Updated Faster than Light

This game is one of the indie scene’s big success stories. Back in 2012 it was one of the most successful kickstarter campaigns, achieving over 20 times the goal that the developers had asked for. It went on to win numerous awards, has been reviewed in these very papers, regularly tops the steam charts and become a staple of most gamers worldwide. Furthermore, in a bid to keep the game fresh, the developers have released an update, with loads of new content for free! This in itself is quite a pleasant surprise, given that we live in the world of paid DLCs and micro-transactions. In addition, the creators, Subset Studios, have now released an iPad version so you can be a space captain even when you are on the move!

Quick recap: FTL is a roguelike space adventure, where you are the captain of a ship who must save the federation from the rebellion. You travel through the galaxy and encounter all different types of enemies as well as several morally difficult decisions. Oh also, when you die its over. You have to start all over again.

The update itself doesn’t feel like it should be free, that’s how good it is. The base game was incredibly deep, and even though I had more than 25 hours on this game I never felt like I could ever get every weapon or encounter every event. Therefore the addition of all this new content is just amazing! An entirely new race, the Lanus, who actually clear a room of oxygen (making it impossible for other non-Lanus crew members to be in the same room) adds something completely different. Also, they look incredibly badass when they are one of your crew members. The new systems that have been added, like the cloning bay (which I liked at first, but now despise) and hacking drones (which are pretty cool!), change the game dynamics and allow for completely different builds that suit your play style! The developers have also written new events that you can encounter, further expanding on the replay value of this already addictive game.

All in all, I would say that I would have paid an extra 5 pounds for this update, that’s how much I liked it. However, it was free, and for that I will eternally be grateful to Subset Studios. Hey, Dice, Blizzard, EA: take a leaf out of this indie studio’s book, this is how games should be made!