Baldur’s Gate 3 has quickly become the definitive, turn-based RPG. With limitless choice, a sprawling story, and always-colorful casts of characters, the DnD-style, Larian hit is one of the best games of 2023. You take the classic, tabletop-influenced systems of BG3, mix them with Starfied’s chunky, ‘NASA punk’ space sci-fi, and throw in the grungy apocalyptica of Fallout, and you this, a huge, stunning new RPG that’s already blowing up on Steam.
This is Colony Ship, a gigantic, turn-based RPG game in the spirit of both Baldur’s Gate 3, and dozens of PC classics. Trapped aboard a dying, decaying space station, you and your party need to survive the homegrown and extraterrestrial threats that have overtaken your former home, while trying to restore the erstwhile base to its former glory. Isometric and entirely choice driven, this is a CRPG in the traditional sense, where everything is flexible and there is no fixed build or path.
Your maximum party size is four, but there are ten different, potential members to choose from, alongside a cast of hundreds of NPCs. You can join multiple factions and complete every mission, sidequest, and ambient task completely your own way. Combat is turn-based, but you can also use stealth, or boost your speech and disguise stats to avoid confrontation altogether. Hacking, lock picking, persuasion – every decision you make and direction you take in Colony Ship is tracked, and the world and the story change every time based on your actions.
It looks fantastic, too. Somewhere between neon cyberpunk, hard sci-fi, and bleak dystopia, Colony Ship has its own distinctive aesthetic. There are definitely comparisons to be made – the inventory and conversation menus, as well as the character portraits, are reminiscent of the first Deus Ex. But Colony Ship is a bold and imaginative story game unto itself.
Already rated ‘very positive’ based on Early Access Steam reviews, Colony Ship launches today, Thursday November 9. And if you’re still not convinced, there’s a free demo, so you can sample before you commit.
Alternatively, check out some of the other best games like Starfield, or maybe the best DnD games if you love some turn-based tabletop turmoil.
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