Being a fan of games set in space, I tend to play anything that involves spaceships and gives me the opportunity to explore the cosmos. The first Everspace was a gorgeous fast-paced action space shooter that managed to gather quite the fan following and I was among them. I loved the setting, the tight controls, and most importantly I loved how synergetic the combat systems felt.
So cut to 3 years later, Everspace 2 is coming out and it doubles down on what made the first game so good. I got the chance to play around with the prototype and I am thoroughly impressed with how Everspace 2 is shaping up to be.
First of all, let me start off by saying WOW does Everspace 2 look gorgeous. From the ship details to the distant planets that look daunting. The vibrant visuals and stylish aesthetics makes Everspace 2 look like a next gen title.
Now, onto the gameplay. Everspace 2 at it’s heart is an arcade shooter, and it plays out exactly like that. Unlike simulator games, the controls are not complicated and there’s not a lot of focus on realism here. Instead the focus is on delivering a more fun and high paced experience.
The prototype gave me access to a handful of missions and ships. All of the missions had different objectives and there was quite a bit of variety to it. Everspace 2 will also be set in an open world and will allow you total freedom on how you tackle your objectives. Traveling around the galaxy felt good and exciting, running into random encounters also added in a bit of thrill to my rides. There’s going to be 20-hour-long campaign as well as side missions for people who want a more guided experience.
The RPG and loot systems from the previous game also return and it gives you total control on what sort of ship you want to pilot. There’s a large variety in terms of skills and subclasses available for you. In a way your ship feels like a hero in an RPG game and not just a mere mode of transportation.
Precision aiming and maneuvering are still critical to success and there’s already support for controllers for people who prefer it over K+M. HOTAS support will also be there, so all you flight enthusiasts can dust off your sticks and prepare to take on the galaxy in a more intimate way.
All of this wouldn’t be fun at all without a good and challenging AI and Everspace 2’s AI are definitely up to the mark. They constantly tried to outmaneuver and flank me. I never felt the AI was cheating with auto aim, as they missed quite a few shots and I was able to outplay them with strategical thinking.
All in all I am quite impressed with how Everspace 2 is shaping up to be. From the gorgeous visuals to the excellent handling and feel of the ships and I can’t wait to get my hands on the final game.
