The Last Starship ea review: a spaceship full of potential that hasn’t reached warp speed yet

The Last Starship is currently in Early Access on Steam but has already generated quite a bit of buzz with all the ambition the game is displaying, and I mean, how could it not be generating buzz with such universally praised devs behind it, but what is the current state of the game? Let’s check it out

Blue pill or red pill?

Right away, The Last Starship provides you with a nice selection of options. You can select from five different starships with varying sizes and starting funds, giving you a high level of customization based on your skill level and preferred ship-building style. It's like going on your own adventure in space!

Arcade machine graphics made modern

The graphics are the first thing that catches your eye when you boot up The Last Starship. The visuals are simple yet stylish, and it's easy to see how the devs' previous hit game, Prison Architect, influenced them. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a game with a pixelated flair? It's similar to playing an old arcade game, but with a lot more options and better graphics.

UI

While the user interface is visually appealing and fits the game's theme, it is not the most informative or intuitive. It could definitely use a few tweaks to make it more user-friendly, as it is sometimes difficult to understand why something doesn't work, and it would be nice if the game added some tooltips throughout the UI.

They Know

Steam Workshop support from the get-go is an instant plus for The Last Starship. The developers recognize the value of community content; it's like having a built-in cheat code for those moments when you really don’t feel like building a ship yourself.

Potential bo- rocket

The Last Starship has a lot of potential that is just waiting to be realized. You can feel the ambition radiating from the game - this could easily become the best and most in-depth space game ever with this style, leaving titles like FTL in the dust.

However, it's a long way there, as the game right now is simply lacking content in many areas, as there isn't that much to do after a few hours of playing, the game doesn't constantly keep refreshing itself with new challenges or options, it's just a tad generic at the moment, and the hours quickly start feeling like mini groundhog days set in space.

Pew Pew in outer space 

Combat is one area where the game falls short. Battles become predictable and repetitive when only three types of weapons (short, medium, and long-range) are available. It's like playing rock-paper-scissors, except you only have rocks and scissors, and the scissors are stuck in one of those plastic packages that you have to open with another scissor, yes, I know, odly specific, but it really does feel like that.

There is no strategy involved, or at least not enough. There is some excitement during the micromanaging, and coming out on top is nice, but you'll quickly feel like a crazy person in a straight jacket claiming to be Napoleon.

Mining

Mining and salvaging, two key game features, also fall short. These activities simply lack depth, and they become tedious quickly. It's like going to a job you despise, but instead of being paid, you have to pay to do it.

Pimp my starship

Customizing your ship is enjoyable, but the game lacks variety. And if you start a few times, you'll quickly run out of options to make each ship feel unique enough, and the excitement of building your dream ship won't be as strong as it could be.

Bugspray

The game is also buggy, and you may encounter some game-breaking issues that will crash you to your desktop; however, these are thankfully rather rare and do not occur frequently, and to be honest, the game is still very early in EA, so bugs are to be expected, and the devs appear to be very focused on fixing them as soon as possible.

Why bother

All of these drawbacks may make you wonder why you should bother with this game at all, especially since it costs 28.99 euros. It's the equivalent of paying the price of a full-fledged triple-A title for a game that's just getting started. But don't think of it as paying for the game as it currently exists. Consider it a small loan to the developers, who have a proven track record with previous games. They will create something amazing with the help and time of the community, at least, that’s what I and many others hope.

Conclusion for now

Overall, the game gets a 6.5 out of 10. The developers have a lot to work on, and the game isn't yet worth the price. However, it's worth keeping an eye on because it has a lot of potential and some nice moments. It's like a rocket that hasn't quite reached escape velocity but is on its way, and we here at NLM will be watching the game closely.

We at NLM received a key for the game for free; however, this hasn’t affected our opinion in any way.