One of the best space combat arcade games you can play today | Full Review - Everspace 2

Everspace 2 takes place in a vast, open-world space environment. Players take on the role of a clone pilot — the “same” pilot from the first game — who must explore different star systems, battle hostile forces, take on missions, and uncover the mysteries of the universe via story campaign.

🟩Pros

+A good middle ground between arcade and simulation

+An incredibly fun and immersive space combat experience

+Gorgeous graphics

+Support for various third-party peripherals

+Improved narrative over the first game

🟥Cons

-a step back in some respects - losing rogue-lite elements and VR from the first game

Everspace 2 is a space combat arcade game developed and published by ROCKFISH Games. It is the sequel to the original Everspace game released in 2016. The game is available on PC, and modern consoles, and was released last April 6, 2023 after going on an Early Access phase for over a year.

How does it connect to Everspace 1? Is it standalone?

For newcomers – Everspace 2 is kind of a standalone game, and it is even more evident with how the gameplay has evolved. The story is loosely connected with each other, and the sequel abandons the rogue-lite and procedurally generated setup of the first game — which is a shame for rogue-lite fans — but makes it up with a better narrative experience and overall better ride from start to finish.

A good middle ground between arcade and simulation

As opposed to other space-sim games like Star Citizen or Elite Dangerous. Everspace 2 takes on a more casual and arcadey approach to the game while still giving an option for those sim-enthusiasts. The spaceship is easier to control overall and the combat favors style and flashiness over realism.

While it is primarily an arcade style game, players can still have great control over their movement, including six degrees of freedom (pitch, yaw, roll, plus thrust in all 3 vectors) but you don’t have to be an expert pilot to maneuver with all the accessibility options in place. The controls are easy and anyone who is familiar with gaming on a controller or keyboard and mouse can pick it up and play.

Third Party peripheral support

Third party flight controllers are also supported and mine works flawlessly and seamlessly even in combination with keyboard, or controllers. I was able to bind all controls without issues. As for camera options, everything is here: first or third person, either with cockpit or with different levels of zoom. Bad news though for VR players of the first game, as this one does not include VR, nor the developers have any plans to include it in the future.

Gameplay Analysis

The game's campaign is a mission based setup overlaid on an open world map, kind of similar to Grand Theft Auto, but in space. In addition, there are also side quests and missions that players can partake into. Since the game now abandons the rogue-lite nature, the main character cannot canonically die and respawn anymore as part of the story. He now only has one life.

Everspace 2's open ”space” structure means that players can explore at their volition. They can take on various missions – some randomized, such as completing deliveries or engaging in dogfights with enemy spacecraft. The game's side missions and objectives are engaging and offer an additional chance to earn experience points and resources.

An incredibly fun and immersive space combat experience

Everspace 2’s main source of enjoyment isn’t the spaceflight simulation, nor even the story, but the spaceship dogfights themselves, and they have been done quite well. It is an incredibly fun and immersive experience, especially when you play in first person cockpit mode. The visual effects, from the lasers to the explosion are all solidly done — over the top fun — and the sound design packs a punch. It kind of felt like I was an X-Wing pilot fighting in Star Wars battles. The power fantasy experience of being a kick-ass space pilot is highly addictive, especially when playing in normal and lower difficulties.

Mechanically, the space combat in Everspace 2 is a combination of long-range and close combat engagements. Players have access to various weapons, including laser beams, missiles, and plasma guns, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The game's targeting system allows players to lock onto enemy ships and track their movements, making it easier to land accurate shots.

Crafting and Progression

A second main core gameplay feature of Everspace is the crafting system. Players can salvage resources from destroyed enemy ships and use them to create new weapons, equipment, and upgrades for their spacecraft, players must choose which resources to collect and how to use them effectively. This blends very well with the dogfighting aspect of Everspace 2, and provides the majority of the fun factor. The side missions, and even the main missions can get tedious or boring at times, only to be saved by a subsequent amazing dogfight sequence.

Beautiful cosmic visuals

Everspace 2's graphics are absolutely gorgeous, with detailed spacecraft, colorful, vibrant explosions, and breathtakingly beautiful environments not only in space, but also with the different planet surfaces. Yes, you can land on planets but only in a limited manner and on selected regions only.  The game's sound design is equally impressive, with solid sound effects that create an immersive atmosphere.

To move the story, it features graphic novel-like panels to show character interactions and dialogue, while in-space sequences are powered by the in-game 3D graphics. The story overall is not the strongest point --- it being the combat instead --- but it's still a huge improvement over the first game and a decent experience nonetheless that players can expect to beat in around 30 or more hours.

Conclusion:

Everspace 2 is a fun and focused interstellar adventure that will have players blasting through the vast reaches of space, fending off enemies, and uncovering the mysteries of the galaxy. The best highlight of this game is the space combat, and one that it does very well and is one of the best in the genre. The missions and the story can sometimes get in the way of doing more dogfights and there may have been slight steps backwards with regards to the first game, but overall, it is a great game that is a must-play for all space combat arcade fans out there.