Space Crew Impressions

A ragtag group of spacefaring adventurers, a cool ship, a jump drive, laser guns and some pesky aliens to shoot them at. Those are the essential parts of any space-themed game that I’m looking for, and Space Crew fits the bill perfectly.

A sequel to Bomber Crew — where you manage a crew on a bomber during WWII — the new game takes its real time strategy roguish gameplay into outer space with a satisfying gameplay loop and meaningful upgrades between missions. This is all wrapped up in an appealing, cartoony look that softens the blow when the pilot you’ve flown the past 20 missions with goes down in a blaze of glory.

I immediately fell in love with my small crew as they set off on their early, easy missions. The game eases you in over a few missions, explaining the various parts of the ship and your main objectives: Mostly, stop the ship from blowing up and complete your mission. While the game would be most at-home with a keyboard and mouse, using the Xbox controller is easy enough to get the hang of.

The gameplay loop stays mostly the same throughout: Set off on a mission; choose your route; jump through two or three relays to get to your destination; pick something up or deliver a package, or just fend off some phasmids (aliens); then jump back through the relays to your base. At the base, you’ll be able to upgrade your crew; replace deceased crew members; upgrade your ship and weapons; and head back out for another mission. Story is scant, and you’re basically just scouring the galaxy for things that will improve humanity. Or something like that.

Combat strategies do take a little bit getting used to. Your main control during battle is just to tag enemy vessels, relying on your crew members to do their jobs and putting them in the right places. During the course of a battle, you might need to heal various members; or toss on a spacesuit and repair a blown engine; put out a fire; or pick up a gun and shoot some invading phasmids. It can get downright hectic at times, and there is a clear opportunity cost to each decision during these times.

Space Crew can be a bit obtuse at times, as you figure out the best step forward. But part of the loop of the game comes in losing crew members, restocking and trying again. Mission variety in the early game is scant, and you’re ultimately doing the same basic maneuvers over and over. By the end of the game, the hardest missions will fully test your problem solving skills and how well you use the various tools available.

The visuals are absolutely charming and colorful. I do wish there was more variety in your ship’s exterior shape and interior layout.

Ultimately, how far you get in Space Crew is down to how much you like the general gameplay loop. It’s absolutely a game worth playing, and the 12-plus hour campaign gives you plenty of bang for your buck.

This review is from Seth Roy, courtesy of a code from ID@Xbox