Faster Than Light was incredible, not just the game itself, but how it seemed to take over the entirety of PC culture. When it first arrived back in 2012, it instantly became a gigantic hit, and rightly so. Tense, tactical, and the perfect hotbed for spontaneous player-driven stories, FTL has earned its place in roguelike history. Now, a new strategy deckbuilder feels like Faster Than Light’s spiritual comeback. Blending the tough gameplay of Slay the Spire and the cosmic bounty hunting most recently brought to life in Bethesda’s Starfield, at least in style and essence, one of the greatest roguelikes ever is finally back.
Welcome to Lonestar, a “strategic roguelike spaceship deckbuilder” created by Math Tide. At the most basic level, you play the captain of a small peacekeeping force, patrolling the galaxy for intergalactic pirates. Cruise through the stars, track bounties, earn rewards, and use your well-gotten gains to upgrade and improve your vessel. To look at Lonestar, you’d think you were playing Faster Than Light 2. Your ship is laid out in a 2D cross section, and improvements are made by dragging and dropping new modules into empty grid spaces. Combat, of course, is where things heat up.
Depending on your ship design, during each round of battle you will generate a certain amount of energy, which is then converted into your attacks. As such, the components on board your craft function like cards. Choose the right ones, make smart combinations, and your plasma beam will cut through the hull of even the most fearsome battle cruiser. On the contrary, if you encounter a bandit ship with a better ‘deck,’ you can expect a serious struggle.
There are dozens of pilots to choose from, who also introduce their own unique abilities and skills to each combat encounter, and 15 bosses, who all require some serious strategizing to finally defeat. Between bounty missions, you can also take periods of vacation time, during which you’re presented with varying narrative events. Like in combat, your choices here can massively impact how long you survive. If you want to try Lonestar (amazingly, it’s created by just two people), the game is out now in early access, and available right here.
Alternatively, you might want to try some of the other best space games, or perhaps some of the best card games available on PC.
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