Until Star Citizen is in a release state, we will probably have to wait a long time. But with a small indie game, you can already experience a very similar gameplay. MyMMO author Andreas Bertits has taken a look at Starship EVO.
Yes, I am also waiting for Star Citizen. Exploring a huge galaxy, being a pirate or trader, and being able to command my own ship with a crew of friends is something I’ve wished for since I played Privateer in 1993. But Chris Roberts developer studio Cloud Imperium Games simply needs more time to finish Star Citizen. Such a project simply cannot be put together in a few years.
I was all the more surprised when I discovered a video of Starship EVO on YouTube. The indie game, previously called Skywanderers, promises me that I can build my own spaceship and explore a galaxy with it. The best part: you can already play in an early access version. Since it only costs 16.79 euros on Steam, I just took a look at the title.
Off to a galaxy full of possibilities
The first steps: So I created a character – which is a very rudimentary process, simply entering a name, choosing one of five races, and selecting a gender and hairstyle. And the tutorial quickly taught me how to build my first spaceship.
What stands out immediately: Starship EVO does not have the spectacular visuals of Star Citizen, but still looks good with its stylized comic look. I explored the environment from a first-person perspective. The most important tool in the game is the multi-tool, which allows you to manipulate objects and play with gravity. With this tool, you build blocks and arrange them to create buildings or ships. It somewhat resembles Lego. The tutorial does a great job of teaching you how this works. There is nothing to complain about the controls; they are intuitive and quick.
This trailer gives you an insight into the game:
The launch into space: Soon I created my first ship, jumped into the cockpit, and took off. What I initially thought was the texture of a ring world in the distance turned out to be a real planet that I could fully explore. With the ship, I raced over mountains and oceans, which left an impressive feeling. I could land everywhere to see what awaited me – although there was still almost nothing. Starship EVO is still in an early developmental phase. Instead of flying with a spaceship, Starship EVO also offers the option to drive vehicles across the landscapes.
But that was just the beginning. It is possible to launch into space and visit other planets. A warp drive is necessary to reach them quickly. Starship EVO gradually opens up and reveals a vast galaxy full of possibilities – which the early access version has not yet fully utilized. As mentioned, this is an early version, and aside from exploration, building objects, and fighting, there is not much to do yet.
Fights make sense when you are on a server with many other players where factions have already formed. This leads to exciting space battles or shooter fights on planets. However, the confrontations currently lack a bit of “punch.” And literally. The weapons sound weak, and explosions seem unimpressive.
But I am confident that much will change here. Interestingly, you need to strategically manage the ship’s energy during space battles. Do you need more juice for the shields or do you want to fly faster? You can adjust this based on the situation. Furthermore, it is possible to target specific systems of enemy ships in battles to damage their weapon systems or hull.
Players can, by the way, collaboratively create massive space stations and completely furnish them or build huge battleships together and then go to war with them – for example, to take control of planets and their resources. Building such constructions takes a lot of time. Ships can be tuned and repaired – even in the midst of battles, which can significantly prolong the fights.
A real competitor to Star Citizen? Starship EVO impressively shows what a single indie developer can achieve. While there is still a lot of work to be done on the game, it is already fun to build ships or space stations, zoom through space, and engage in some skirmishes. The essential game systems are present, making Starship EVO feel like a large sandbox that is gradually being expanded with new content. It is not a patchwork of various modules.
With more development time, Starship EVO could become a very exciting online game. Whether it reaches the scope and epic scale of Star Citizen is questionable. However, Cloud Imperium Games should still be concerned that one person is creating something that large project by Chris Roberts aims to implement with a huge team.
Even if some fans of Star Citizen may not like to hear this and perhaps protest, Starship EVO already feels more like ‘cohesive’ in its early version than what Star Citizen offers in its alpha. For that reason alone, Cloud Imperium Games should be a bit worried. Because who knows what else will emerge here.
If you are generally interested in space MMOs and want to know what to expect in this genre, MyMMO presents you with 7 exciting space online games.
