Everspace 2 Review

Sometimes it’s good to try something different. Everspace 2 is my something different. It’s a single-player 3D space shooter looter. Which, to my delicate video gaming sensibilities, sounds absolutely awful. Fortunately, it would seem that I have no idea what I’m talking about. 3D space shooter looters are fun! Who knew, right? Not only that, Everspace 2 isn’t just fun, it’s fun-tastic… You know, I think I’ve spent too much time in space.

Don’t worry if you never played the original Everspace. Apparently, it was a roguelike space shooter looter, which absolutely doesn’t sound like my cup of dehydrated powdered space tea. Everspace 2 thankfully jettisons any roguelike loops and is just a straightforward single-player romp. It plays like Diablo flying a spaceship, basically. You;re cast as the clone pilot Adam. Adrift in a universe at war, Adam must simply survive. He’ll mostly do this by blowing loads of stuff up and stealing lots of other stuff. Fortunately blowing stuff up and stealing other stuff is awesome.

The 3D combat of Everspace 2 is slick and smooth; your highly manoeuvrable fighter darts around asteroid fields, planets, and enemy drones with equal relish. Controls are smart and responsive, ensuring that you always know where in the environment you are – even in the midst of an epic battle whilst doing your third barrel roll in a row. It works so well thanks to an immensely accessible HUD and the fact that many aspects of the camera controls are automated, neatly showing you what you need to see at any given time. The end result is a sense of flight that feels graceful and elegant, that makes you feel like an amazing space ace from the opening credits until the end.

All of this is enhanced by the frankly gorgeous visuals. Whether battling over the surface of a planet or deep in space, developers ROCKFISH Games ensure there is always a beautiful backdrop to ignore whilst you furiously fight for survival. Still, take a break from the destruction for long enough and you will surely be wowed by the resplendent vistas on offer here. Everspace 2 also captures scale remarkably well, going up against a huge colossal starship in your teeny fighter is a jaw-dropping moment.

Weapons and combat are punchy, missiles thudding with cathartic glee against an enemy vessel whilst lasers slice through shields with a fizz of colour. Pretty much every weapon and system you have can be tinkered with and upgraded to potent effect; the amount of ship customisation available to players is astronomical. This is where all the glorious loot comes in. The endless empty void of space is filled with loot apparently. Simply tap a button and you’ll gather all the loot to trade and upgrade to your heart’s content. It’s a satisfying system simply because the weapons, shields, and upgrades on offer are so much fun to use and experiment with, it makes all that loot-hunting totally worthwhile.

Storyline-wise, Everspace 2 is pretty generic, it really is your standard space opera guff here. Plus, the comic book-like cut-scenes are a little flat too – pun absolutely intended. Meanwhile, the fetch-quest structure of many of the missions can mean they soon get repetitive. But all of those issues fade to oblivion as you enjoy another thrilling dogfight. And that loot, that glorious loot, I could collect it all day. Turns out space shooter looters are totally my thing after all.

Summary
I started Everspace 2 deeply unsure about a space looter shooter. Tens of hours later I don’t want to play anything else. Everspace 2 is a towering achievement of space-based thrills and spills. It absolutely deserves your attention.
Good
  • Fantastically epic space combat
  • Sumptuous visuals
  • Tight controls
Bad
  • The story is only so-so
  • Fetch-quest mission structure gets repetitive
8