Recent reviews by Obnoxious Squirrel

lol

I have fond, nostalgic memories of playing Strange Adventures in Infinite Space (SAIS) on Palm OS and Pocket PC. It was a game that lended itself well to handhelds, and could be completed while on a lunch break at work, or even ... not that anyone does this, but in theory ... while sitting on the porcelain throne.

This is NOT that game.

My first venture into the Sea of Stars lasted maybe 10 minutes, half of which was futzing around with controls and working through the unknown. What does this nebula do? These bird people look scary. Battle is so slow!

It probably wasn't until my fifth journey through the game until I saw the common factors and started to figure out a few things. There's enemies with looks that may deceive, items that falsely seem to have no purpose, and strategy that requires discovery.

A person doesn't get a rule book with this game. They figure it out as they go; as did I.

After playing enough to know some of the rules, the game started to become addicting. Even after thirty or so runs and finally 100%ing the exploration, I thought I knew how to play. I did, but I didn't know the unique challenges I would face.

My first 100% run was a two hour long endeavor.

There's no question that this game would be at home on a board with some cards and perhaps dice. There's combinations of items that are more than the sum of their parts. Like the great Binding of Isaac, Dungeons of Dredmor, and many roguelikes, there are some runs that provide the tools needed to get the job done, right up front. Other times the RNG is a bit cruel.

My favorite part is how I get to play the role of a privateer at the beginning, but then missions arise and I divert my path to complete them. Sometimes the mission is self-explanitory. Others, missions are connected to one another. There are times I'd find an item, think to myself "Well I haven't seen one of these before," and stumble around from planet to planet until I happened upon one of two inevitabilities: more discovery or death.

I strongly recommend this game. Digital Eel has done a fine reproduction of the Infinite Space series and added much replay value. Just make sure you have a couple hours set aside. You're going to need them.