Releasing out of early access is Space Haven a sci-fi, management sim, set in space. We can take to the stars thanks to the team at Bugbyte Ltd. You can pick up the game on Steam right now, for £19.99. Or pick up the soundtrack for an additional £4.49. Like any of my reviews I try my best to give a run-down of the game for more of a beginner’s perspective.
Space Haven, or Space Hell, I guess it depends on how things turn out.
Gameplay
Space Haven offers two different game modes for players to select. The normal one has us build a ship and explore the galaxy, and the other has us assume control of a space station and slowly grow it over time. Whatever one you pick, you can customise your beginning crew’s stats to further change up your gameplay. Change their attributes to give them more health, and adjust their skills to better fit what you want. Once you are fully set, we can begin. If you selected to explore space, then we have to build a craft ready for travel.
When it comes to constructing your ship, there are two major things you will need to maintain. Temperature and Oxygen, both I think are self-explanatory for a game where you are in space. Other issues to be wary of are hull integrity and hazards like fires. Improving the hull’s integrity is vital for increasing the size of the craft, although you can choose to make a small fleet, which is impressive. I’ve dabbled only a little in creating a small fleet, but the tutorial does explain in a simpler way.
Taking care of the crew and scavenging
Like any other management game, looking after the crew is essential to keeping everything running. So we will have to cater to their needs via food, water, and comfort. But you’re also able to alter and create a new schedule to better efficiency. Have some work nights while others rest to keep everything going smoothly. The player can also adjust the priorities of what they wish for each member to focus on. I had one stick to research and construction, while others did mining and maintenance. There is a menu that is both useful and offers a simple but insightful way to make sure that the areas are meeting their needs.
When you have two ships in your control in Space Haven, you can send some crew to live there. These can be used to create ships for a particular use, such as one dedicated to hoarding and recycling salvage. To obtain salvage, in some sectors that you jump to from Hyperspace, there will be derelict ships that you can investigate for items. And once they are uncovered, then you can transfer the leftover items found on the ship. Then dismantle the whole craft for materials.
What you might find.
While travelling in Space Haven, or exploring ship ruins, players may find crew, enemies or interesting items. I managed to find a couple of people left in cryopods, as well as a cargo shuttle I could take. Another thing that will happen now and then is that other spacecraft will appear in the zone. I had the Military Alliance warp next to me and try to make contact. And because my comms were down, this left me unable to respond, so they came aboard my shuttle to check for anything suspicious. Maybe thinking I was smuggling criminals or my team had turned towards cannibalism.
Graphics & Audio
Space Haven has a cool colour palette and pixel art style. While the crew members are a bit fuzzy, the rest of the incredibly clean-looking, detailed and easy on the eye. Overall, it’s very aesthetically pleasing, with an incredibly calm and soothing soundtrack; something between space-age and lo-fi. You’ll hear it often, as there wasn’t a ton of other noise. Though there are sound effects present, they’re not as prominent as you would think.
Longevity
Space Haven is going to be one of the games that steal so much of your time. If you get into it, and love unexpected journeys. Each play-through will feel different, and the game offers more scenarios, as well as harder difficulties. So far there isn’t any achievements in Space Haven, but this could change over time. Personally, I’ve spent about 8 hours and have gotten nowhere, and somewhere while playing. I still have much to learn, and I am loving it.
Space Haven also has mod support, giving you access to many other people’s designs to check out. That will keep some interested for longer periods of time too.
Final Thoughts
Space Haven heavily reminds me of games like Rimworld, and Lords and Villains. You have to take your time and find out what works best, and with every mistake you learn to do it better next time. It rewards you for your failure in small amounts. I do think the space station mode is a lot more challenging compared to the normal one. As most of the time, I spawned in with barely any materials; however, I am also too stubborn to lower the difficulty.
I’m not sure if someone who has a better grasp of these types of games will love it. But like me, I can see a few new players getting some fun out of it for a while. So if you do like games similar to what I said, Space Haven might just be another that takes most of your time. That is why I am giving it the Thumb Culture Gold Award. I’m going to be playing this on and off for sure in the future to come.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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