EVERSPACE™ 2

Would have refunded. Starts out fun, lots of potential. Then it just becomes a cheesy gotcha simulator where ships that instantly destroy you spawn 360 degrees around you. Being good and having beat the first game with my eyes closed doesn't prepare you for the cheaty crap this game throws at you for a lack of good mechanics and innovation.

It's should be a fun game but the lack of clear directions makes it like a game of finding things in a vast map, which makes it getting more and more boring

Its a good game if you like the core game loop. I found after 10 hours however I couldnt afford cool ships, combat felt the same and I had to go to great lengths to get any kind of loot. Its not a bad thing at all, its probably paced nicely but after 10 hours I would expect some kind of upgrade that makes me feel more powerful.

Story is decent with likeable characters, and there's a good variety of builds and weapons for your ship. Combat feels satisfying, even if I wish it had a bit more depth or complexity.
35h to complete the story in a Vindicator ship. I will probably make a second run someday with a different class.

Overall, it's a solid 8/10.

Everspace 2 is everything I wanted the franchise to be. I disliked the rogue-lite aspect of the first and would mod it into an RPG and this one is already like that.
It's great, reminds me of darkstar one.

Fantastic game! Highly recommend grabbing it if you like to keep busy doing tons and tons of missions and looting plenty of goodies!

The game is finnaly within my price range. TBH, I've plaid it from a different media way back in EA and almost finished the main story. The game has some grind, but it is not a WoW-type of a grind.

A co-op of 2 mode would have been nice to have with a DLC story line different than the main story and locations. I would love to see some pilotable frigate and destroyer class vessels, but I know that this game does not fly with such.

Everspace 2 does remind me a bit of Freelancer, but only a bit. While there's good combat, itemisation and exploration, the story is really disappointing and has a poor pacing. Also only 6 explorable systems with only 3 that have enough content and only a few worthwhile secondary missions.

Not having played nor having any knowledge of Everspace 1 wasn't a problem at all to enjoy it but a lot of side characters do reference knowing "adam" from before.

There's also a problem with the difficulty setting and some puzzles where they shouldn't scale at all.

While it is quite slow to start and it takes a while to get into it, there's an addictive part to exploring some systems and it is what made me spend so much time in it and gave a positive opinion in the end. Mention to the sound design and the music too, that is varied enough as to not get repetitive.

I recommend Everspace 2 for those that want an overall fun but not deep experience.

Had a lot of fun with this game. Late game is very grindy, but that's pretty normal for looter shooters in general.

Extremely fun. I play with HOTAS, and while it took a little bit to get the controls sorted, it's a really fun game to play with that setup.

There is a lot of gameplay here too, and I like it a lot more than everspace 1. The pacing of this one is much nicer and enjoyable.

This game is incredible! If you loved the old Freelancer game and have been trying to scratch that itch, or if you just love a beautifully-crafted game of exploration, storytelling, and a truly delightful model of ever-changing space combat with a wide variety of play-styles you can dive into, this game is for you! There are no micro-transactions or pay-to-win mechanics at all, and the entire game is completely playable without any DLC, which is a rarity these days. That said, I would highly recommend getting the expansions, as they add some really fun and different activities to the game that can be completed alongside the main plot.

The game does a fantastic job of progression and hostile-leveling, making it challenging and engaging without feeling like an invincible deity with infinite money that can crush everything and buy anything too quickly. I'm a map completionist, and one of the late-game abilities allows you to see exactly what you have left to explore in each location, which is delightful! The inventory and crafting system is easy to use and allows for players to explore without having to constantly dump cargo at shops or home base. The variety of ships and weapons encourages players to find the style of ship and play that works best for them.

The main plot is well-written and engaging, and does a really great job of universe-building without getting players bogged down in minutiae. It builds well on itself and gives players the knowledge needed to explore and engage with the side missions and optionals at your own pace. There is a really fun series of end-game activities and repeatable missions, so there's still plenty to do after finishing the main plot, even if you've already explored the entire game!

The only issue I've run into is that I've had to reduce my resolution in some systems/locations due to the sheer volume of ambient details and atmospheric elements present. That is a minor issue, and I could probably fix it with either better graphics hardware or more fine-tuning on the quality settings, but wanted to mention it all the same.

Overall, absolutely love the game, and can't wait for the next DLC to come out! 10/10

Initially came off as a true Freelancer spiritual successor, turned out to be botched in the details.

Terrible story, utterly boring characters, literal blank template MC with no personality whatsoever. Whole thing gives off a children's game vibe.

Shallow exploration, but decent gameplay. Unfortunately the CONSTANT loading screens ultimately made me quit. They're obscenely pervasive and completely ruin any desire to explore. There's a loading screen between every FTL engine activation. This means at least 2 loading screens between any travel decision. 4 if you switch systems. Going anywhere became a massive chore.

Great game. I enjoyed it best with flight assist off. Writing is a bit too PG but this is a 9/10 overall.

Love this game but puzzled at the inexplicable lack of native VR support. I played this a bit with UEVR and all I can say is that it's a game that is absolutely meant to be played in VR. The VR elevates the experience in such a huge way (especially during dogfight sequences) and I cannot believe that they decided not to include support for it. Huge missed opportunity.

I really enjoyed playing this with UEVR, unfortunately it's a hacky solution and it makes the parts where you warp between areas completely undoable which makes the game basically unplayable with it. I wish there was a way to skip those warp sequences because then it would at least be fully playable with UEVR.

This game is built on Unreal Engine which has VR functionality built into it already (that's what UEVR is tapping into). The fact that UEVR delivers such a good experience (in the parts of the game where it works well) as a hack shows that it probably wouldn't take much to get a proper implementation done for VR in this. Ever since Eve Valkyrie got shutdown VR players have been looking for this kind of experience, and this should be it. It just needs the support so that we're not having to rely on a janky workaround for it.

I saw that the developers had a thread going on some forum and people were being rude to them so they decided not to do a VR implementation. Those people in that forum represent a minority of VR users. I hadn't even been on that forum until I came across that thread a few minutes ago. I'm sorry you guys had a bad experience on there, but please don't punish the broader VR community just because of a few idiots. Thanks.

Really liked the first game. Unfortunately this game has less combat and more story and puzzles. They should have stuck to what they are best at.

hardcore mode is unplayable without legendary items but easy and normal doesnt require such thing and acctualy fun ..

The arcade like action is really enjoyable, specially if you setup you controls to make maximum use of the available movement and tools.

I did not enjoy some of the puzzles or miscellaneous activities that much, but some people may enjoy it.

An excellent story, immersive world and a compelling cast of characters. Game is perfect for casual and dedicated player alike, offering a little something for everyone.

This is actually a very fun game. Its like diablo 2 in space. Unfortunately the only thing i don't like is that you cant have more than 2 pieces of legendary weapons or accessories equipped on your ship at one time... That deserves a negative review, in and of itself.

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Update 3/1/2025

Okay. The Leviathon thing is so fucking stupid... This is getting bad.

Good fun! Just what I was hoping for in a space/flight arcade/RPG

I really loved the first one and this one is pretty good. I will recommend it, but it is not a perfect game.

Pros:
Well built interesting world
great graphics
fun fights (arcady, not flight sim)
sound track
Some interesting characters and lore
Side missions

The story is mid. The only real gripe I have is the swarms. Dear lord. I get that it is supposed to be difficult but I am really tired of being jumped by 2 to 3 elites when in the middle of a fight. Or when it seems you are winning an engagement only to have 5 enemies jump right on top of you. It almost had me whipping a controller. Also, the missions where you control drones are not great and the trading just kind of feels tacked on. I would give this a solid 7.5 out of 10, but I am a sci fi nut. Loved it but it definately has flaws. Really hope for an Everspace 3.

Had a lot of fun beating the game for the first time, and am looking to try a nightmare run now that it is unlocked. Story gave me some real Freelancer nostalgia and the early endgame has been a lot of fun so far.

Normally I tend to be harsh with my review for games whenever I find a niche aspect that rubs me the wrong way but in this case I genuinely stopped playing because I couldn't continue.

Past the first 15 to 20 hours the game goes from a buttery smooth ~200 FPS (1080P) to an absolute nightmarish sub 20 FPS on certain planet surface environments.

My suspicion at first was that this is plain bad optimization, only to hit the web and learn that I was right and worse, it's been an issue since about 4 years ago when peeps first got their hands on this game.

I've tried fiddling with settings both off the top of my head as well as following other people's advice on what made the FPS melt-down more bearable for them, but on a good day I barely managed to scratch 25 frames.

Add to that a certain story mission where a little more maneuvering finesse is required and you get a recipe for disaster.

Love the game and everything about it so far but this just killed it for me and, since this is still an issue this far down the line, I can't be arsed no more.

pretty fun game not as good as Freelancer maybe. Kind of grindy.

To be honest - it's a bit disappointing after the first one. It's a different game - in some aspects better, in some aspects worse.

For the positives - there's more content and dialogues, space is bigger, visuals are improved, and the game-play is pleasant. But that's most of it.

For negatives, there's whole list of things that are just worse:
* Story is very linear with almost no decision making. And kinda boring. In the first Everspace I wanted to know the story - all the "why" and "how". This time it's just meh - things are happening. Also I'm not sure if I like my character - overly confident, positive and kinda naive.
* Innovative and wonderful replayability mechanic from the first iteration was replaced with level system so you're artificially forced to iterate on the arsenal.
* Locations and side-quests are very repetitive. You jump into some asteroids or derelict ships and fight all red ships and/or spend ages looking for that one item that unlocks questionable rewards
* The grind is real - quests give you maybe 1% of the credits required for the ship you want. Crafting is reduced to "disassemble X components of Y rarity to create anything you've got a blueprint for"
* Jumping between locations is lengthy and boring - need to get to the other side of the system - you've got to just wait.
* Painted cutscenes are original but lack dynamics - I'd expected something more sophisticated in the second iteration.

It's still enjoyable game but it's just a step back from the original in terms of gameplay. Definitely get the first one if you didn't play it already, and maybe get this one if you've got too much time.

Everspace 2 is a visually stunning and engaging space simulation game that blends fast-paced combat with deep exploration. Set in an expansive open world, it offers a rich narrative mixed with RPG elements, where you can upgrade your ship, engage in dynamic dogfights, and discover hidden treasures across various planets and space stations. Everspace 2 delivers an immersive spacefaring experience that's both fun and visually impressive.

9/10 - Ever want to play a Starfox game but wish it was an adventure RPG like Skyrim? Well, here you go.

While the first game is a rogue-lite experience with meta progression after dying, and this game is not, I like that it's at least lore-relevant why the change in sub-genre. This is the most fun I've had in any space combat since Everspace 1 and that was the best space combat prior. The graphics are gorgeous, the music makes for beautiful ambiance, and the ship customization is fantastic.

The only thing I would change is letting us name each of our vehicles. Keep the model names/numbers but if I'm picking the parts and paint job, I want to name my creation when I'm done. Please devs, this is all I ask. Instant 10/10.

Ive got great video card, plenty of memory, excellent cpu and power, but this (it did run perfectly before an uprdate) now just says insuficient memory. well I'm sorry but that is just wrong. It is the software, not the hardware that is at fault here.I'm gonna rate this (A month ago I would have said Great) Now is an absolute Zero. Can't even run it. wtf? I was getting so into it and now can't even run it! Developers need to get a bit of an act together thing going on!

Great game, compared to the first part it is a big step forward (the first one was also good)
It is unlikely that any of the devs will pay attention to this review, but I would recommend paying attention to the old games Star Wolves 1 and 3 (Civil War).
I think many elements would fit very well into Everspace. For example, base ships, some pilot perks, the implementation of various types of weapons and pilot specializations

It’s the gaming equivalent of junk food: empty calories that want you to keep playing until you're sick of it.

While this game looks as if it were crafted by space wizards and runs smoother than a Fast & Furious car chase, it’s still that shiny new phone with a busted battery. Sure, it’s got all the bells and whistles, but once you dig deeper, it’s just... meh. The story? As exciting as a damp napkin. Puzzles? They feel like they were designed by a bored intern just trying to ruin your vibe. And the combat? It's like trying to fight with pool noodles. But the biggest culprit? You’re stuck in an infinite battle royale with no real stakes.

Everything has pointless levels now, just big numbers for the sake of big numbers, because everything scales up like Fortnite’s loot drops. You’re never stronger, just grinding endlessly to keep up. The goalposts are constantly shifting, and you’re stuck in a treadmill of upgrades just to have a fighting chance.

The content? A never-ending treadmill of mind-numbing fetch quests, races, and "infinite rifts," where you’re doing the same thing over and over again like Groundhog Day—but somehow less fun. The world encounters are just empty filler to keep you on the hook, designed purely for retention, like they’re trying to lure you into a TikTok wormhole. You’re grinding for higher numbers, but it’s all just a giant treadmill of nothing.

Excellent space RPG/Looter shooter. The environments are gorgeous and the game play is really fun. There are a good number of ship types to choose from so you shouldn't find it difficult to find one that suits your style of play. If you liked the first Everspace then you should definitely like this one.

This is a great action 6dof game, highly recommended for fans of ARPGs and action-oriented space comabat.

Rockfish Games, thank you for not one, but two amazing space games. You are a shining example of what a developer can do in this day and age when they focus on not only the content of the game, but making sure it runs smoothly, and everything else that truly makes a game and a developer great.

I loved Everspace, and this sequel is fantastic. The core gameplay has changed slightly, but in a way that makes sense for the story. Not only is it a great game, but it has been improved noticeably over the years since release with numerous free content updates.

If you loved Freelancer, don't really vibe with how complicated other space games can be, this one might be exactly what you need to scratch that itch!

Graphics: great!
Soundtrack: great!
Story: Pretty good!
Combat: Fun, challenging yet approachable
Missions: sometimes repetitive, but almost always fun!
upgrades, skills, perks, etc: it's got 'em!

Why are you still here? Buy it already!

fights are repetitive and often far too short. traversing between locations acts as a loading screen that can last upwards of an entire minute where youre just waiting for your ship to reach the next location. nothing happens in this time aside from new unknown locations you can choose to divert to. i usually find myself looking at my phone or tabbing out to do something else while i just wait. storyline is effectively just a series of fetch quests and the story (and especially the protagonist) are very generic.

very nice and interesting gameplay, close to my belowed Galaxy on Fire 2 but better :)

Absolute delight. If you played Freelancer you know what you're getting. The characters are fun and engaging. Playing with HOTAS which CAN be tricky but incredibly satisfying. Glad to see the Devs are still supporting the game. This is gonna get a lot of hour out of me.

This game hides grinding but it's there. Very much so. Seems like a nice sci-fi space adventure but there is obvious nothingness, it's ominous when you go to your 2nd star system there is nothing new on offer, but you still need to update your existing gear, and the story doesn't want to advance. So you try to level up maybe that helps but you end up grinding the same old encounters and then you reach your next story part and it's just... a few lines of dialogue.
Dissaponting and you become very hesitant if this is worth the time. Sorry but no.

Other reviewers have said it's like the classic Privateer game, and it's very true. Fun space combat missions, upgrade your ship, buy new ships, etc. The other reviews saying the cut scenes are poor are also spot on. That's the one drawback that I've seen as well. Otherwise great game!

Good Game

Great game that reminds of Freelancer. Shame that developers do not do expansions anymore. You get a tiny, winny, little DLC and that is it

Great combat and customization but story is a little lacking

This game has almost everything it needs to be great.

Unfortunately, it is brought down by THE - truly THE - WORST combat hud/interface I have ever seen in any game of its genre.

Two absolutely inexcusable, unforgivable and frankly impossible to understand fuckups by people who clearly have no idea what the fuck they were doing:
1) no radar or equivalent in a space/air combat game -- an insult to the intelligence of anyone who enjoys either genre; you have absolutely no idea where your enemies are relative to you in space except to look at arrows in your hud that give you relative directions -- these could have been fine except
2) the aforementioned arrows do not have any distance indicators - so when you're in the middle of a tense dogfight you cannot tell if the next arrow you choose to chase is an enemy right on your tail or literally on the opposite end of the map. There is NO indication at all - you just have to pick one, hope for the best, and turn until you realize you chose right or you get obliterated because you turned a full 180 to realize the enemy is just a patrol ship or three a half dozen km away.
3) Not only do the arrows not tell you how far the enemy is, they also don't tell you their size, relative power, danger rating, actual level - NOTHING. There is no way to prioritize or make any tactical decisions.

I tried to give the game the benefit of the doubt or think "maybe this is something they fix with equipment later on".
They don't.

This alone is enough to make me want to Thanos their leadership team.
The rest of the game doesn't warrant much discussion.

Characters are weakly written and cookie-cutter. The game doesn't seem to have decided if it wants to present a grim, happy-go-lucky, or otherwise story pace and tone and it seems to jump around to whatever mood struck the writer when they made each quest. Combat has some fun aspects but ship maneuverability and mechanics are way behind better alternatives like Chorus. Every planet/etc has some ships going around but none of them really feel alive -- you will always find outlaw ships patrolling wherever you go - they announce themselves clearly and outright even with security ships prevalent in the area brazenly. Sometimes you will get randomly attacked by a non-outlaw ship - and if you fight back then you get ganked by the entire security force of the system because self-defense is so 21st century. The game tries to shoehorn a trading mechanic that somewhat adds a bit of an alternative to economy-grinding but is weirdly inconsistent about pricing and never really feels like it's actually helping as much as you'd think.

I would have given this game the benefit of the doubt thinking "surely they'll realize this is stupid and do better soon, maybe they just need time" but they just announced dlc and the issues I highlight have been going on since launch.

I cannot forgive and will not excuse it any longer.

Don't buy this game.

Good:
A nice game. It does remind me of Freelancer, back in the golden days of Space Games. It is pretty, it does have a story, it is also in it's core mechanics simple to learn and play.
Negative:
The story is pretty boring nothing special, the gameplay get's old and boring after X hours. The side quests and XP/Money farming is pretty boring too. Map secrets, map completion is also tedious and boring.

All in all not a bad game but nothing too special.

The space combat in the game is really fun, the story is decent I think, it's hard to follow as it's punctuated by so much annoying load screens and long times spent travelling across the systems.

The biggest part of the game is puzzles, mazes and nausia enducing flying round places lost trying to find things. I'm the kind of gamer that wants to complete all the things in a game when I start playing though, so if you are looking for space combat and dont mind just avoiding all the puzzle stuff or are want that kind of thing it's probably a great game! just not for me.

Amazing game.
Bought during Beta they have kept it updated and just announced an expansion.
100% recommend.

An absolute gem of a game. Rockfish has really outdone themselves with the sequel to Everspace. There is seemingly endless exploration, adventures, side quests, hidden locations, and more things, which I have yet to discover.

The combat is fun! Want a challenge? Turn up that difficulty! Focused on the story? Dial it back and enjoy the immersive universe. Did I mention how gorgeous this game looks? The graphics are eye candy; an icing on the cake.

This game will make it to my top 5 list in terms of hours played. Great job Rockfish!

Boring gameplay
Cringe voice acting
Uninspiring art and ship designs

Everspace 2 hooked me from the moment I set foot in it's completely hand-crafted universe. It brought every bit of Sci Fi nostalgia from the days of arcades you'd visit with your friends and the incredible stories films were telling at those times. It's got class, it's got cheese, it's got charm, it's got comedy, it's got larger-than-life characters, it's got emotions that emerge deep within both hearts and circuits.

The depth of the game comes from both the story and, as a looter-shooter, the customisation options pulled from a huge pool of weapons, components, and ship types, as well as the vast expanses of various hand-crafted areas strewn about the multiple star systems you'll visit (and re-visit at your leisure) during the campaign.

This game is meant to be experienced, so for those who love a story and the vast array of hidden secrets and story-beats to uncover, this game is definitely for you. For those who expect a beyond hard-core RPG Looter-Shooter experience (including end-game) where min-maxing is the goal, this game has some restrictions that would circumvent your expectations (example, legendary gear is restricted to only 3 at at time [four is possible through a special unlock]).

Keep in mind Rock Fish Games came from developing the highly acclaimed Galaxy on Fire (GoF) series from the old iPod Touch and original iPhone days, and this game keeps the same feel (controlling a 3rd person ship on the screen with loading zones, inventory management, and arcade-style space combat, albeit with as much depth as could possibly be crammed into the genre), so temper your expectations. If you loved the GoF games then this is an absolute win and pure evolution for modern day game development and hardware.

Final Notes:
- Don't buy if you expect or want this in VR, it's never happening.
- Don't buy if you expect fully unlocked min-maxing with all obtainable gear (lots of RNG and other restrictions).
- Don't buy if you can't handle wonderfully written but cheesy dialogue.
- Don't buy if you expect a fully open-world where you don't have to follow the story (because you do).
- DO BUY if you have nostalgia for the good old days of Sci Fi arcade gaming.
- DO BUY if you love solving puzzles.
- DO BUY if you love a phenomenal story in a rich hand-crafted universe.
- DO BUY if you love sarcastic AI that comments on your every choice.

If you LOVED the film The Fifth Element, this is basically how this game feels the entire time. Bombastic, ridiculous, fun-loving, ass-kicking, over-the-top with ancient mystical wonders hidden within the stars just begging to be encountered.

They've done it again - ES2 is an amazing dogfighting ship builder - they've combined some of the best Wing Commander with a diablo like loot grind (a good thing) and a signature spacial puzzle solver like Decent (really dating myself there).

Well I got hooked - the campaign took me 100h and honestly I'm still having fun finishing up the rep grind and working on all the hidden unlocks...and there are still more DLC nuggets coming.

I can't recommend this enough.

Nice Story with some turns. Beautiful space scenery and good graphics. Somtimes I noticed FPS drops. The game is and can be a bit of a grind. Different ships, weapons, items and skills can be used. Even with a controller I had some aiming problems, but maybe it's on me. Areas can be small, big and have puzzles or challenges. Travel between location is a bit boring. Later in game you can fast travel to certain locations, but still have to slow travel vom there to the exact location you need/want to be.
I can recommend it, but be aware for the grind and sometimes difficulty, but you can change that every time.

Very grindy. XP scaling is off. Enemy levels are very high and no way to get to their level fast enough.