Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 28
  2. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. What is a fair critique is that, ultimately, none of it matters very much. As I said, the state of your ship is what keeps you going. You fight more to earn more to buy more. In this way it is a very transparent game. But also a repetitive one, and overall, a mixed bag.
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 131 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 131
  2. Negative: 19 out of 131
  1. Oct 22, 2015
    8
    Imagine they made a Firefly videogame, and that videogame was an unholy fusion of FTL, Mass Effect's space flight bits and the naval combatImagine they made a Firefly videogame, and that videogame was an unholy fusion of FTL, Mass Effect's space flight bits and the naval combat from AC: Black Flag.

    I really like it, it's not particularly complex but it's fun to fly around trading, smuggling and fighting other ships. I can't vouch for story quality but if you want something inexpensive that you can get lost in for a while I fully recommend it.
    Full Review »
  2. Oct 24, 2015
    7
    It's a 2D version of freelancer, essentially, and apparently designed to be played with a 360 controller. Several things impressed me aboutIt's a 2D version of freelancer, essentially, and apparently designed to be played with a 360 controller. Several things impressed me about it:

    * The music. This is probably the first thing you'll notice. Bluegrass and rock and roll. This game has by far one of the better soundtracks I've experienced in a game.

    * The characters you interact with are fully animated and lip sync the dialog.

    * The encounters and NPC activity are procedurally generated without feeling totally random. Events can occur which change the behavior of NPCs and introduce new random encounters. In my view the variety of the NPC activity is better than Freelancer's was.

    The downs:

    * The controls are weird. You can steer while in warp, so in order to prevent you from crashing into things, the game limits your cruise velocity when you are near an object, similar to what happens in Elite: Dangerous. It tells you when it's doing it, but unlike Elite, it's not always obvious why it's doing this or how to avoid it, leading to frustration when you're trying to maneuver in a fight, overtake a convoy, or transit to an outpost. Also, since the game is designed for a controller, it tends to reuse the same buttons for totally different things, like the acceleration button being used for scooping loot if you hold it down.

    * Although you only move in 2D, your enemies don't. Fighter class vessels fly above and below the plane
    of your movement, making it hard to track them even with turrents.

    * The map isn't available everywhere you would expect it to be, like when you're docked in a station.

    * Broadsides are a lot less useful than you would expect.
    Full Review »
  3. Oct 23, 2015
    10
    This game is absolutely brilliant, the storyline is hilarious, the missions are fun, the environment sucks you into it. I love thatThis game is absolutely brilliant, the storyline is hilarious, the missions are fun, the environment sucks you into it. I love that everything is completely open world and its up to how you choose to play it, you can be whatever you want to be, e.g pirate, trader, a do-gooder, bounty hunter, etc. Your ship is totally upgradable in so many ways. I wasnt sure about the 2.5D plane because I am a bit of a space sim enthusiast (with my own HOTAS and everything) but it works so well, and I just take Rebel Galaxy for what it is which is a great action packed Space Arcade game. At $20 its a steal! 10/10 Full Review »