Some sections do more damage than one might expect - colliding with a wall takes a surprisingly large chunk of health, and when the player is weaving through a metallic maze, a few bumps are bound to happen.

I spent most of my run in the gunship, a chunky yellow thing that was quite slow but had immense firepower. Several different ships can be purchased in-game that change up the feel of combat again: Small ships have fewer weapons but move much faster, whereas big ones have extra weapon slots but poor shields. The encounters really push the player to use everything in their arsenal, rather than just sticking to a favorite weapon.Įnemy knowledge is important too: Knowing that a madcap likes to loop around in circles or how long the range is on a sniper drone makes a big difference in combat success. The disorienting high-speed combat takes some getting used to - and probably would not be appreciated by players who get motion-sick - but when everything comes together, the fights are dramatic and satisfying. The player needs to be dexterous in turn, spinning around to meet enemy fire or evade a hurled bomb. Flying in a straight line towards the enemy only works on the most basic of drones, with other baddies dipping out of sight at a moment’s notice. The many opponents Adam encounters in Everspace 2 early access have their own strengths and weaknesses, but the most important factor in defeating them is movement during the battle. While I cannot speak for the quality of the joystick controls (my Sidewinder from the ‘90s is long gone), Everspace 2 in early access works well for the other input methods. Trickier still is finding a system that will work with three different input methods - mouse and keyboard, controller, and joystick. That access to the full range of 3D movement is hard to get right and is the reason why underwater levels are so universally disliked. Add on randomized loot and a generous leveling up system, and every moment of exploring the universe is made rewarding.įirst and foremost, good controls are vital for a space sim. Adam starts out with access to a handful of planets, but more areas are swiftly unlocked as the player progresses through the campaign, offering a variety of deadly dogfights and thoughtful puzzles. The original game is a linear roguelike, but here the player is free to explore the galaxy at their leisure, no permadeath gating their progress. Everspace 2 is much larger in scope than its predecessor, which is crystal clear even in early access.

Everspace 2 steam