''Everspace 2'' is an

action role-playing video game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat whe ...

developed and published by Rockfish Games. A sequel to ''

Everspace ''Everspace'' is a 3D space shooter with roguelike elements, developed and published by German studio Rockfish Games. It was released in 2017, while the sequel, '' Everspace 2'' was released in 2023. Gameplay ''Everspace'' is a space combat ...

'' (2017), the game was released for Windows in April 2023 and was ported to

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

and

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...

in August 2023.

Gameplay

''Everspace 2'' is a

space combat Space warfare is combat in which one or more belligerents are in outer space. The scope of space warfare includes ''ground-to-space warfare'', such as attacking satellites from the Earth; ''space-to-space warfare'', such as satellites attackin ...

video game played from a

third-person perspective Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to del ...

. Unlike its predecessor, ''Everspace 2'' does not feature any elements commonly found in roguelike games. The game's world is split into several large levels across a series of star systems, which can be freely explored by players. The player's spacecraft can be equipped with various weapons. Players can purchase new ships from ship dealers using credits. Ship upgrades, such as new guns, secondary weapon, and special attacks, can also be purchased. Ship types are similar to

character class In tabletop games and video games, a character class is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a game character to highlight and differentiate their capabilities and specializations. In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes ag ...

es, as each of them has their own unique skills and abilities. When an enemy is defeated, players can collect their resources and gear. As the player progresses, they can equip themselves with better gear and take on tougher enemies.

Development

''Everspace 2'' was developed by a team of 20 people in Rockfish Games. According to Rockfish, the game had a significantly larger budget when compared to its predecessor. The studio also had to enlist the help of

Streamline Studios Streamline Studios, founded in 2001, is a global creative and technology company for video games and beyond. Their partners include Capcom, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Square Enix, BBC Sport, and Balenciaga. GenVid Technologies, Epic Games, Unity3D, and ...

to develop content for the game due to its expanded scope. The team decided to create an action role-playing game instead of another

roguelike Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most ro ...

game because the team realized that there was a large demand for an

open world In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...

space combat game like ''

Freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

''. ''Everspace 2'' was announced by Rockfish Games in August 2019. A crowdfunding campaign on

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

for ''Everspace 2'' was launched in late 2019, raising over €500,000 for the game's development. Originally set to be released on Steam via

early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...

in mid December 2020, it was delayed to January 18, 2021 to avoid competing with ''

Cyberpunk 2077 ''Cyberpunk 2077'' is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. Based on Mike Pondsmith's ''Cyberpunk (role-playing game), Cyberpunk'' tabletop game series, the plot is set in the fictional metrop ...

''. A free demo for the game, which includes the first five main missions and two side missions, was released in August 2021. The game was released in full for PC on April 6, 2023.

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

versions for the game were cancelled as the team did not want to downscale the game for any platform. Rockfish released the game for

and

Xbox Series X and Series S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

on August 15, 2023. A physical version of the game, published by

Maximum Games Maximum Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Walnut Creek, California. Originally founded in 2009 as a publisher of family-oriented titles for the Nintendo DS and Wii, Nintendo Wii, the company shifted to publishing games of a ...

, is currently scheduled to be released in October 2023. While the game was originally made in

Unreal Engine 4 Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) is the fourth version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. UE4 began development in 2003 and was released in March 2014, with the first game using UE4 being released in April 2014. UE4 introduced support for Physically ...

the developers eventually moved to

Unreal Engine 5 Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) is the latest version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. It was revealed in May 2020 and officially released in April 2022. Unreal Engine 5 includes multiple upgrades and new features, including Nanite, a system that ...

Reception

Critical reception

According to

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the game received generally positive reviews upon launch. According to

OpenCritic OpenCritic is a review aggregation website for video games. OpenCritic lists reviews from critics across multiple video game publications for the games listed on the site. The website then generates a numeric score by averaging all of the numeri ...

, 93% of 30 critic reviews recommend the game. Renata Price from ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' described the game as "one of the best space shooters in years", lauding its combat, control and map design. Writing for ''

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

'', Ian Evenden described the game as "'' Diablo'' in space" and an "expertly crafted space adventure". Jon Bolding from ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' praised the game's gameplay, though he felt its narrative and cast of characters were uninteresting, and criticized its setting for being derivative and unoriginal.

Sales

By May 2, 2023, the game had sold more than 300,000 copies.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.everspace.game/ 2023 video games Action role-playing video games Cancelled PlayStation 4 games Cancelled Xbox One games Early access video games Kickstarter-funded video games Looter shooters Open-world video games PlayStation 5 games Rockfish Games games Science fiction video games Single-player video games Space combat simulators Unreal Engine 4 games Unreal Engine 5 games Video games developed in Germany Video games set in outer space Windows games Xbox Series X and Series S games