Star Saga: Two - The Clathran Menace
United States
Masterplay (developer and publisher)
Released 1989 for DOS, Apple II, and Apple IIGS
Date Started: 7 December 2024Date Ended: 25 January 2025
Total Hours: 32 (1.9 winning games)
Difficulty: Easy (2.0/5), although tough to rate with this sort of game
Final Rating: 32
Ranking at time of posting: 356/538 (66%)Summary:
Like its predecessor (Star Saga: One - Beyond the Boundary), The Clathran Menace
is a hybrid between a computer game and a board game. The computer
keeps track of your inventory, health, statistics, and location, while
you use a physical map to plot routes across the galaxy and physical
books, with about 1,000 numbered sections, to read what happens. When
you finish, you have both played a game and read a novel. You play one
of six space explorers with both a personal quest and a general quest to
understand and stop the slow advance of the Clathrans (a reptilian
species) across the galaxy—all while the mental stresses caused by a
widening "Dual Space Interphase" are causing havoc back on the Nine
Worlds, including Earth.
****
I
was a bit exhausted when I finally got to the game's ending passages, although
that was in part due to my decision to play it twice in a short
time period, for which I can hardly blame the authors. Still, the basic
format of the Star Saga games is not for me. I kept wishing the same plot were grafted onto a more traditional RPG like Starflight or Star Control,
with proper combat mechanics, actual risk, and a more traditional
inventory. I rather like the trade mechanics, though I'm not sure the game
needed so much of it. I respect the opinions of players who enjoyed the
multiplayer aspect of it, but I'm glad that I finished it by myself and
saved my game-playing time with Irene for games that have a bit less
reading and more action. We've been playing Descent: Legends of the Dark (2021) lately, and it has the same characteristics of being both a board game and a computer game, in both cases, I frequently find myself wishing that they had just gone all-in on one or the other.
To the extent that Star Saga is a "computer game," we
have to confront the fact that it isn't really much of an RPG,
lacking traditional character development and combat mechanics. Both the character and ship
get stronger with purchases of weapons and defenses and the acquisition
of special skills, but it's an odd sort of "development" given that
combat is always about hitting a certain threshold. It would be as if in
a traditional RPG, you always lost battles against orcs when you had a
short sword, then always won the moment you acquired a long sword.
 |
| A random battle with a Clathran convoy. Having acquired the right items, I will never lose such a battle again. |
Yet,
to me, the most disappointing aspect of the series is not the lack of traditional RPG combat mechanics but the lack of any significant
role-playing choices. The player has a lot of choices when it comes to
directing the character to various places, but essentially none when it
comes to deciding what the character will say or do. Moreover, even in
the limited choices the player does get—what planets to visit in what
order—he or she gets the same text, with the same dialogue, as every
other player. That rather damages the illusion of the six characters as
unique individuals with unique perspectives and motivations.
On the positive side, I
praise the plot and the imaginative characteristics of the alien
worlds. It was never boring to arrive on a new planet and start learning
about its culture and history. The story is derivative in places, but
the authors are aware
of this and did it deliberately. I'm a tepid science fiction fan at
best, so I'm sure a lot of references went completely over my head. I also liked the logistics of plotting trade routes, but again this is hardly an RPG staple.
I
don't think the GIMLET works well with this type of game, so I'm going
to skip the detailed analysis by category. Suffice to say that it
naturally does best with the "Game World" (7) and overall nonlinear
gameplay (5), but worst in traditional RPG mechanics like character
development and combat. I had trouble applying some of the categories;
are there really "NPCs" in those passages or just "Encounters"? I did my
best, and it scored a 32 in total, one point higher than the first
game, though I don't think that's significant. There are some variances
in the categories between the two games, but they likely have more to do
with my using different thought processes when applying the GIMLET
categories and less to do with any real differences between the two
titles.
 |
| It's nice to know that people were using "artificial intelligence" as spuriously in 1989 as today. |
Vince DeNardo and Chris Lombardi reviewed the game in the September 1989 Computer Gaming World and agreed with me that it is "unfortunate" that the computer handles all combat. They note that there is more combat in Two than in One,
"and the frustrations of not being able to pick and choose weapons and
tactics [is therefore] magnified." They also lament the fact that if you
lose a combat, you can't tell what sort of weapon, defense, or skill
might help change the outcome; you just have to buy everything and hope
for the best. They further note that non-combat skills are used less
than in One. This is also true. I wondered at several points why I
had bothered to acquire certain skills. I'm not sure "Darthan,"
"Flying," "Jump'r," "Sensaround," "Deresha," "Mellomia," and a variety of
other skills ever played a role. I was confused until the end about the
distinction between "Chameleon," "Illusion," and "Ghost" when it came
to stealth.
The
reviewers played with multiple players over several sessions, and they
had some issues where some players spent multiple turns primarily
trading while others spent the same turns primarily reading, creating a
somewhat imbalanced and disjointed experience. However, their overall
feelings were positive, and they thought it was equal to the first game.
The same basic sentiments are found in the January 1990 Compute! review and the May 1990 Games Machine
review. No one really liked the combat; everyone thought the text was
well-written and addictive. Looking at pictures of the box and contents,
I'm almost sorry that I played this all electronically. I might have
enjoyed moving the game piece over the map (something for which I did
not find an electronic analog) and marking up pages in the physical
books. The setup is impressive just to look at, and even if I liked the
game less than I did, or didn't like it at all, there's a sense in which I'd still have to admire it.
 |
| The writing was almost always good, but the sheer amount of text got to be a bit much. |
The two Star Saga
games were the only titles from Masterplay Publishing Corporation, the
Florida-based company founded by Mike Massimilla and run by Andrew
Greenberg. Production costs were expensive, and the first two games did
not sell well enough to justify the third planned title. For 35 years,
therefore, fans have tossed and turned at night, kept awake by their
gripping questions about the Masters, why they hate and fear humanity,
the Message, the Core, the fate of Vanessa Chang, and the true source of
Flame Jewels.
For those sleepless fans, I have happy news: Mike Massimilla's daughter discovered my entry on Star Saga: One back in 2023. She alerted her father, who wrote to me and offered to share the story that would have been presented in Star Saga: Three.
I present it gratefully below, only lightly edited. According to Mr. Massimilla,
the game never went into production.
*****
Synopsis of Star Saga: Three - The Return of the Masters
By Mike Massimilla with contributions from Walt Freitag
In Star Saga: Three,
the Explorers continue to encounter alien races, some still living and
some only by their relics and ruins. These encounters are overall
stranger than in the previous games. They are conveyed using abstract
and psychedelic reality-bending styles of science fiction, as in the
early George R.R. Martin short stories. The old races and ruins tell of
an ancient cataclysmic war and a dominant race of psychic Masters. The
war destroyed many planets and threatened all life in the galaxy. The
Masters put an end to the war, using genetic technology to enslave the
vicious Clathrans and pacify everyone else.
Since then, intelligent races have not traveled far from their home worlds. There have been no recent wars, just limited trading and terraforming. This has been no accident: it was the effects of the Masters' intervention. The Masters kept tabs on any race that might be ambitious or threatening, and they took steps to limit that race. In most cases, they did this by modifying the race's genes. The Clathrans were genetically modified to be subservient police. They surveyed the galaxy, reported back to the Masters, and either weakened or exterminated any races deemed dangerous. The Space Plague that decimated the human worlds and led to the establishment of the Boundary was an example of this treatment. Many of the oddities of the races the players have met can be explained by the Masters' meddling. The Masters were determined that Galactic War would never occur again.
The gameplay in the main portion of Star Saga: Three focuses on assembling sufficient technology to enter the Galactic Core, where the Masters live. The Core has a nearly impenetrable surface. Any matter that attempts to pass through disintegrates. The old races that live near the Core are said to have knowledge and abilities that can be combined to build a Core Ship. This has not been done in a long time.
Meanwhile, the dream about the Message becomes more insistent, and not only for the Explorers. Humans back on the Nine Worlds are experiencing the Dream and speculating about what it might mean. Even worse, the widening Dual Space Interphase is causing disturbing psychic episodes. People are anxious, confused, and occasionally violent. Society is at risk of falling apart. To save humanity, the Explorers must enter the Core, meet the Masters, and deliver the mysterious Message.
Complicating the situation, the Explorers encounter a political conflict between two factions of Masters, more accurately known as Archaegenitors. There are not many Archaegenitors left, but they are powerful. One faction sees humanity as a threat that must be destroyed at all costs. This faction, with the Clathrans doing their bidding, is symbolized by the green-scaled dragon. The other faction believes humanity is carrying the Message referred to in ancient texts, vital to the future of the galaxy. This faction is broadcasting psychic calls for humans to come to the Core. The Explorers meet various aliens aligned with each faction.
Following various clues (a tip from a friendly alien race, an advanced tracking technology, etc.) the Explorers discover Vanessa Chang—still alive! She has been trapped in stasis on a ship she built trying to make it into the Core. The ship fortunately got caught in a time eddy, as it likely would have been pulverized. (The time eddy brings to mind the unfortunate planet stuck in a time loop; how did the Masters arrange that?) The Explorers rescue her, and she joins the expedition. More accurately, we should say that the Explorers join her. She provides important technology, history, and map coordinates.
Eventually, by getting enough help from the planets they visit, the Explorers upgrade Vanessa's Core Ship with everything they can. Small scale tests near the Core's surface look promising, but it's impossible to know for sure. In case they fail, the Explorers leave instructions behind for the next crew to attempt the mission. Taking the plunge, their ship slowly approaches the Core's surface. Space and time flow into a new dimension—a psychic one? Their minds expand, and they are through.
At this point, the game's finale begins (about a quarter of its total content). There are changes in game mechanics as the Explorers are now traveling together. Instead of separate exploration and trading, this segment poses problems requiring simultaneous actions by different crew members (whether played by one or multiple players). These are somewhat like multiplayer escape room mechanics, but as in previous Star Saga segments, they are based on narrated problems rather than abstract puzzles. There are no dead ends (getting stuck), and still no deaths. (The printed books contained some red-herring death passages.)
Before the final chapter, the Explorers have to complete a quest that requires traveling back to the outer parts of the galaxy. Fortunately, the Core Ship is capable of passing through Space Walls. No one is quite sure how Space Walls work. One of the old races recalls that they were created by a doomsday weapon used in the Galactic War.
Finally meeting with the seemingly all-powerful Archaegenitors, the Explorers learn that the Masters can no longer reproduce or travel outside the Core. The Masters have been able to perpetuate their race with cloning and genetic engineering, but each generation is physically weaker and less numerous. Moreover, they are extremely sensitive and poorly adapted to the widening Dual Space Interphase. [Ed. I thought the opposite was true about the Masters, but I didn't get a chance to clarify this with Massimilla. He might have meant "narrowing," or I might be confused about what "widening" means here.] They hope to eventually find a solution to further extend their lifespan, but their efforts thus far have been unsuccessful. Life for them is now difficult and painful.
The Masters ask for permission to examine one of the Explorers. An analysis of human DNA solves the mystery of the Message: it is humanity itself. A mostly forgotten farsighted faction of ancient Archeagenitors engineered humans to be their eventual successors. Humans were given enhanced intelligence, the desire to explore, hardiness to withstand danger, and an exact copy of the Archaegenitors' psychic genes. The closer the humans travel to the Core, the more powerful their psychic abilities become.
Given the revelation that humans are the Masters' descendants, the Masters unite in support. They agree to put the fate of the galaxy in human hands. They will train the Explorers how to use the genetic technology and how to command the Clathrans. However, the Masters warn that keeping watch over the galaxy is no easy task. What, they ask, do the Explorers think is the best course of action for the future? Will they:
Since then, intelligent races have not traveled far from their home worlds. There have been no recent wars, just limited trading and terraforming. This has been no accident: it was the effects of the Masters' intervention. The Masters kept tabs on any race that might be ambitious or threatening, and they took steps to limit that race. In most cases, they did this by modifying the race's genes. The Clathrans were genetically modified to be subservient police. They surveyed the galaxy, reported back to the Masters, and either weakened or exterminated any races deemed dangerous. The Space Plague that decimated the human worlds and led to the establishment of the Boundary was an example of this treatment. Many of the oddities of the races the players have met can be explained by the Masters' meddling. The Masters were determined that Galactic War would never occur again.
The gameplay in the main portion of Star Saga: Three focuses on assembling sufficient technology to enter the Galactic Core, where the Masters live. The Core has a nearly impenetrable surface. Any matter that attempts to pass through disintegrates. The old races that live near the Core are said to have knowledge and abilities that can be combined to build a Core Ship. This has not been done in a long time.
Meanwhile, the dream about the Message becomes more insistent, and not only for the Explorers. Humans back on the Nine Worlds are experiencing the Dream and speculating about what it might mean. Even worse, the widening Dual Space Interphase is causing disturbing psychic episodes. People are anxious, confused, and occasionally violent. Society is at risk of falling apart. To save humanity, the Explorers must enter the Core, meet the Masters, and deliver the mysterious Message.
Complicating the situation, the Explorers encounter a political conflict between two factions of Masters, more accurately known as Archaegenitors. There are not many Archaegenitors left, but they are powerful. One faction sees humanity as a threat that must be destroyed at all costs. This faction, with the Clathrans doing their bidding, is symbolized by the green-scaled dragon. The other faction believes humanity is carrying the Message referred to in ancient texts, vital to the future of the galaxy. This faction is broadcasting psychic calls for humans to come to the Core. The Explorers meet various aliens aligned with each faction.
Following various clues (a tip from a friendly alien race, an advanced tracking technology, etc.) the Explorers discover Vanessa Chang—still alive! She has been trapped in stasis on a ship she built trying to make it into the Core. The ship fortunately got caught in a time eddy, as it likely would have been pulverized. (The time eddy brings to mind the unfortunate planet stuck in a time loop; how did the Masters arrange that?) The Explorers rescue her, and she joins the expedition. More accurately, we should say that the Explorers join her. She provides important technology, history, and map coordinates.
Eventually, by getting enough help from the planets they visit, the Explorers upgrade Vanessa's Core Ship with everything they can. Small scale tests near the Core's surface look promising, but it's impossible to know for sure. In case they fail, the Explorers leave instructions behind for the next crew to attempt the mission. Taking the plunge, their ship slowly approaches the Core's surface. Space and time flow into a new dimension—a psychic one? Their minds expand, and they are through.
At this point, the game's finale begins (about a quarter of its total content). There are changes in game mechanics as the Explorers are now traveling together. Instead of separate exploration and trading, this segment poses problems requiring simultaneous actions by different crew members (whether played by one or multiple players). These are somewhat like multiplayer escape room mechanics, but as in previous Star Saga segments, they are based on narrated problems rather than abstract puzzles. There are no dead ends (getting stuck), and still no deaths. (The printed books contained some red-herring death passages.)
Before the final chapter, the Explorers have to complete a quest that requires traveling back to the outer parts of the galaxy. Fortunately, the Core Ship is capable of passing through Space Walls. No one is quite sure how Space Walls work. One of the old races recalls that they were created by a doomsday weapon used in the Galactic War.
Finally meeting with the seemingly all-powerful Archaegenitors, the Explorers learn that the Masters can no longer reproduce or travel outside the Core. The Masters have been able to perpetuate their race with cloning and genetic engineering, but each generation is physically weaker and less numerous. Moreover, they are extremely sensitive and poorly adapted to the widening Dual Space Interphase. [Ed. I thought the opposite was true about the Masters, but I didn't get a chance to clarify this with Massimilla. He might have meant "narrowing," or I might be confused about what "widening" means here.] They hope to eventually find a solution to further extend their lifespan, but their efforts thus far have been unsuccessful. Life for them is now difficult and painful.
The Masters ask for permission to examine one of the Explorers. An analysis of human DNA solves the mystery of the Message: it is humanity itself. A mostly forgotten farsighted faction of ancient Archeagenitors engineered humans to be their eventual successors. Humans were given enhanced intelligence, the desire to explore, hardiness to withstand danger, and an exact copy of the Archaegenitors' psychic genes. The closer the humans travel to the Core, the more powerful their psychic abilities become.
Given the revelation that humans are the Masters' descendants, the Masters unite in support. They agree to put the fate of the galaxy in human hands. They will train the Explorers how to use the genetic technology and how to command the Clathrans. However, the Masters warn that keeping watch over the galaxy is no easy task. What, they ask, do the Explorers think is the best course of action for the future? Will they:
- Continue the Masters' legacy, using the genetic engineering throughout the galaxy to ensure peace? Or:
- Abandon the genetic technology and let life go its own way, even if that might again someday again lead to galactic war?
Meanwhile, the widening Dual Space Interphase threatens everyone. Maybe a solution can be found if all the races of the galaxy work together.
The End
*****
Chet
again. I like it. I think it would have wrapped up the series nicely.
Again, it draws from existing tropes about "ancestor races" without
precisely copying them. It leaves the players with a major role-playing
choice at the end. I'm curious how that would have been handled with
multiple players, as I'm curious about how the turn-based gameplay would
work once the players are united with Chang. It's possible that the
authors hadn't worked that out before they abandoned the project.
 |
| A March 1990 Computer Game World article about the pending sale of the franchise. |
My understanding is that as Masterplay dissolved, they sold the rights to Star Saga to Cinemaware, which did nothing with them and was itself out of business a year later. While the rights were for sale, Andrew Greenberg was interviewed for a brief September 1990 Computer Gaming World
piece. It's a curious interview, as in the space of just a few lines,
Greenberg says that the company's decision to support the Apple II,
which was incapable of advanced graphics, partly accounted for poor
sales, but then he goes on to reject the idea that graphics are needed
or even desirable for the game. To me, especially since they also
released it for DOS, the more likely explanation is that the $80 price
tag (around $200 today) was too steep for most players, and that the
hybrid nature of the gameplay didn't appeal to them.
Wow. That is a lovely ending.
ReplyDeleteI have no insights to add other than your blog is amazingly good.
Jason Dyer, your comment is evergreen.
DeleteI love it when Chet digs into these kinds of never-told stories from CRPG history..
Thank you so much for going the extra mile for this oft-forgotten classic and bringing some level of closure to longtime fans of the series.
ReplyDeleteI have a deep emotional attachment to Star Saga, to the point where I considered writing my own sequel novel as a way to have some sort of closure. I'm much more glad to have the canon conclusion to carry with me instead. Although now I wonder if it might be fun to use this summary as the outline to a fiction project instead!
Thank you again!
You're welcome. Glad to have helped out.
DeleteYes! That is super cool to find an answer and the plans for this series!
DeleteThis is a really great coda on the review. I never played these games but have enjoyed reading the review and also really appreciate that you were able to provide this kind of closure to fans.
ReplyDeleteI’m a big sci-fi fan, so given that you’ve mentioned several times that you aren’t, plus that there just aren’t that many sci-fi CRPGs (at least compared to the number of fantasy CRPGs) entries like this are a bit of a rare treat. Really nice work.
Wow! Thanks a lot on the planned ending notes. I was always curious how it would have ended and now we know. I feel the become like the Masters ending is foreshadowed quite clearly if you do the Laran storyline (the cleric) on Golgotha.
ReplyDeleteNow that was some pretty cool bonus content!
ReplyDelete"We've been playing Descent: Legends of the Dark (2021) lately"
ReplyDeleteApplause! I hope you get to enjoy it.
Wasn't it myself who recommended the series to you in a private conversation, albeit an earlier version?
Hah. You did recommend it--back in 2020. I wish I could say that's what led me to it, but I must have put that aside. I ended up getting it last year when I won one of those Christmas tree raffles at my university. This one had been put together by a local board game shop. When I went to pick it up, the box was full of these little Japanese . . . I don't even know what they were. Toys or cards or something. I didn't even understand them. I told the guy I'd never use them and he could donate them to some else if he wanted. He added them up, told me the value, and said I could pick something else from the store instead. I asked him for a game like Gloomhaven and he gave me Descent.
DeleteThere are many things I like about it, but it's been a challenge to integrate a computer and screen that we can both see into our gaming table.
Did I mention the gaming table on this blog? I took my Patreon proceeds for the last few months of 2024 and bought a beautiful oak table with a removable top. It serves as our dining table during the day and our gaming table at night. We can leave pieces set up and not have to worry about the cats knocking them around. One of the best things I ever bought, though I did feel bad about giving away the c. 1850 butterfly-leaf table that it replaced.
DeleteThat's simply endearing to hear, for me being the one trying to encourage you to try more tabletop gaming.
DeleteI just recently bought one of these convertible game/dining tables myself - the Jasmine (successor to the popular Jasper).
DeleteBuying a nice gaming table—now that is an *excellent* use of my $1 per month contribution!
DeleteWe found the IPad app for Descent worked just fine, we just had it at one end of the gaming space.
DeleteJealous of your gaming table, would love one, cannot justify the purchase.
Holy Clathran crap on a cracker! Vanessa Chang is still alive? Amazing! Chet, much thanks for the extra work to help us sleepless SS fans finally get some closure on this story. (Although, now that I know the plot outline was written... I still REALLY want someone to develop the game, even if it's just an electronic version without all the fun books to page through! Also still tempted to unpack both games and solo play all 6 characters since my wife would never get within 10' of the game.)
ReplyDeleteRegarding: "...marking up pages in the physical books." I can't believe I heard such a blasphemous statement here. Marking up the books?? Inconceivable! This was played with 4x6 notecards (e.g., one for each planet noting the codes used, passages read, resources, etc.) There was no heinous marking of books!
Great to see the planned ending finally published here - both for fans and in the interest of documenting a bit of video game history.
ReplyDeleteEven though it was a niche concept and game (series), its special character, lore and experience obviously impressed some players. The editors of Game Player's PC Strategy Guide gave Star Saga: Two their 1989 "Best PC Science Fiction Game" award. And Paul Rigby included it in his list of 'Alltime Favourites' in The PC Games Bible he co-authored in 1992.
There is a small anecdote on the gog forum for the games related 2018 by a fan calling himself 'mpnorman' which I think fits in here, especially since Andrew Greenberg sadly isn't around anymore now:
"On the day Starsaga II was first released officially, and not wanting to wait, I called the company directly and was very surprised when the phone was answered by Andrew Greenb[e]rg himself. He was clearly very proud of the Starsaga game system and he should be, in my opinion. He indicated to me during the call that the company was going under and the third of what was intended to be a trilogy was already near completion and that he wished there was something he could do to ensure that the intended third game of the trilogy would be published.".
Ownership of Cinemaware (which I understand still has the rights?) has changed hands repeatedly over the past years (most recently last year) and so far using the brand has focused on reissuing better-known games (or at least announcing plans for it). Therefore, ever seeing the third game realized does not appear very probable right now, but with developments of technology and the indie market, who knows?
The closest in feel to a modern Star Saga is probably the Resident Sleeper series, and particularly the second one which just came out. I do wonder if a revamped Star Saga with that kind of visual style might work, but I think there's parts of the gameplay (particularly the opaque combat) that really could use a revamp, so I wouldn't take the content exactly as-is.
DeleteJust wanted to mention that the title is Citizen Sleeper in case anyone searches for it and has trouble finding it!
DeleteI've been playing through a narrative sci-fi board game recently that I kickstarted called Wandering Galaxy. The biggest similarity is that you are given chunks of narrative text through a web app (eventually with full voice action), make choices, and can freely fly around the galaxy. It doesn't have quite the story depth of Star Saga, as it's more of a ramshackle crew taking on odd jobs around the galaxy, but it scratches some of the same itch for people hungry for something similar!
That comment about the game being nearly complete is interesting! Was the problem that the cost of printing all those paper books was not worth the money, but were the text entries all written? Was the programming of the game complete?
DeleteI'm so glad to get some closure but now I can't help but wonder if some hard drive or floppy disc exists out there that has reams of narrative game text!
I would seriously take on the project of converting that into some form that could be experienced by fans if it were discovered!
That comment also contradicts what Mr. Massimilla told me, which was that they never even started on it.
DeleteThat unfortunately sounds more likely. If the concern was about funding it'd doubtful that much writing/art/programming/etc would have been done, especially so soon after the release of the second game.
DeleteI agree the reportedly stated "near completion" should be taken with more than a grain of salt and if the main programmer says today it never went into production, than that's of course the more reliable source, reinforced by the factors David Boyle mentions.
DeleteNevertheless I thought it worthwhile to share that bit as an indication what S.S apparently meant to Andrew Greenberg (as has also been reported elsewhere, e.g. on HotU).
Can't thank you enough for giving SS2 a try and for passing along the wonderful outline for the third entry.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, a friend and I ran through both games using a virtual server and found it worked really well as an asynchronous experience. Lots of "tag" texts back and forth, but got the job done!
Thank you! I don't know if I will sleep more easily but it's fascinating to know what the ending would have been - I think less confrontational than I would have expected, but also makes sense within the story.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised about the GIMLET score, of course it doesn't really hit those categories. The second game does a bit more with 'health' and more random encounters, but to me they don't actually add a lot because health contributes to combat effectiveness, it has a nasty habit of getting into a downward spiral where you lose a combat, take damage, then keep losing more as a result. There are auto-heal things (for you and the ship) but you have to dump a bunch of items into them and then they only heal to 80% which just feels disappointing.
I also found encounters annoying in that they suck all your actions every time, even if you choose "don't try to fight"; there seems to be little benefit either way. Having different action penalties might have made them feel more rewarding. Also the stupid blinking lights seemed to be impossible to beat - I guess maybe if you have every possible piece of equipment? Regardless they weren't satisfying to find that you've randomly lost a turn and 20% HP.
Anyway, thanks again for reviewing & the ending info, looking forward to the next game!
Never played or heard it these games before, but caught up in your telling. That's pretty damn good to have a small denouement from the devs as to where this would have gone next!
ReplyDelete