Faster than light is a text-heavy space traveling simulator, where each step can be as deadly as it can be rewarding. Constantly battling with space pirates and rebels is bound to leave you scratching your head and wondering: how did I die again?
A very typical battle situation in the later stages of the game
The premise of the game is simple: the faith of the federation lies in your hands. You have important information on how to stop the advance of the rebel armada and you need to bring it to the federation base before the rebel flagship gets there. The ships you maneuver will be destroyed, run out of oxygen, your crew members will be devoured by giant alien spiders all while giving you a sense of achievement just by making it a bit farther than last time.
illustration of the sector map
The game is difficult and it focuses on repetition and learning by doing. You are not meant to clear the game with your first ship, or maybe even your tenth. At the start, players are given only one ship to choose from but soon unlocking others. Each starts with varying differences; one ship might need you to utilize drones to fight in your stead, others giving you extra shields or invisibility or others with simply more firepower but less defense. The choice of the ship is very important to your run.
While very challenging the game is also very rewarding. Each sector has multiple randomly occurring events and battles and as you complete these you will accumulate credits. These are then used to better your ship. Maybe you need better shields? Teleporters? Mind control? The variations are near endless and the randomly occurring events will provide the player with varying options from the very start.
All this brings together a very enjoyable game that can be played for 30 minutes or hours on end in one session. The random event will make sure each run is different from the last and keep the player hooked for long periods. A+ game and a strong recommendation from me if you are not afraid of a challenge and enjoy some text-based narrative!
P.S some runs will end miserably even when you thought everything was going perfectly. Fun!
The final boss, which, of course, has more than 1 form
GAME INFO:
Developer: Subset Games
Publisher: Subset Games
Released: September 14, 2012
Platforms: Pc, macOS, Linux, iOsS
Genres: Strategy, Rogue-like, single-player
PEGI: 12
Pictures: Screenshots taken from the game by the author