into a well built adventure. FTL has been my guilty pleasure over the past couple months and i couldn't be happier with it. Anytime an indy game comes along to counter the "unfinished masterpieces", (Warz and Aliens:Colonial Marines) I am a happy camper.
  26. Gnawer
    Mar 7, 2013
    10
    Very simple, yet original and addictive game. If you played games in early 90's, this one will remind you a lot of these times. Earlier, people did not necessarily have to spend tons of money to write a good game, so there was more room for experiment. This game is in that spirit. And still, it doesn't feel outdated, and it's not casual-browser-game simple. It actually has a lot of varietyVery simple, yet original and addictive game. If you played games in early 90's, this one will remind you a lot of these times. Earlier, people did not necessarily have to spend tons of money to write a good game, so there was more room for experiment. This game is in that spirit. And still, it doesn't feel outdated, and it's not casual-browser-game simple. It actually has a lot of variety to offer. You basically just shoot ships, but you can do it in many ways. Not just with lasers and missiles, you can board and attack the crew, set them on fire, use attack drones, etc. Fair warning: there's no save/load, and you will die a lot. It's OK. This game is like Tetris: it's intended to be played for the process, not for the end result.… Expand
  27. 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.
  28. sludgecake
    May 8, 2013
    10
    If you've watched space operas (i.e. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, etc.) and wanted to try your hand as captain of a vessel, this game has something to offer you.

    If you like to have some difficulty in your game, and the uncertainty which causes one to think carefully about taking a calculated risk, this game has something to offer you. If you like to play through a game again to    If you've watched space operas (i.e. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, etc.) and wanted to try your hand as captain of a vessel, this game has something to offer you.

    If you like to have some difficulty in your game, and the uncertainty which causes one to think carefully about taking a calculated risk, this game has something to offer you.

    If you like to play through a game again to try out different styles of play, this game has something to offer you. You can unlock a multitude of ships to use through later playthroughs, and each one lends itself to a different style of play. This element has got me coming back for a number of playthroughs months after I would have stopped even thinking about other games.

    There's depth to this game, a well-done sci-fi setting, a clean, neat UI, unique, interesting, and strategic gameplay... the music is awesome... it has a LOT going for it. Check it out.    … Expand
  29. 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
  30. Pomegranate23
    Sep 22, 2013
    10
    EPICLY AWESOME GAME! For 10€ I have had 100+ hours of fun. T
    The game is hard, very hard. Its unforgiving and brutal but that makes it awesome. You will have such an epic feeling when you beat the game. Replay value is high since the game has alot of randomness in it.

    The setting and music is also great. Will make you feel like you're truely flying trough space.
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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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