I read a review saying the game has no "pause", intentionally coded this way by the Dev. Can anyone confirm this is still the case as I can't find anything in patch notes about it changing?

I don't remember this game doesn't has a pause function. I'll check (haven't played it in a while).

Edit: You can pause the game with the ESC button which shows the game menu to save or quite.
Moving the screen isn't possible during this action.

F1 brings up help and pauses the game. Esc will bring up the game menu pausing the game. When a trade ship arrives and you open the trade menu, the game pauses. Those are the only ways I know to pause the game.

There is no pause that allows one to view the game, access menus while paused.

tnx for the info, appreciated.

You're welcome. :)