I have heard this game (favouribly) being compared broadly as a kind of 'space solitaire' game. But it doesn't look or even at first blush play like solitaire, so I want to explain why the analogy works for me:

In solitaire, you have the same 52 cards, arranged in such a way that their order is different, so sometimes you might get snuffed out early by an unlucky deal, and sometimes you might fly through for victory - you don't really mind which, because games don't take long so the stakes never feel so high that you'll never play it again.

Weird Worlds shares some of this in common. The star system is filled with mostly the same items and hazards, but the order you encounter them switches out, so in one play through you might have exactly the item you need to best deal with an encounter, and another time you might not.

This means that a lot of it is luck based, but half the fun is replaying the game and seeing where luck will take your exploration of the galaxy this time.

That's not to say it's all luck - fitting out your ships with the best gear takes a bit of decision making, and it's possible to learn the function of special objects to understand whether they're worthless and tradable, or could come in handy. Plus the real time combat segments are basic, but reward people who avoid combat before becoming sufficiently tooled up.

Occasionally, too, the game likes to switch things up by layering a 'meta' plot, usually difficult to resolve, above the usual exploration. Some sort of crisis which the player must solve in order to score a 'win.' These are rare, but always welcome.

Like Solitaire, this is an ideal game to kill a short space of time with, but better than solitaire, it rewards repeat play with just a modicum of depth to be discovered beneath the surface.

Of all the rogue games i have played lately this one is my favorite for quick gaming sessions. Games literaly last from a few minutes to 30min tops.

It has a hideous learning curve in the beginning which pretty much ensures this game will never be a big hit. (i really do recommend reading a few FAQs about what items do and how game mechanics works - learning combat by trial and error is somewhat troublesome)

Try to do some exploration games first where you just try to stay alive and retire with a decent score. Once you learn the ropes go for larger maps and more combat. The feeling of beating fights that was plain impossible awhile ago is just really incredible.

Weird Worlds is a remake of an older 2002 indie game called Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. SAIS was fairly popular back in the day of Palms, Pocket PCs, and PDAs. It's meant to be a fun little distraction in sizable chucks perfect for a lunch break. To give you an idea, SAIS's tagline literally was "Explore the galaxy in 20 minutes or less!" Weird Worlds is basically SAIS plus more content.

With the above in mind, a lot of reviewers are somewhat unfairly comparing Weird Worlds to FTL. If you're looking at it as a FTL clone, or an immersive game you can play for hours, or a game that requires great strategy, you're completely missing the point.

On the other hand, if you're feeling nostalgic and want a faithful sequel to SAIS, or a quick game you can pickup and put down, or a distraction to escape the drudgery of boring work, Weird Worlds is perfect for you. If you're still unsure, go download SAIS; it's been open sourced since 2005.

As much as I want to like this game I can't. I enjoy the space opera, exploring, seeing new things but htis game just doesn't scratch that itch. Here's a brief breakdown.

PROS:
1) it's a short and sweet game. Want to blow a little time? Here you go
2) Easy to pick up, easy to 'master'
3) There's fun to be had! Explore space, meet new things, see how you do.

CONS:
1) It's -short-, as in after less than 3 hours I'm seeing nothing but repeats of things I've seen 3-4 times already
2) Combat is rather dull and straightforward, rarely get any chance to try any tactics
3) perhaps too easy to pick up and to master, I don't feel like there's anything below the surface I scratched 3 hrs in
4) Far too much of your score and your game seems entirely dependant on the RNG at universe creation

All in all I wouldn't reccomend it. I'd been watching it for a while and it looked up my alley but despite getting it with another bundle (so there's no buyer's regret, I bought the bundle for a different game) I'm still rather disappointed with how this turned out. I hope the creators go on to make a more interesting, expansive 'infinite space' type game.

A perfect 'time waster' game if you need to play something for a few minutes. It's essentially a rogue-like with some strategic elements where you find artifacts/lifeforms to take back home (for money), weapons/shields/etc to outfit your ship (and any allies you may acquire) with, and battle with hostile races. Will you return home in time to reap the rewards and retire, or will you end up as space dust in a battle gone horribly wrong?

I find that this game is absolutely brilliant. If you like ftl but are more inclined towards controlling more than one ship at one time, this is a must play. In this game you are given a certain amount of time that you can use. Each journey (to a different solar system) takes a certain amount of time. You have to get as many points before this time ends by getting more ships, getting artifacts, etc.

pros:
- Fun, addictive gameplay
- Easy to learn, hard to master
- Variety of weapons, thrusters, drives and other systems.
- Tense combat, as you know you might explode any second because of a secret cloaked enemy :D
- Simulation mode (basically sandbox), this is where you can choose any ships from any race and make them fight eachother.

Cons:
- Lots of text, if you don't like reading this is not for you.
- Ends too quickly, you lose points if you go past the timer.
- Some elements of the game are quite confusing to new players (This is why I reccomend not skipping the tutorial like I did)

Weird Worlds: Return to infinite space
9/10 on PC with Steam

A delightful Rogue-like 2D space exploration adventure; upgrade your ship, collect artifacts, battle alien races, and finish in 30 minutes ! Play this game if you want to level up your procrastination badge.

While ‘The Binding of Isaac’ is pressure-inducing, morally complex, and fast paced with severe depth, ‘Weird Worlds: The Return to infinite space’ is relaxing, gentle and well circumscribed, the perfect depth for what is promised; a Short break time game permitting escape from the dull beat of the work drum.

Do not read a single FAQ for this game - just enjoy exploring through trial and error. Player skill is increased through successive rounds. Random elements are introduced as the game progresses, so playing the 30 minute version is more interesting than the 20 or 10 minute versions. I wish there was a 60 minute version XD

Negative comments by others include that random generation may produce unfavorable layouts of the universe. The flip side is that at some point your knowledge and experience can negate the random effects and create advantages.

All you need to know:
1. Explore more of the universe by upgrading the FTL drives and navigation computer and avoid getting sucked into a blackhole.
2. Be a space pirate. Upgrade your weapons and thrusters and hire mercenaries.
3. Trade. Alien races will keep you guessing and are the gateway to mercantile opportunities. Trade is organized to facilitate the game and wealth accrual is secondary.
4. Comparing items (thrusters, shields ect) is straightforward and comes down to the coin values (1-5).
5. Experimenting with bizarre artifacts will uncover favorable secrets.

Play this game if you want space exploration with modest effort into depth and prefer short 30 minute conclusions, or

Play this game if you have never played a rogue-like; it is the perfect gentle introduction to the rogue-like genre in a 2D Space exploration format.

Nov 2015

PS The spiritual and logical successor to this game - Infinite Space 3: Sea of Stars - was just released a month ago…. I have got to pick this up http://store.steampowered.com/app/269990/

Weird Worlds is another indie bundle game I stumbled upon. For a 2005 game, this is a pretty decent rouge-like space exploration and combat adventure game. After playing FTL quite a bit, it's pretty obvious where FTL got a lot of its ideas from. Much of the gameplay is very similar although the combat of Weird Worlds is overly complicated. It's kind of like SPAZ combat in some respects, but without the intuitiveness. The game does provide a combat simulator that allows you to practice as needed, but to win it's more about what equipment you have as opposed to using any real strategy.

Weird Worlds biggest shortcoming is the lack of a proper reward system since you don't really have to earn anything. You just take items as you find them or if you find the right trader you can exchange some cheap trash for the best equipment in the game. Also you are not forced into combat and can retreat anytime. Where FTL creates an environment of urgency, Weird Worlds creates an environment of casualness and I'm not sure casualness and rogue-like is a winning combination. Essentially you are given a specific amount of time to explore and collect as much loot as possible and eventually get killed or retire and get a score based on several factors.

The randomness makes it fun from an exploratory perspective, but it's not really a game that captivates for replayability.

Weird Worlds Return To Infinite Space is a strange collaboration of genres. On one hand the gameplay is based around that of a rougelike, with all the hardcore aspects like permadeath and randomized maps. On the other, it's built around the idea of 10-30 minute playthroughs making the execution feel almost geared towards a casual crowd. Yet this is not a casual game, nor would it be fair to say it is a hardcore game. It is a compilation of the two, trying to strike a balance and for the most part, coming out alright in the end.

Weird Worlds pits you as a spaceship captain out to explore the great unknown on a 10-30 year mission at the end of which you are awarded points based on your accomplishments and how much loot you manage to bring back. That is not to say that making it back is a guarantee, falling prey to hostile aliens and black holes is just as common if not more so.

Most of the game is spent in this galaxy view, you direct your ship to fly towards a planet and upon arrival is hit by a random event, you might run into a shop, a free item, friendly aliens or hostile aliens or many other things. As you progress through the game you slowly upgrade your ship with newfound items getting better engines, scanners and weapons and even occasionally added on a wingman to your entourage who is equally as customizable as your own ship.

Should misfortune strike and you encounter hostile aliens you are transported into a 2D battlefield where your ships do battle, your actions are limited to tell your ships where to go and who to attack and if you're lucky enough to have found any one shot ability items you get to activate those too in here. The battles are unfortunately fairly lackluster and you can do little to influence the outcome once you are committed, the only real decider being the equipment you have managed to scavenge so far.

Perhaps one of the biggest flaws of Infinite Worlds is also the reason for it's longevity. The randomness of the game might make every playthrough a little unique but it might also mean you run into the highest tier engine on the first planet you visit making this particular go-round a sure success whereas other times your first trip away from home will be to a soon to be supernova explosion.

All in all Weird Worlds manages to make a decent experience by combining the casual and the hardcore, in many ways it becomes sort of a solitaire for the Sci-fi inclined. A good way to waste 20 minutes every once in a while when you have nothing else to do.

FTL fans might love this game for it's short RNG sessions.

[✔]
> weapon variety & customization
> good amount of mods
> simple yet satisfying combat

[✘]
> clunky UI