How's FTL? Read a lot of overwhelming positive reviews but some mentioned it's purely a luck based game?
It's a board game, more or less. In a very good way. With some action.
I love it.
Well, first of all, I'd never describe it as a 'board game'.
It's sort of a strategic roguelike -- but much closer to a traditional roguelike than many games that get called that nowadays (like, say, BoI).
You start the game in a spaceship of your choosing, manned by a couple aliens of a race of your choosing. Each game is made up of a set number of levels, and each level is a galaxy full of places to explore (plus a way to exit to the next level). There are fuel and time concerns, so how much you explore per level is up to you -- you might find great technology exploring, or you could always end up in a battle and dying.
During the course of your explorations you'll find great ways to advance the tech on your ship, new weapons, better shields, and possibly new crew members. There are lots of decisions to be made here, who to attack, what to do in certain moral situations, merchants, helping others, etc, all with risks/rewards.
Now, what you're also doing is properly manning your ship. Your crew members give bonuses to whatever they're doing, and level up as they get good at stuff. So for example, you'll want a guy in your shield room for shield bonuses, but also need a commander, an engineer, a weapons expert, medics, and more... not to mention, you can get breeched by pirates so you need a defense force. You probably won't have enough crew for that, so part of the game is managing them, having them run from medical, to, say, the shield room if you're under attack.
Power is also a concern -- you need an engine that provides enough power to your shields and weapons, and in some cases you'll decide to take power from one room so you can better power another room (especially important if you're damaged and not at full power). You can also use this as a weapon -- if you're breached by air breathers, you can always lock off a section of your ship and turn off the air to it.
Ultimately, it's a really cool space ship sim where you go on an adventure through various galaxies... ultimately in search of the end game. Many times you'll just end up floating dead in space, but you'll eventually learn to win.
It is NOT luck based -- I mean, sure, there is luck in what powerups you find in a given run, and in what order, but that's true of any roguelike. However, the skill is in making due with whatever you find and still surviving.
Highly recommended, imo one of the best games in years.
bad luck
