FTL: Faster Than Light from Subset Games (a produce of something called ‘Kickstarter’) is an interesting game to try and classify. I mean, people are going to say it’s a Roguelike because of the ever-increasing difficulty, the random events, the constant need to press forward versus the need to stay where you are and get more powerful, and the occasional brutality of the whole thing. But, really, it’s not all that much like Rogue, the original game where the no-genre takes its place. Sure, structurally its similar, but you aren’t crawling through dungeons the same way you were in the original game. Instead, FTL: Faster Than Light tasks you with running a spaceship as you try and make your way across space. You are given a map of sectors at the beginning of the game (I’m pretty sure you hit eight of them as you move across the map to the final sector). Once you enter a sector, you are given a web of locations, each of which contains a random event like a fight or a store where you can upgrade your ship and get repairs. You have to reroute your power around to different systems (which you upgrade as you make your way across space), repair your ship (I made a pretty nasty mistake early on where I had a hull breach that I needed to repair but didn’t have enough oxygen to not die from repairing it), and move your crew members around to give boosts to different systems. In combat (perhaps the largest part of the game) you choose which areas of the opposing ship to attack, trying to disable vital systems to make your fight easier. Over time in FTL: Faster Than Light you amass Scrap which you can use to buy a variety of things such as fuel (necessary to move around the map), missiles (necessary for some weapons), repairs, crew members, and drones that assist your ship. Also, during some of the random events, if you meet certain conditions, you’ll be given an extra, blue response that typically does something more awesome for you than the other choices. All the while, in FTL: Faster Than Light you are being pursued, meaning you have to get to the exit of each sector before being overtaken by the ever-impending red area of doom. I’m incredibly enamored with FTL: Faster Than Light and really can’t recommend it enough. The graphics are functional, but pleasant to look at and the gameplay creates the ‘just one more turn’ that a game of this nature should create. There’s always something exciting about to happen in FTL: Faster Than Light. And if you lose? Well, you get your score, respawn the universe, and try again. FTL: Faster Than Light from Subset Games is available right now on Steam for $8.99 until September 21 (regular price is $9.99) or you can get it directly from Subset Games on the official FTL: Faster Than Light web page.
If you’re done checking out our FTL: Faster Than Light review, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the game, or maybe some ways you would like to see it expanded down in the comments. Once you’ve wrapped up here, why don’t you check out the Related Posts below, the Recent Posts in the sidebar, or go to a Random Post on Futile Position!
