Everspace 2 is a really cool spaceship shooter that offers far more than you would think. Currently, the game is still in early access, but there are a few solid hours of gameplay to be had here. One thing I will say is that I do not feel that you need to have played the first game before you jump in here, even though the story does continue from that.
How to Download Everspace 2
To download the game for your PC or console, click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Game Review
The main character is a clone (and the same guy from the first game) and the twist here is that he is on his very last life. So, if he dies, he dies for good this time around. He is trying to make it as a mercenary and he comes across a cast of colorful characters as he does. Currently, the story is very promising, but the early access nature of the game has it end very abruptly.
If you were to just watch a video of this game, you would probably get an idea in your mind of how it controls. Well, Everspace 2 is not like your traditional spaceship game, if you take the recent Star Wars Squadrons, that is a typical spaceship game. What we have here is a game that controls more like a first or third-person shooter.
The way the ship controls gives you so much more control than you normally would have. You can strafe, move slow, get through tight spaces and it is very satisfying. The ship has a ton of abilities and it is using these and figuring out when is best that will give you an edge. I loved using this EMP blast that would then let me pick off enemies while they were stunned. There is a fun upgrade (skill tree) type system at play here too.
The game has you flying through space and taking down many different enemy ships. While there is a path that the story follows, you are always encouraged to venture off it to see what secrets, loot, and other stuff the galaxy has for you. I loved this exploration aspect of the game and it made me feel like a real space pirate.
While much of the game is set in outer space, you can go down to various planets and explore huge wrecked spaceships in outer space. Even in this early access version, there is a fair bit of variety to the places that you will be going. I had just as much fun messing around as I did actually playing the proper missions.
This is a great looking game. I loved the way that space looked and how it could be so vast and open or full of stuff like ships and space rocks. Then we have the planets which all have their own personality and theme too. I encountered very few visual bugs and already the game has a very decent level of polish to it.
It is a bit unfair to give a game that is in early access a final verdict, but so far, Everspace 2 is a damn fine game. I just love the way it controls and mixing in RPG style elements with a space shooter is something that they have nailed. The content that is here so far does end very abruptly, but it has certainly got me excited for the next update.
