TL;DR
Everspace is a roguelike space shooter that offers deep content and responsive controls, evoking a modern Wing Commander feel. While its procedural generation promises replayability, it could challenge long-term engagement. The game’s developer faced a PR quandary paying a reluctant influencer, underscoring the influencer marketing tightrope. Despite visual comparisons to other titles, Everspace shines with its engaging mechanics and adjustable difficulty. If you're a fan of the genre, especially at its current price, it's a solid pick. Dive into our full review to see if it's your next gaming obsession!
(Check out our video review with gameplay from Everspace above!)
German developer Rockfish Games garnered significant media attention when they reportedly paid a YouTube personality $50,000 per hour to play their game, Everspace. However, the individual in question, by his own admission, “hates space games” and, according to Rockfish, played in a less than optimal manner. This highlights a potential risk when prioritizing influencers over experienced game journalists. 😜 (Just kidding, there are many talented influencers out there too, including Annie Fuchsia). Nevertheless, the PR value generated appears to have been substantial.
Everspace employs a roguelike structure, meaning that levels and enemy patterns are procedurally regenerated with each death, resulting in the loss of acquired weapon enhancements. While this design offers theoretically endless replayability, it can also present a challenge in maintaining long-term engagement.
While perhaps not quite as visually striking in its lighting effects as the similarly-timed release of Manticore – Galaxy on Fire, Everspace compensates with greater depth in content and control mechanics. The game features an intuitive setup and upgrade system. At its best, it evokes a modernized version of Wing Commander, the classic title that helped define PC gaming in the 90s.
You can also play from a cockpit view.
The controls feel responsive, and the overall design demonstrates careful attention to detail. The adjustable difficulty level caters to a range of player skill. The primary question, as with any roguelike, is whether the gameplay loop can sustain player interest over an extended period. However, given its relatively modest price point (which, during our testing, was temporarily reduced to SEK 150), Everspace represents a worthwhile investment for fans of the genre.
