Void Scrappers Review (Kit)
The game is good fun, although it does need work before this is something to play more than a few hours. That's normal for Early Access - although it depends if the developer has plans beyond just 'more weapons and upgrades' to maintain longevity.
Strong points:
- Game speed in the settings. This is a great idea that allows those of us with slower reactions to play at a speed that suits us. I hope other games take note of this idea.
- Permanent progression. Includes some strategic consideration for investing in 'money earned' rate vs. direct rewards - I like those games that make you think. It's still currently fairly simple with not much to spend on - hopefully this area gets expanded on.
Weak points:
- Unlock system works against players. When you max out a weapon it unlocks new weapons and associated upgrades. I strategically avoided upgrading 2 of the 3 weapon types which meant I could find the upgrades I wanted in runs and despite my very averaging abilities I beat the final boss. My son unlocked a few 'orbital' upgrades and then he spent ages trying to work out how he could delete his save game file to reset the game to avoid getting the upgrades himself.
- There are some 'must have' upgrades that you absolutely must get. In particular there is a "2x upgrades with no shields" card. Well, strategy says that I absolutely must get that card at the start because later in the game I will be twice as upgraded as someone else without the card. If playing with a character with shields, then deliberately lose all your shields - since twice as strong weapons is better than being surrounded. Luckily I have avoided 2/3 of the upgrade cards meaning I can usually get this card at the start of my run - another example of getting weaker by unlocking new cards.
The developer tries to mitigate the 'flood of cards' issue by making upgraded cards more likely to appear - this works to a degree, but it means that you have to be pretty selective - and also lucky at the start of the run.
My suggestion for cards:
- To have characters that favour certain weapon types and cut out certain weapons and upgrade cards.
- Leave weapons as a choice of 3, but upgrade cards should be a choice of 4. Within those 4, have 2 cards that have the 'already have them' weighting that makes them far more likely to appear, and have 2 completely random cards among the rest. Plus the usual choice of rerolls and 'destroy' options found in other games (that you can get more of via the permanent upgrades).