Space Exploration: Serpens Sector
Preview
RPG? Or just "interactive wallpaper"?
by Marcus Mulkins
previewed on PC
Gameplay (cntd)
As an example: There is a recurring event where you find an ancient container, "obviously meant to be opened". Do you open it? Say "No" and it goes into the hold to be opened by braver people than you back home. But say "Yes" and you may literally find _anything_, ranging from something as useful as a Hyperspace drive coil or a Missile Launcher turret, to a nuclear weapon that immediately goes boom and destroys you and your ship. Now, the kicker to that random event is that it very well may be (and was several times in my case) the very first event upon exiting the wormhole and setting off on your grand exploration. My, my, wasn't that fun? Been playing less than five minutes and dead already.
As for space combat, my simple advice is, run away! Unless you've acquired some serious weapons upgrades, you're going to get your butt kicked. Once again, wasn't that fun? Fortunately, having got this sort of feedback already, the developers have promised to tone down the combat difficulty for the next release.
At the moment, the best thing I can say about the game is that the average voyage from start to finish is about 10-15 minutes. The worst thing I can say about the game is that the average voyage from start to finish is about 10-15. Best because it gets the pain and tedium over with quickly, and worst because there's simply no "meat" to this vaunted "space exploration RPG."
What's the Big Idea? Marketing!
The most novel thing about this game is how Metal Beetle is planning to make money off of it. Basically, the foundation game will be distributed for free. Thereafter, customers will be able buy - as in expend hard cash money - additional "expansion packs". In this case, an expansion pack will be little more than a large wad of additional events/encounters that can be integrated into the game.
If you ask me, those expansion packs sound about as exciting as changing the artwork on the backs of your Solitaire deck and adding another suit or two to the mix. Without some fundamental changes to the game mechanics, it simply isn't much of a game. It's about as much of a game as just randomly pulling cards from a deck of cards. The term that comes to my mind is "interactive wallpaper".
Space Exploration: Serpens Sector is slated to release in the second quarter of 2009. As mentioned earlier, it will be available for free from the Metal Beetle website. Close on its heels should be one or more expansion packs. If you're the kind of person that can merrily burn away the hours playing Solitaire and Minesweeper you will most likely love this game and may feel that the expansions are worth the investment. However, if you like your RPGs to actually have some substance to them... we can only hope that the developers have a lot up their sleeves that they have yet to show us.
