I did, but beating the game actually requires several runs... Not getting into detail to avoid spoilers.
I didn't find the game too grinding or repetitive, tho. But it was slightly unbalanced... Playing it with or without the ancient weapon made a huge difference. Let's see how its sequel turns out. What I've seen so far is quite promising.

Exactly. If a 6700 XT was available I'd go out and buy one now... can't go for anything above that because my system is centered around an ITX box and won't fit a full length/3-fan GPU. But even if it could, there's really no availability on top tier cards either.

did anyone buy this and tried it out?
is it as arcadeish as the first one?

Yes, it has the same type of gameplay in an open world.

Dude, It's been a few years now that W7 is no longer supported in anyway.

why doesnt it support dos !!!!
ah these win7 fanboys are hilarious
but you dont have to run from system to system running out of time? and just hang out ?
I hate when games push me forward

The roguelite aspects were entertaining for me at first. Then, I left the game for a while, and when I came back, what I had learned about the game had gone rusty. In order to get more from the game I would have one of the other craft unlocked (I was looking forward to try the assault gunship). Yet the rewards that I was getting were insufficient for that. So the return felt like a grind: dying repeatedly, and without the stimulus of rewards since they could not buy me anything else.

The developers had decided, in their wisdom, that rewards could not be accumulated, so you were forced to make a big leap in skill in order to get the other ships. It seems they did not consider the possibility of someone leaving the game to return later? So, in the end the roguelite aspect, that had been cool at the beginning, became a chore...
The roguelite aspects were entertaining for me at first. Then, I left the game for a while, and when I came back, what I had learned about the game had gone rusty. In order to get more from the game I would have one of the other craft unlocked (I was looking forward to try the assault gunship). Yet the rewards that I was getting were insufficient for that. So the return felt like a grind: dying repeatedly, and without the stimulus of rewards since they could not buy me anything else.

The developers had decided, in their wisdom, that rewards could not be accumulated, so you were forced to make a big leap in skill in order to get the other ships. It seems they did not consider the possibility of someone leaving the game to return later? So, in the end the roguelite aspect, that had been cool at the beginning, led to dropping the game...

I have yet to run across a mission or situation in which there is a time limit. Quite the contrary, I've sometimes abandoned the main quest and went off exploring, or on treasure hunts as I pleased.

The game does not require these breaks between main quest events, as Freelancer did for example, at least not in this early access build, but you certainly reach a point where you get shot down pretty fast unless you build up XP in side-quests or other missions.

It is great to hear that more than one person in the forum actually managed to do it! Any spoiler-free advice? I guess that the couple of ship upgrades that you mention are obtained via special missions/events in the game?
O, I can believe that beating the game requires several runs, rest assured! :) Nice that you got the end as wells. It gives a glimmer of hope :)

I guess that the weapon that you mention is obtained later in the game and it becomes easier from then on? Enough as to start again for the final trip easily?
I can feel your pain. I was the same when they delivered Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind only for Windows 10... well before the end of official support for Windows 7. Maybe the game works with Windows 7, even if they give no guarantees about it (Six Ages did not, by design, but it does not need to be the case with this other game).

In case it eventually helps...

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/advice_for_new_users_of_windows_10
All that sounds really nice. The time limit in the original Everspace provided a feeling of urgency and also smartly helped to save surprises for future runs. Loved investigating those space wrecks, it felt like sea diving inside shipwrecks.

Yep, you get to do a lot of that in ES2, at your own pace. I enjoy this derelict exploration part as well.

thx , maybe ill like it added to wishlist , just have to wait until it is finished

It is not story related. You get it through an ancient glyph. It can make the game much easier, specially if combined with certain other glyphs...
But it also makes the game a little less interesting, as will be the only weapon available if you choose it.
Adapting your playstyle to your arsenal, finding new weapons, upgrading them, using the right secondary weapons at the right moment... those are great gameplay elements, and you'll be losing them in an "ancient weapon run"

Thanks for the warning, I will take it into account, in case I run into this glyph. I guess that it might help when all one wants to do is a final mop-up.

So when you get the weapon you cannot go back? Sounds a bit too definitive :-/

Sorry, it's been a while since I played it - looking it up in the wiki, I meant the perks you can buy when you die. There's a couple which pay for themselves very swiftly, allowing you to gather more money to buy more perks. I seem to recall I primarily went for extra energy / energy regeneration and max speed until I could fight a bit more effectively, and then loot % increase to make each run more worthwhile, after which extra weapons / mod / devices to become way more powerful and/or versatile.

FWIW, I finished the game with the original ship; I did dabble a bit with the others, but they require really different play styles, and by the time I could afford them, I'd finally become successful enough with the original ship, not to want to put in the effort for that anymore.

Thanks for the advice! It makes sense. Also, about the other ships, instead of offering them relatively early, so that you could try what was better, they seem to be there to extend the life of the game a bit longer. But then, not everyone would want to do that. It could have worked for me as an incentive for returning to the game and trying something new, but the design of the game prevented that (if only they had made optional to accumulate rewards between flights).