§pec†re: I almost missed this.
Glad you didn't - it's a really good one!
I had a ton of fun - first and super obvious is the amazing atmosphere. I LOVED the '80s era sounds and sights, from the way you clack on the mechanical keyboard to the totally Alien inspired ship.
And the gameplay loop is really good. You'd sort of plot your course for the resources you need, then spend your time scanning objects, beaming things aboard, running away team missions and (NEVER FORGET THIS ONE!) doing "security sweeps" of your ship heh. Every time you do one of the above things, you risk bringing on board unwelcome guests and it pays to routinely do a quick sweep of your ship to make sure they're not setting up shop.
It's all a bit "samey" but it just works, and like I said falling into the flow of the gameplay loop feels natural and fun.
There's also research which is something I always love no matter how minimal it might be - adds a layer of depth and progression. Ditto for the "management" side.
And I'm usually not into "builder" games - but this one makes building out your ship a snap. I find a lot of times in city builders or whatever I'm fighting placement and rotation and never quite seeing how something is or isn't going to fit. Here it was always a cinch to plop something where I wanted it.
I always felt this was a game I left too soon - maybe this little writeup will inspire me to fire it up again!
