After so many years, an amazing user with the name "Denis" on Steam has found the fix to the problem where the game would permanently crash either on launch or the loading screen.

This is an English translation of their guide, which is originally in Russian.

https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2813317542

Here are the simple steps for the fix:

1) Right-click "The Ship" in your library and select Properties.
2) Next, click on Local Files then click on "Browse..." in order to open up the game files.
3) Go to the bin folder and copy the steam_api.dll file.
4) Return to the main game folder and paste the steam_api.dll here
5) Run the game and enjoy!

Here is a video made by the original author of the post:


If this worked for you as it did for me, feel free to shower the original Russian author of this post with awards!