Starcom: Unknown Space Is A Sandbox RPG That Lets Players Loose On The Universe

Starcom: Unknown Space is a surprisingly vast exploration game. The story is that you’re on a scout ship meant to spread Starcom’s influence. However, the focus is much more on what’s in between story missions. The game even continues after the campaign ends. There is combat but it’s nearly as tedious as flying between destinations.

The game’s strength truly lies in how much freedom players get to craft their experience. There isn’t any punishment for exploring as much as possible before continuing the story. Or saving the bulk of exploration as a post credit treat. Doing so will lead to NPCs that have interesting dialogue, but also involves learning what their culture values. Starcom doesn’t have a typical currency system. When trading, players need to figure out what resource the different races will accept. The mechanic for this is pretty simple as well, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Starcom has ship customization that lets you change the look and colors. There’s a fair amount of options beyond what weapons you can equip. With simplistic combat that never becomes exciting, the ship’s look feels like a bigger investment. The game’s graphics are also stunning, whether you spend a lot of time on cosmetics or not. Its top-down 2D world comes off fully realized due to the quality of its models.

Starcom: Unknown Space is well crafted though it Stumbles at some points. It has a simple story that takes some time to fully unfold, but manages not to waste time. There is a grind though and that’s going to split players. But the rewards mostly feel respectful of the time spent earning them. Players who are looking for fun over realism, may enjoy Starcom more.