I have a huge soft spot for any space game that presents the universe as a 2D plane with my tiny little spaceship sputtering about between worlds. Star Control 2 and Escape Velocity: Nova fuelled that love, and it looks like my next obsession might just be Starcom: Unknown Space. Fully launched after a period of being in early access, it’s already hitting all the right notes with fans as reviews have been soaring with a 95% “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam over the last 30 days.
Starcom: Unknown Space sees you blast off into a universe made up of tons of different star systems, each with their own planets, factions, and areas of interest to explore. Like all the best space games, its universe holds the possibility of finding a new artifact, a crashed spaceship, or a mysterious anomaly hanging like a jewel in the frozen void, propelling you forward in your travels. There’s simply loads to sink your teeth into here, and there’s a few other systems at play that help show off why Starcom: Unknown Space is proving such a hit with its community.
Hopping from planet to planet wouldn’t be anything without your own spaceship, and here you’ll be able to design and build your own to the specifications you want. Similar to the Precursor spaceship in Star Control 2, you’re able to customize your vessel in lots of different ways – from fast scouts to heavy-weapon dreadnoughts and everything in-between. In addition to designing and building, you’ll also be able to research new modules and ways to enhance your ship, so your craft can go from battered Firefly-esque workhorse to a sleek, Naboo-style cruiser, should you wish.
With over 60 quests and side-missions, the ability to recruit and train your own crew, and a varied set of factions you can war with, ally with, or obliterate, there’s a lot on Starcom: Unknown Space’s bones. Developer Wx3 Labs is also promising to continue working on the title, focusing on quality of life changes, new side-exploration content, and more.
Starcom: Unknown Space is out now on Steam and you can save 20% on it until Monday September 16. If you’d like to learn more, head over to the game’s store page to check it out for yourself.
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