Recent reviews by Brookus

Very solid survival game; they did a great job on the ambiance.

I waited a long time to let the game catch up to fixing the early problems. But even 18 months later, it's still full of problems. Examples: the pathfinding is abysmal, the traffic control features are woefully inadequate, and the economy is just broken. Modders shouldn't have to be the ones working to fix fundamental problems.

It's a shame since there are several new features which are major QoL improvements

I'd give it another year, but by then there will be 4 DLCs for sale, and I doubt I'll throw more money at it the franchise.

I've played Classic Dwarf Fortress for 10 years, and it's been available for even longer. It's mad, it's weird, it's complicated and it's brutal. Your fort will die, preferably in some cascade of terror you are unable to stop and can only watch in delighted (or bewildered) dismay.

If you have to win, this is not the game for you. This game lets you be part of an emerging world narrative, starting well into its history and making history of your own, even if that history might be the time your fortress accidentally flooded its halls with magma.

What an early access game should be: it's not complete but the gameplay loop and overarching design is there with relatively few bugs.

Unlike most sandbox games, there are clear goals to achieve, but you can do them your way whenever you want. The tedious sharp edges of many survival games have been filed down, so you can log in and just play, not log in and do chores. Playing with friends is recommended.

I've "finished" the game and am looking forward to future content.

One note of caution: if you have accessibility needs in your games, you may not be able to enjoy this game, at least not yet.

This DLC is pretty underwhelming. Fishing doesn't work like an industry, it works like a re-skinned harbor. That means it has weird coastline snapping and the same tiny road in front. You set a fishing route, but there's no indication if that route can be overfished or even does anything other than produce fish/shellfish. On the plus side, it's a non-polluting industry.

The above-ground metro is a convenient addition. My suggestion to potential buyers is to wait until it's half off, and my suggestion to the devs is to integrate aquaculture into the Industries DLC.

I will start with the negatives:
The game is still pretty buggy.
A lot of things are just not documented, and the NMS wiki is very outdated, as is most player content on youtube, etc.
The main quest line has a sophomoric resolution (no spoilers so I won't discuss)
Despite the massive universe, a whole lot of planets are just retreads of ones you have seen before with the same shape animals, trees, etc.

HOWEVER
The devs are actively working on bugs, the official discord is very active and helpful, and you don't even need ot do the main quest if you don't want to.

The game provides a huge amount of content types. Want to explore the galaxy in your starter jalopy? Be a space farmer? A space miner? Hunt pirates? Be a pirate? Be a trader tycoon? Command a huge fleet? Build bases? Race land craft? Do missions with random other players? Pursue top notch gear? You can do all this and more. In 60+ hours I haven't even touched a lot of content. It's a sandbox, but the devs have provided a lot of toys in the sandbox.

The game has issues, but at I have paid more for games that had less content. If you are on the fence, maybe wait for a sale. If free-form, low-stress play and chill game is something you might enjoy, NMS delivers.

Absolutely lovely! This is a puzzle game that uses city building as the theme. It's cute, it's casual, it's relaxing, it's tiny and it's fun to play and suitable for all ages -- at a bargain basement price. Most casual games are very shallow and repetitive. While you shouldn't expect grand strategy and deep thought, planning ahead pays off and the procedural maps keep you guessing.

The first video where the narrator describes the game play is refreshingly honest and accurate, and is what made me decide to try the game. I will be definitely be watching for new games from this team!

This game has enormous potential, but is plagued by broken or incomplete mechanics, zero player economy, and a dev team that coddles cheaters and exploiters and can't remember their own (very incomplete) patch notes when you report a bug.

The game bills itself as hardcore PVP, but PVP is 100% consensual with no reason to leave your invulnerable town claim walls. Siege mechanics still don't exist at all. Instanced Battles are a roll of the dice if your player succeeds in transfering. Server lag is painfully bad.

The game isn't ready for early access and should still be in closed beta.

If you love a repititous grind, this game is for you.