When it comes to space sims, many may think of a title such as Sid Meier’s Alpha Centari, often hailed as one of the best space sims, if not the best sim, ever made. Many have followed over the years in various different fashions, each with their own unique take on surviving the void. Latest in this long line of space sims is Base One from developer Pixfroze and publishers Blowfish Studios and Gamera Game. Set in a future where a wormhole has torn through space near the Earth, you must defend your space castle keep from all manner of enemy aircraft and the natural dangers of space, most usually, and punishingly, asteroids who think your station is a pretty good way to practice their best baseball impressions.
My first thought when booting up Base One was how beautiful its presentation was. A gorgeous main menu screen is your first foray into the game’s world, and it sets the tone magically. The rest of the game is equally as gorgeous to look at. There’s just some je ne sais quoi that I cannot explain about it – it looks like the technology from the Alien series become more effective like that in Star Trek, and the result is a gorgeous industrial look, where things like futuristic, yet hardy and ready to weather the storm, with a form that definitely speaks more form than function, yet that future look still shines through. The characters (sims) running around are well animated, as are the video calls and all of the space debris, enemies, and lasers that you are set to encounter as the game goes on. With a nice musical score backing it, it is a beautiful package that I could stare at for hours at a time.
But what of the gameplay? In a word – flow. The simulation gameplay just feels like it has this orchestrated flow to it. From your first tutorial to your first base defense, the systems are well organized, never confusing to look for, and UI-friendly – something that I, as an amateur in the sim genre, could not ask for more from. There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a radio crackle and listening to a space sim give a fun message about your building being completed. It draws you further into the universe that it creates and makes you feel that you are the head of constructing a fully functional space and battle station.
Back to Star Trek once more, if you are a fan of Deep Space Nine and its whole “Rifleman in space” premise, this is the sim for you. When you build your station, watch all of the sims go about their business, send probes out to discover what’s hidden in debris or otherwise, and create systems and ships to defend against invaders or rogue natural disasters, it feels like you are the captain of a immobile Enterprise, and that flow really shines through. There is nothing more satisfying than watching a bunch of enemy ships getting zapped back to the void from whence they came!
I believe the best compliment I can give Base One is that it has that “one more game…” type of feel to it, much like other sims in its genre, or even other strategy games such as X-COM. You will want to complete another mission, send out another probe, build another base, etc. It is a solid gameplay foundation that is stacked with an engaging art and music package that just does a bang-up job of drawing you into it for more. If you are into space, lasers, simulations, and a combination of all of the above, you will definitely want to get your construction space suit out and gear up for Base One.
Audio and visuals: 10/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Story: 9/10
Enjoyability (depth and what keeps you coming back for more): 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10
Check Out the Base One Video:
You can pick up Base One for Windows PC and Mac via Steam tomorrow, May 11th.
For more information about Base One, please visit the official website and follow Blowfish Studios on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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