Everspace: Encounters (PC) Review

While it's slightly disappointing that there's only one new ship being rolled out for battle, at least you know it's going have a lot of bells and whistles. Class-wise, the Colonial Sentinel is a medium fighter ship. Its main draws are an EMP generator, used to hack doors and stun enemies, and the Shield ST, which has a much larger capacity, and will take far more punishment than veteran players will be used to withstanding. Since it's the medium class, the ship handles well in most situations (like the Interceptor), though being totally honest, it's a rather minor addition when compared to the array of new weapons and devices that inject some variety into the existing framework of the game.

Everspace was always a visual treat, but some of the weapons now available, such as the Lightning Gun and Neutron Cannon, really do look awesome in motion and add another level of colour and vibrancy to the aesthetic overall. Spraying fire at enemies, or just clipping some real estate to pass through an asteroid belt, has never felt more satisfying, that's for sure. Many of these new weapons, like the Goo Gun, require blueprints, found in the new questlines, but thankfully they haven't been placed too far out of reach. The new arsenal of attacking options breathes some contrast into combat, which returning players, especially, will appreciate.

Some of the new devices are quite inventive, too. The Damage Converter translates some of the damage sustained during a firefight into utilizable extra energy, which, if used correctly, can be the difference between surviving or perishing. Then there's a Decoy Generator, which helps distract enemies, increasing the variety of ways a skilled pilot can slip out of a tight spot. When all else fails, more basic additions, like the Emergency Shield, offer a buffer to escape when one is truly overrun by enemies. It's nice to have these potential fixes available.

Speaking of which, a new hardcore mode has been added, too, for those who enjoy pulling their hair out. While in terms of the combat difficulty, it's the same as playing on hard, this mode doesn't allow starting conditions to be improved, and only enables ship perks to be upgraded at the end of each sector, using just the credits earned specifically from that run. In addition, when entering a new sector, a handicap must be selected, which stays active throughout that segment. This insanely difficult mode will appeal to rogue-like masters, but perhaps not to those just looking for a space buzz.

The new missions, with rather more interesting new NPC characters, are peppered into the game organically, though they're also marked out on the sector chart. These missions add plenty of environmental contrast, since there are more awe-inspiring views to be found here and interesting locals to dogfight around. Players will get to visit the Okkar Homeworld, and will find out new things about this race, as well as various others. While a good amount of universe context has been added through these additions, it didn't seem as though they varied gameplay fundamentally.