The game is somewhat similar to FTL, but it has a heavier focus on exploration and combats aren't as common as FTL. There is also quite a bit more micromanagement - but the UI makes it easier to handle than it would first appear. You may have to worry about shipboard economy - you can produce resources depending on your ship build.
The game autosaves so you can continue should you exit the game. There are 10 sectors to travel through and the game ends in a victory upon beating the final sector. On the whole, getting from Sector 1 to the end seems a whole lot more difficult than FTL, mostly because some sectors aren't as straightforward as going from point A to B - you have another goal you need to accomplish. On the other hand the game is far more forgiving than FTL - you get fate points to spend on the next run and you start with a good amount of fate points regardless of how badly you did on the former run. You can also start in any sector you managed to visit in any previous playthrough.
Starting on a later sector does mean you start out weaker than if you got there from Sector 1 - but this is mitigated somewhat through fate points and in some cases starting with a full complement of nukes. I find the boss of each sector intimidating but they can't seem to really compensate for getting 5 nukes in the face :)
[EDIT] Apparently Sector 3 is the furthest you can start from.
Post edited August 18, 2019 by tremere110