"Just a few hit points on the hull, and these are the final moments of FTL. My sweaty hands press sweaty buttons as the flagship bears down upon the S.S. A-Hole. If only my Mom could see me now."

Let’s start off with the basics — FTL is a Rogue-LITE. There’s permadeath, but that’s about the only thing that really connects it to the classic concept of a rogue-like game. In fact, I think FTL is basically its own classification. I’ve never really played anything quite like it before, and it was refreshing to see a new concept on the market.

Let’s talk about the pros.

FTL’s gameplay is super solid. So far, I’ve come across no bugs at all, everything works as it should. The tutorial correctly explains each mechanic, and they’re each so simple that I thought at first the game would be a dud. Oh boy, how I was wrong. These simple mechanics scale into a huge atmosphere of strategy, where each move you make could decide your life or death in the final battle with the flagship.

Just like in XCOM, you get attached to your crew super quickly, and when one dies it’s almost enough to rage quit. Each race manages to bring a different component to your crew, which again adds to the overall strategy.

The combat relies on your micromanagement of different weapons, and your outfit in general. It’s satisfying to find a weapons strategy that destroys the enemy. Thankfully, there isn’t just ONE strategy to choose from, although they all revolve around your opponent’s shields.

"One by one, my crew members are dead. The shields are down, the weapons turn orange, this is the end. But I know I just need a one more shot. I can do this."

Them cons tho.

FTL does fall short in a few instances, and none bigger than the lore. If FTL could create a real world around it’s fantastic gameplay, the game would be SO MUCH BETTER. Also, the text-heavy encounters try to be physiologically difficult to decide on, but honestly it’s super easy to figure them out.

Another large shortcoming is the lack of weapon variety and quest variety. Even with the expanded universe I find quests that I’ve already done and are super easy to do again with my foreknowledge. I just can’t see myself replaying this with so little variety.

"One second. The weapon is charged, but so is his. They both fire."

800 hours later, i am still playing this game. Simple, yet sooo challenging.

AHH! This game is incredible. This game was recommended to me by steam during the summer sale and I was like 'Meh, looks pretty boring..'

I looked up the best games to play in offline mode (doing some travel) and this game came up over and over so I gave it a shot.

wowww.. This game is addictive! Flying was a breeze with this game, my laptop died on both the flight there and back playing haha. Easy to get started, difficult to master. 10/10

There's a lot I could say about this game, but I'm pretty confident that whatever I say, some other review has already covered it in depth.

As such, what I can really say from myself is that FTL provides me with an immersive space adventure that's different each time; you never know for certain what's going to happen next. The ability to name your ship and each crewmember only adds to this. Sure, after playing for so long, I've seen almost every encounter type available, but when I'm playing I just feel like I'm in control of my ship and its crew, struggling to get along until the bitter end in this cruel universe. Each action has immediate consequences, and somehow making it to the end and defeating the final boss provides an extreme sense of satisfaction.

Of course, this game isn't about getting to the end; it's about the journey along the way. The possibilities are endless, just like the reaches of space.

... Except for the abrupt ending to your journey, which is almost certain you will die a very sudden, brutal, exploding death.

I can't actually think of anything bad about this game...

Probably one of the best space themed roguelikes I've played yet. The spaceship battle system is deep and fun to master, but even that it is just a small fraction of every element (random events, races, weapons, planets...) that keeps this charming exploration together. FTL keeps you hooked each time you start a new game and begin your intergalatic journey to deliver a message to the Federation.

This is one of my favourite games of all time. It has a lot of replayability, customisation and is very quirky. The art is amazing and detailed with no big flashy graphics. The soundtrack is also really cool and adds to the game. The Glaive Beam is soooooooooooo good, one-shotting a ship is so much fun. There is so much choice on how you play, which can give you better options for the encounters. I'd definitely recommend this game, 12/10. Final note: Giant alien spiders may cause rage quits. I warned you.

How did I miss writing a review for this?
FTL is hands down the only rogue-like with replayability that I enjoy. You obviously don't know me so I guess that isn't saying much to you though. The game has a similar feel to XCOM:enemy unknown in its strategy system. If you rush and don't think things through, bad things will happen. And you will REALLY feel it in the long run. Unlike XCOM, playthroughs are shorter and you will learn from each mistake. The UI is beautifully done, and nearly every strategy you can come up with is viable. And it better be, because this game is HARD. I haven't personally even come close to beating the game on anything above the easiest setting. Advanced addition was an incredible update that added more to the gameplay, races, weapons, interactions, soundtrack and metagame. Everything feels even more chaotic, as you truly feel like a captain of a starship navigating in a maze of federation forces coming after your ♥♥♥. One wrong move and you're dead. One wrong move and it will cost you scrap that couldve gotten you that missle to pierce those shields you just didn't have the firepower to break through. One cheap out of repairing your health and you were one shot away from killing that drone and it kills you. One... you get the point. As stressful as it sounds, the one mistake costs you mechanics of the game give it incredible depth and replayability. Did I also mention that Advanced Edition can be turned off if you want to play the legacy version of the game? And oh yeah baby, this game has mods too. If you wanted a whole new campaign and an even bigger update than ADV edition was, Captains edition has you covered. If you just feel like adding a star destroyer as a playable ship, then whatever floats your boat.
In conclusion I'm not sure what else you could possibly ask for this title. The devs have gone above and beyond the standard, and though it likely won't happen, I would absolutely love another update here in 2016. This may be an old title, but it's far from dead.
Happy flying, Rebels! Down with the Federation!
10/10 from me.

This is my first roguelike, and I love it. With a game this unforgiving, my decisions feel like they have real weight and I find myself agonizing over the fates of my crew. Try as I might, I can't bring myself to be the calculating tyrant, I just want my guys to get through this thing in one piece! To me, that's a big success for a game. It also helps that no matter how many times I play it, I can't beat it.

10/10 would get ♥♥♥ kicked again

install
play
die
logout
play
die
logout
play
die
logout
uninstall
repeat

great game