It feels like a lot of indie games nowadays are built on nostalgia for the media of our pasts, turn-based role playing games especially. I’ve played and reviewed a lot of these games, and I’ve grown a kind of immunity to that nostalgic sheen. It takes a lot for nostalgic throwbacks to truly impress me at this point, so when I say that solo developer Sam Enright’s Beyond Galaxyland impressed me, I mean it.
Beyond Galaxyland is a 2.5d turn-based RPG that sees players take on the role of Doug, a high schooler that was taken from Earth by a mysterious intergalactic corporation and taken to the titular “Galaxyland:” a galaxy that feels more like a zoo and resort than it does a natural galaxy. Now, Doug must gather a party of adventurers (including a talking guinea pig named “Boom Boom”) and travel Galaxyland in search of a way to get back to earth.
Beyond Galaxyland’s story and setting is a send-up of classic science-fiction films and role-playing games alike, and I feel as though it does enough to differentiate itself from its influences. Galaxyland is an incredibly varied place with planets that range from more traditional fantasy aesthetics, cyberpunk city scapes, and massive, ornate space barges. It also has a unique, irreverent tone that courses through its setting and characters that gives the greater story and mystery a unique tone that doesn’t detract from the narrative’s more serious moments.
Beyond Galaxyland is also, to put it simply, gorgeous. The 2.5d pixel art style is incredibly unique, and both the monsters and world are very well rendered in this art style. The game being 2.5D also gives the world a sense of depth that I feel really helps flesh out the various planets you visit. Though you always know how limited the game world is, the fantasy of there being more to experience is what really matters.
Beyond Galaxyland’s take on turn-based combat works surprisingly well. Each turn, your character can choose to attack, use an item, a summon, or an ability. Each character can attack multiple times a turn, easily stacking up damage and building up points for your abilities. The game’s summons system is my favorite aspect of combat. Doug has the ability to capture certain enemies, and these will act as your summons that are tied to a resource separate from your characters’ unique abilities. Each enemy has its own element that can resist, absorb, or is weak to another element. This Pokemon-esque summoning system forces you to approach standard encounters from a different angle, always weighing your options in how to better spec your party.
My one problem with the game’s combat is in how it handles the cast’s individual abilities. Each character’s ability is tied to a single resource, and you fill that resource in combat by attacking enemies. So far, so good, right? Unfortunately, while attacking enemies increases this energy gauge by 1, missing an attack reduces it by 2. I find that this gives combat a level of randomness that can often mess up a carefully laid plan if one of your characters has bad luck and misses most of the attacks on their turn.
Still, Beyond Galaxyland is an incredibly fun rpg that manages to pay homage to the classics while also carving out its own identity. With unique and engaging combat, an intriguing story, and an incredibly designed world, Beyond Galaxyland is a must-play for fans of science fiction and roleplaying games.
I give it a 9/10.
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Related: Reviews by Josh Freeman
I love games and love talking about games. Some of my favorites include action games (both 2D and 3D), metroidvanias, roguelikes, shooters, and Indies.
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