Progress - S.P.A.Z. + Review part 1

So when I saw Space Pirates And Zombies on Steam, I knew that this was a game that I was waiting for. The game based around the 2D, space action RPG gameplay like that of the Escape Velocity series by Ambrosia Software Inc. which I have greatly enjoyed during my days as a youth with a Mac computer before I got Windows. So what do I think of it, and how am I doing in the game? Read more and you'll know.

So the first thing's first. Gotta know the mechanics of the game. Fairly basic ideas when it comes to outfitting our ships. Choose a hull, equip it with parts from the appropriate categories, then pilot it. Compared to Escape Velocity Nova, it is very simplified. No need to go to a space station to buy a ship that is available at the shipyard there, or the same for outfits at the outfitters, outfitting the ship doesn't require you to calculate the maximum capacity of your ship's outfitting space as you just fill in slots with anything available, etc. Even paying for the ships and the parts are simplified as you use REZ a highly sought after commodity as well as the currency used in the game, which primary method of obtaining them is through asteroid mining, instead of credits. The nice thing about the outfit slot system and the lack of outfitting space is that ammunition is unlimited in S.P.A.Z. as opposed to EVN, where you have to buy and stock up on missiles in order to use them, provided you've left enough space to carry the missiles.

Randomly generated universe. Need to explore more.

Aside from requiring REZ to build ships, you also need enough Goons to run the ship as well. That wasn't really something you had to worry about in EVN, but definitely in Gratuitous Space Battles. In S.P.A.Z. though, the crews to have on the ship can be adjustable, making it fairly optional for managing the number of crews you have available. You simply get more goons by picking up escape pods after defeating a ship, as well as cloning them when you level up, which brings us to the last of the 3 major elements this game has.

In order to level up, you need to collect Data to level up your research. Data is dropped from enemy ships when defeated. You gain a few research points that you can allocate into certain category of ship outfits to gain an efficiency boost in all things within that category. This is a unique mechanic to S.P.A.Z. compared to EVN and GSB, which can greatly determine how you would play the game throughout the campaign.

My large ship next to the upgraded Clockworks

You also have a mother ship called Clockworks which has your ship hangars and such, where you build your ships. You don't ever play as the Clockworks, but upgrades must be made to the Clockworks in order to gain access to bigger ship hangars for bigger ships, more hangars to have multiple ships available at once, higher research levels, and some other features. Instead, if you have multiple ships available, you can freely switch between them with Q, E, and the number keys - a great feature that I wish I had in EVN.

Each star system has its own faction alliances between the UTA and the Civilians. Those that do not like you will fire upon sight, but if you get on their good side, you will have benefits like being able to buy blueprints for outfits for ships, trading with them (usually goons for REZ, vice versa, or data), and bribing the UTA to gain access to the warp gates. There are missions available within the sector to improve faction relationship, usually at the cost of the relationship with the other faction, as well as gaining REZ, Data, sometimes goons, and other occasional goodies as well.

So from what I've already described, it's already apparent that the main focus of this game is the action in the ship combats more than trading between stations and planets, nor the story, although there IS one. In fact, one gripe I have with this game is that to upgrade Clockworks, you have to progress through the story, meaning you're limited with smaller and fewer ships until you meet certain parts of the story. It really isn't an issue, but... it's not something I really care for either. I'm currently in Chapter 3, and I have access to three ship hangars. Out of the ship sizes I have available, from tiny, small, medium, large, and huge hulls, I have one huge hangar, one medium hangar, and one small hangar. Which is nice, but I'd like to have a bigger fleet ASAP, personally.

Well, I'd like to talk more about this, but I'm going to hold off on the review until I finish the campaign at least. Feel free to leave some questions and comments. I'll be answering them for the second part of the review. Edit: Click here for the next part.