3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey – Review
3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey is the brainchild from developer Bird in Sky and is published by Crunchy Leaf Games. Bird in Sky consists of 2 guys from North Wales named Matt Griffiths and Mic Newsam – the only reason I would like to share this information with the readers is because they deserve praise for putting in effort for over 10 years to finish this project, time well spent gentlemen! This title is a 2D adventure game with a heavy focus on space trading and combat – it’s a nostalgic throwback to the great games from the (g)olden days of the adventure genre.
Story
You play as John Falcon, a dashing space rogue who spends his days roaming a war-torn galaxy looking for new derelicts to scavenge and other ways to get rich (or die trying). Together with Kent, the ankle kicking robot, and Vasquez, your personal mechanic, you slowly make your way up in the world, buying a fancy new ship from your buddy Frank until that damned day when you dock at a space station only to discover your fancy new ship is flagged as stolen so it has been impounded and your personal belongings have been destroyed as well. Whoops, sorry about that – here’s some credits and off you go. Time to restart your adventure (this is where the player picks in to the story) and become the best you can be, which ranges from space pirate, space taxi driver to space trader and derelict scavenger. But don’t forget to keep your eyes open for the mysterious missing cargo of gold bars and the ‘Taoist” group which seems everywhere and seem very interested in you… There’s a lot of intrigue around the universe and you’re right in the middle of everything buddy.
Graphics
As mentioned before, this title is a 2D based game so don’t expect any hyper-realistic surroundings or highly detailed ships. But the chosen graphic style fits 3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey like a glove as you will think back fondly to old titles and old adventures you have undertaken. You won’t encounter anything sloppy such as clipping errors or corrupted sprites: every detail of the game has been lovingly perfected to look the best they can be while staying true to the essence of the 2D genre.
Sound
Musically, everything fits. The soundtrack fits the game perfectly, the ambient sounds change based on your surroundings and the track list while flying around makes everything so much more enjoyable. Every weapon has a different sound to it but unfortunately all the interactions are text only so you’ll never hear somebody speaking.
Gameplay
3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey is a 2D adventure game which focusses heavily on space trading and combat, so you’ll be spending your time on one of the many space stations around the 30 plus star systems looking for new quests or in outer space, doing whatever it is you feel like doing. The stations are all 2D sideway scrolling (same for derelict scavenging) to talk to characters or pick up quests/upgrades for your ship while traversing the universe is a top-down 2D view which manages to look enticing and space-y.
Flying around the star systems you will need to keep an eye on your fuel, your map and for any space pirates that think you are an easy target. Which in the beginning you are, seeing you’re as harmless as a puppy until you do enough small jobs to save up some money for a decent ship. The star systems manage to feel bare and bustling at the same time: you will go from seeing no living soul around (just some asteroids you can destroy for cash or the occasional derelict) to having to weave between a plethora of ships as you get closer to a space station.
The space station hub (after you’ve docked successfully) are limited in space and possibilities: you will walk past the trading and job consoles to the bar where you are able to either talk to generic (and engage in randomly generated banter) or quest-related characters (who will help you advance the storyline) and then back to the docks to continue your journey to the great beyond.
Space battles can be frustrating at first until you get the hang of them, as you need to gauge where you are going and where you will end up (as in space, you keep moving if you shut down your engines) while keeping an eye on your opponent(s) and dodge their projectiles as well. But as soon as you get the hang of it, you will be weaving through asteroid fields and enemies as if you were piloting the Millennium Falcon and responding to people with “I know”.
Conclusion
3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey is a refreshing title which gives the player the freedom to do what they want. A space based Skyrim or Fallout would be the comparison that comes to mind and it is an honorable title it truly deserves. If you are a fan of the old 2D adventures or just like a polished space game, definitely give this title a try. 3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey is the perfect example of how an indie game developer can create an amazing game with great depth.
3030 Deathwar Redux – A Space Odyssey - Review,
No Comments