Starflight 2 Review/Let’s Play Summary

Starflight 2 is the second and, sadly, last official game in the Starflight series. I don’t envy the developer of this one. The original game was so groundbreaking, how do you improve on that while not ruining the original formula? For the most part I’d say the developers succeeded, but it results in a game that’s lacking something from the original.

How Easy Was it to Get Into?

Like the original game, it was fairly easy for me to get into since I’m something of a veteran of the series. I think this game might be a bit friendlier to new players in some ways, as the player starts with a slightly more powerful ship and quite a bit more fuel than the original game. That said, the addition of the trade mechanic does make the game a bit more complex, as well as complicated. While the original game had one set place to buy and sell everything, the trade mechanic adds multiple layers of places to go to get specific items, which could be a turn off for some folks. I had no problem with it, but for the new player, I could see them possibly bouncing off of this. It would be a shame if they did, but I wouldn’t be wholly surprised.

What Did You Think of The Game’s Usability?

Again, like the original, I had no problem with the game’s interface, but I’m very familiar with it. I think if a new player came to this game, with its reliance entirely on keys, no mouse control and so on could really put a new player off. While I find the interface purely simplistic, others might not, and I totally get that.

Was the Gameplay Challenging and Fun?

Yes and yes, I found the gameplay both challenging and fun. Taken on its own, if this is the only Starflight game you ever played, you’d have a wonderful time. However, it’s lacking some of the fun from the original, and I can’t put my finger on exactly why. Maybe because it kinda feels like a retread more than a sequel, you know? It’s not as if I didn’t have fun with the game, I just didn’t have as much fun with it as I did with the original, which I’m not sure is fair because nothing, in my mind, beats how it felt to play the original for the first time. So yeah, it’s a fun game, just with some caveats.

Did you Find any Glaring Flaws with the Game?

I personally didn’t. I mean it’s deep, detailed, expansive, vast, fun and funny. I’m likely damned biased though, to be sure.

How Did it Look and Sound?

Like last time, hahahahahha. Though this time it’s mildly better than the last time, but not by a heck of a lot.

Are you going to Keep Playing It?

Like Starflight, sadly I’m not. This again isn’t a reflection on the game, but rather the lack of time I have to truly play it.

Which Were Your Favorite and Least Favorite Parts of The Game?

My favorite part was the new trading mechanic that added a whole new layer of interactivity to the game. My least favorite part was needing to find trade ports to do the trading. ;) Well, and the fact that it ends.

Should I Buy It?

Well, like Starflight, if you want a piece of space gaming history, then yes, absolutely, no question. I’m not sure if you’ll finish it unless you have a couple hundred hours to kill, but it’ll be a fantastic journey.

Conclusion

As much as I love the Starflight series as whole, I never clicked with this one as hard as I did with the original. It’s a shame, as it’s not a bad game in any sense of the word (I feel). For some reason it just never stuck with me. I played the original game through entirely three times, while this one I only played once. It doesn’t help that the game has an abrupt ending — basically a “You Won” screen and then back to DOS prompt, that’s it — whereas the original just let you keep playing once you saved the universe. I’d say taken as a whole with the first game, you’ll get 200-300 of some of the best space gaming hours you’ve ever had. By itself? Not as such.

Video Playlist

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