EVERSPACE 2 – WRATH OF THE ANCIENTS

In the now distant year of 2017 we reviewed Everspace along with its expansion Encounters, a roguelite space action shooter that earned a particularly high score due to its addictive gameplay and beautiful presentation. Today we return to the series for a similar task, reviewing Everspace 2 (no longer roguelite as it turns out) on the occasion of the release of the Wrath of the Ancients expansion so as to judge it as a total package. Is it worth investing in if you're looking back to the glory days of Freelancer and want to experience the adventurous life of a space rogue? Not to keep you in suspense but yes, Rockfish Games has once again managed to deliver a game that is a must buy for all space game fans.

The first thing you need to know about Everspace 2 is what I mentioned in passing in the first paragraph, that the structure of the sequel is completely different from that of its predecessor. Now the map is static and everlasting, it consists of multiple planetary systems that you can move freely between (except when blocked for plot reasons) and the only remnant of roguelite elements are some random encounters that occur sporadically when moving around the larger world map. Everspace 2 and Wrath of the Ancients include standard single player campaigns, you can save and load at will, and of course you don't start over when your ship turns to stardust in some inhospitable space alley. Personally, although a big fan of roguelites, I find this change to be an absolute positive one because the fixed map and free roaming fits very well with the fantasy of a space adventurer's life.

The plot of Everspace 2 takes us back to the inhospitable Cluster 34, an area of deep space where humanity has spread out in search of resources but has met resistance from the alien Okkar, resulting in the creation of a demilitarized zone. Our protagonist, a clone named Adam Roslin is trying to live his life in Cluster 34 away from the long arm of the law represented by the Colonial Fleet which pursues him relentlessly, but a series of unfortunate events will put him at the center of developments that threaten not only the fragile peace but the entire existence of the region. In the Wrath of the Ancients expansion, the Ancients awaken from their slumber and carve a path of destruction and devastation through the human colonies of Cluster 34 with no one knowing why, so Adam is called upon to find out the actual cause and put a stop to the rampage. I would describe the writing quality of the script and dialogues as acceptable, neither very good nor actually bad.

So what does the life of an adventurer in deep space entail? Lots of things! First, exploring the solar systems of Cluster 34 and the many points of interest within them. As in the first Everspace, the developers at Rockfish Games are really giving it their all in the design of the various maps, so that each discovery of a new area is accompanied by spontaneous exclamations of admiration for the beauty and imposing atmosphere created by the studio's talented artists. I've tried to give you a glimpse of the wonderful images I encountered through the screenshots but believe me, the game managed to constantly surprise me in this area. Great job, both technically and aesthetically. In general the presentation is at a high level for an independent production and the same is generally true for performance, with the exception of some areas of the expansion that drop the framerate. However, the developers have already released the first patches so I'm hopeful for further optimization.

But because Cluster 34 is not particularly friendly to space tourists, your carefree wanderings will often be rudely interrupted by various enemies who want to turn your ship into lifeless debris. Your most common adversary will be outlaws of all sorts, but depending on your activities and the point of the plot you are in, you will have to fight or run from the Colonial Fleet, trade syndicates, the Okkar and various other threats. This is where I encountered one of the few drawbacks of the game as the variety in enemies (even with the addition of the expansion) is relatively small and you'll often be playing similar style encounters, so repetition is likely to tire you out. I personally didn't feel this because the pace of the game is fast and battles are generally over within a few minutes, however it is an issue I had to point out.

The most important factor that will push you to continue playing the game, beyond the exploration of the world and the development of the plot, is the RPG elements and the beloved passtime of getting better loot. In Everspace 2 your character levels up by gaining xp from completing missions and combat encounters, unlocking access to new abilities and more powerful subsystems with which to equip your ship. Primary and secondary weapons, armor, shields, energy cores, radars and other subsystems of your ship are rapidly replaced with new, more powerful and rarer ones through drops found in the wreckage of your enemies or as a reward for completing a mission. A rarity system is also included, with the rarest loot adding multiple buffs and abilities to the basic functions of a ship subsystem. In addition, once you've saved up enough money you can buy a new better ship of the same or different ship class that better suits your personal style as a player. For example, someone who likes fast space dogfights will prefer a ship with great maneuverability and speed, while a player like me who loves tanking will prefer a more cumbersome ship but with much more powerful shields and armor.

To sum up, the feeling that Everspace 2 leaves me with is that it is a game in which the developers had a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve and offer to the players and they implemented it at a high level of quality, putting a lot of care into it. While the gameplay doesn't have a huge amount of depth and I would describe it as action rather than simulation, there is always something interesting on the horizon that manages to keep the player's interest alive and provides the necessary boost to keep playing. I'm up to 74 hours of gameplay and have plenty more to see and do in the world of Everspace and I haven't gotten bored yet. Including the expansion, the value for money is in my opinion undeniable.

As you can probably tell from the context, I like Everspace 2 very much. In the base game you can already spend dozens of hours exploring every part of the map and acquiring fresh loot, while the Wrath of the Ancients expansion adds an additional campaign lasting several hours, four new star systems, new enemies and loot, new side missions and much more. To be honest, as a package I consider Everspace 2 with Wrath of the Ancients to be one of the best space action games of recent years. Although some individual elements of the game like the writing or the variety in enemies could be better, I think it would be unrealistic to expect perfection from an indie studio with a specific budget. I recommend buying both the main game and the Wrath of the Ancients expansion if you're a fan of the genre or a Freelancer nostalgic, especially if you can get them at a discount separately or together as a bundle.

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