Wrath and Retribution

This REALLY scratches the itch when I'm away from my full sim/hosas setup! Pleasantly surprised at how fun the core flight/dogfight experience is, and I cannot wait to see where this project goes.

Awesome game. Seemingly made by one person based on credits? If so, really impressive. I have some issues with pacing. Enemy distribution in a fight ranges from easy to quite hard, meaning combat is fast with easy enemies then slows down to more of a strategy shmup with the bosses. Storytelling could also be done better as it kills gameplay. Music is good, but it doesn't seem to tie into what is currently happening that well. Just seems like its running through a playlist. However, combat is pretty fun as long as you don't get motion sickness. It's an interesting cross between an aerial dogfighting game and FTL.

I don’t play a lot of space sim games but have fond memories of wing commander and the roguelike hook brought me in. Was a little tough at first to figure out combat (and I do feel like missiles are way better than flak generally) but once I did I found myself very much hitting that “just one more run” dopamine rush. The gameplay itself is fun and tight. Could be a bit more depth to it, but worth the $20 ticket to ride. Developer seems quite active with ongoing updates improving the game quite a bit so I’m hopeful. Fun little indie. Sound design and synth music score is underrated - on my 5.1 system this thing slaps!

Great idea but middling execution. At later levels, there just aren't enough power-ups to have enough hull and shields to tank some of the salvos being thrown at you by mobs. The result is a lot of instant death, so there's no ability to figure out what you're doing wrong and adjust as you're dead. Maybe that would be a fun difficulty level if there was a lower one and we could work up to it once we've been able to survive long enough to realize what creates those situations, but it is currently just a hard out. Still, I had fun up until this point and the price was low. I may come back and take on the lower sectors or start cherry-picking interactions and immediately going to the space station to save after every win so that I can try out different weapons. If you spam shifts, it's possible to win any of the "hard" encounters. The problem is that the enemy's firepower is so high that you're gambling and the instant-death prevents learning which gambles are a mistake because you can't see where the fire came from or what hit you, etc. My suggestion to the developer is that they add difficulty settings and stop making the loot decide the difficulty OR give us greater upgrade…

If you like human vs AI dogfights from games like X-Wing, Tie Fighter, and Descent Freespace. you will probably like this game. Like other rogue-lilkes, you will fail a lot as you get better and upgrade your ship. You have to get the hang of how upgrades work (e.g. items held in inventory at mission end are eligible for an upgrade) and when upgrades become permanent-- recent game updates have simplified this. There's no fiddly management of energy between engines, shields, and weapons, and not a lot of plot. You might see that as a plus or a minus. It is currently limited to mouse and keyboard, but that suits me fine. I find it pleasant to sit down and fight a bunch of battles.It's very satisfying to take down an enemy in 30s that used to take 5 minutes of hit-and-run tactics! It's good work from a solo developer, who is actively supporting the game and listening to feedback. I think it's a bit misunderstood and underrated-- not a perfect game, some rough edges, but well worth the $15 I paid and I find myself returned to it to relax instead of playing the more complex, big-name games that are waiting in my backlog.

Ok, I was confused at first as to the gameplay mechanics outside of the combat. Array stability, missions, degrading, all of that flew over my head at first. It was a little discouraging, and I almost decided to pass on the game. But for some reason, it suddenly "clicked", and my enjoyment of the game improved immensely. The flight model is very tight and responsive. 6dof, with left/right/up/down strafing. Your ship has a "specter shift" that allows you to teleport or jump a short distance away, which comes in handy when the enemy is coming from all sides. Missions are fast paced, so if you're in the mood for a quick get-in, get-out dogfight, this will be the game for you. Combat is satisfying. The upgrades unlock as you progress, and you can choose which ones you want from a selection given to you at the end of each mission. This is like if Everspace and Top Dog had a baby--and I mean that in a good way! Very enjoyable, I highly recommend!