Spaceland (PC) Review

Despite the very simplistic name, Spaceland is actually a game in the same vein as XCOM or older squad games like Ghost Recon or Rebelstar Tactical Command, which is a great thing as those largely revered in the genre. This follows the story of a young Ranger named Jim, who crash lands on a planet, and slowly finds more people as he battles aliens across a colony. One thing to get straight right off the bat is a very odd switch between various graphics, for example the characters are drawn in a slightly anime style, the combat models follow a certain 3D model art style, and other scenes like the loading or splash page look like an odd Claymation type direction. These changes are a little off-putting and might push players away, but there is something very enjoyable at its core here.

Most of the game is spent in the tactical section. Each level is pre-set, beginning with some small dialogue sequences, followed by the actual battle; turn-based battles that take part on a grid. Each soldier is slightly different, but in general they can move somewhere between five and eight spaces, and shoot once or twice per turn. After that the aliens move closer and attack. Each level has both rewards for rushing the end, and for exploring deeply - trying to find the secrets was generally very enjoyable.

After a battle you are put onto a world map that represents the planet's colony. From here the squad advances to the next battle/plot point, or the player manages the squad's members. As this goes on, more and more characters join, and are all fairly different. From this point they can upgrade skills or weapons. The weapon upgrade is straight forward; just more damage. The skill system is fairly cool, and the only regret is that it is not deeper or more involved. Each character has two separate skills that can be levelled up two levels, unlocking one final bonus. Skills range from moving further, taking more damage, healing, or attacks.

Having the different characters was really fun, and seeing how unique they are. You have Jim who can move far and fast, and then you have characters with a mix of movement and combat, to outright tanks who move very slow but can take a pounding and dish one out. Though they could definitely need a slight balancing, the difference between them was notable and they truly felt like different soldiers going in. The Actual fighting is fairly fun, most of it is slug-fests as cover rarely exists. This is fine, and a fun departure from various "cover crawls" some games like the recent XCOM entries often devolve into.

The difficulty could use a little bit of rework as well, as the first half is largely easy for someone with experience in such games, until the second half of the whole thing, where levels often have to be replayed multiple times just to understand enemy placement. Tortuga Team's title has a lot packed into it for something created from a small studio, and really one of the few things holding it back is a lack of more depth to it. There is enough to see this deep potential it might have had, but instead is just enough to make a good game.

With some better gear customization, some deeper skill trees, and some balance, this could easily become very, very good. As it is now, it is still a great purchase for those who like these kind of games. A typical play-through will likely be in the range of 15 to 20 hours based on how many times one replays levels for more money. Overall, it was a fun romp, as well as a throwback to some of the titles that inspired it.