Everspace 2
Rockfish Games
The original Everspace game was a surprise hit when it debuted back in 2017. Its combination of slick graphics and presentation, fluid controls, and rouge-lite features was pretty irresistible for space shooter junkies like myself.
Well, we didn’t have to wait too long for developer Rockfish Games to get to work on a sequel. Everspace 2 was announced near the end of 2018. It reached its Kickstarter goal of $500,000 in a number of days and made a pledge to its backers that its developers would release a prototype version to show off a small slice of the larger game that is currently in the works.
When I first tried Everspace 2, I quickly got the sense that this sequel is a different beast altogether. Not only has it shed the rogue-lite aspects of the original, they’ve also introduced role-playing features such as experience points (and leveling up) and missions.
There are three different types of starships on offer in this prototype version of Everspace 2 and each of them is pretty unique. Since everything is pretty accessible and easy to understand, before I knew it I was cruising around outside of the spaceport (the beginning area) and navigating around all shapes and sizes of asteroids that surrounded the entire area.
I must mention right off the bat that this sequel’s graphics have been bumped up even more and that’s saying a lot since the original was nothing to sniff at. Not only do the ship models look gorgeous, but all of the stellar objects within the universe look astounding as well.
When I encountered enemies, I found that the game’s controls were responsive and intuitive. But one of the most impressive things that I appreciated about this newer version is that Rockfish Games has obviously made it a point to clean up the rather clunky UI from the original Everspace. Everything is much more logically laid out and you can clearly see things on your central HUD.
The layout is similar to what you’d find in any traditional role-playing game such as Grim Dawn or Baldur’s Gate; you’ve got different meters for your ship’s status and you can also assign your numbered keys for specific weapons and abilities you’ll need to access quickly (hence the term “quick keys”).
Everspace 2’s environments seem pretty busy and packed with life (well, digital life at least)—you’ll encounter all manner of NPCs; friendly, neutral, and hostile. Random things can, and will, happen in the course of flying around, whether you’re carrying out a mission or merely exploring your surroundings.
For instance, I was cruising around and simply gawking at the game’s splendid visuals, when a gigantic starship suddenly warped in through a portal gate and blew me to smithereens. You’ve got to be extra careful of your surroundings in Everspace 2.
Fortunately, whenever you get blown to interstellar bits, you can choose the revive option and instantly teleport back to your last checkpoint.
As it stands, Everspace 2 seems to be what an action RPG is to an old-school computer RPG, but with updated visuals. It’s definitely not trying to shoot (no pun intended) for emulating a full-on space simulator. Nor does it seem super-arcade-y wither, because of its RPG elements. We’ll have to see exactly what direction Rockfish Games is taking this intriguing title in the future.
Everspace 2 has some pretty good looking graphics that make its space shooter gameplay truly shine. However, you want to have a pretty beefy gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:
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