Distant Star: Revenant Fleet

Written by Travis Huinker on 2/11/2015 for PC  

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Described as a combination of real-time strategy and rogue-like gameplay genres set in space, Distant Star: Revenant Fleet is currently available as an early access game on Steam that draws comparisons with titles like FTL. The game begins with a brief space battle to quickly introduce players to the combat gameplay, which is then followed by the selection of their fleet of ships.

Players can select from assault, tech, lancer, rogue, carrier, and dreadnought ship classes that each contain unique weapons and abilities in combat. The selection of ships is limited by credits requiring players to choose wisely for the type of fleet they want to control in combat situations. Each ship can also customized with certain attachments that provide additional active and passive abilities. Ships can later be upgraded with better weapon systems ranging from laser beams to cannons.

The game's rogue-like nature makes every ship in you fleet a vital part to keep alive from one battle to the next. Once every ship has been destroyed, players have to restart the game. In similar nature to FTL, in between missions players select their fleet's path on a sector map that can lead to a variety of outcomes from pirate ambushes to trading stations. In the game's early access state, there is only one sector map that is randomized for each game. Future plans aim to add 5 sector maps and a galaxy map leading to a final boss battle. Other plans include a unit experience system, quests, and additional ship upgrades and weapons.

The game's current asking price of $7 is about right considering the early access build doesn't contain that much content. While the rogue-like nature of the game ensures repeat playthroughs, there just isn't enough varied content to keep players invested for an extended amount of time. The game's current build also seems to have balance issues with combat as some ships seem overly powerful than others.

The good news is that the developers post frequent news updates on Steam and are actively responding in the game's forums to topics regarding gameplay issues and such. Distant Star provides a good model for other early access games in providing the title at a low introductory price along with a constant steam of updates.

While the game isn't an instant pickup in its current state, it's recommended instead to wait until further content is added for a more varied and worthwhile gameplay experience.