Rebel Galaxy (PS4) – Review

Developed By: Double Damage Games

Published by: Double Damage Games

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One

There are two styles of space-based video games—strategy simulation and combat simulation. Both are entertaining in their own right, but combat is just so much more fun to play. Both Star Wars: X-Wing and Freelancer beautifully captured the ability to fly around and have massive dogfights that makes space combat so fun, but it’s been a while since we have had another quality game like that. Luckily, the two men behind Double Damage Games, Travis Baldree and Erich Schaefer, have created Rebel Galaxy, and it’s absolutely fantastic.

The duo’s space combat adventure is set in a procedurally generated universe where all manner of havoc is taking place. On one side is the militia/merchants guild, and on the other is a hive of scum and villainy (don’t sue me, Disney). Somehow, you are stuck in the middle as a seemingly hapless pilot. Your mysterious aunt, Juno, left a ship with instructions to meet her in the middle of nowhere, so you headed out to find some answers.

Rebel Galaxy picks up as you are en route to a random space station in search of answers. Unfortunately, Juno is mysteriously absent, and the only evidence of her existence is an eyewitness report and a strange trinket. As it turns out, this trinket is more important than expected and draws unwelcome attention from vicious enemies. The only course of action is to jump in a ship and race across the astoundingly beautiful galaxy to find the rest of the fragments.

Beautiful

Of course, achieving this goal is much easier said than done. Thousands of enemies roam the galaxy, most of which have ships that can destroy your jalopy in three shots. The only way to escape certain death is to take on side missions and gain enough money to either upgrade your ship or buy a totally new version. However, new ships and crucial upgrades aren’t cheap, so you need to dedicate a large amount of time to completing side missions, mining asteroid fields, and rescuing traders. Or you could join some of the bandit forces, rob some traders, and become a feared space pirate. The choice is yours.

Flying around space is a good time, but how does the actual ship control? Well, the easiest way to describe it is to compare Rebel Galaxy to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The ships in Rebel Galaxy have a similar control scheme to Black Flag given the four sublight speeds and one warp speed. Speeding up and slowing down can be done on the fly with a few presses of the “x” and “o” buttons, which comes in very handy while navigating asteroid fields. The ships in Rebel Galaxy also handle like Edward Kenway’s Jackdaw during combat because you have access to broadside cannons and multiple turrets with which to destroy enemies. You can switch between each weapon on the fly, leaving the AI to man the others. This versatility provides interesting options during combat and gives you the freedom to find a successful style. Interestingly enough, I always had the most success focusing on the broadside cannons and leaving the smaller guns to the AI.

As expected, not every enemy can be quickly destroyed, so you also have to outfit the ships with top-of-the-line defensive systems. Each ship has upgradeable plating surrounded by shields, which can take quite a beating. Your ship also includes a special deflector that negates most missile attacks but can only be used for a few seconds at a time. All three forms of defense are extremely helpful during combat, but you have to keep upgrading them to avoid complete annihilation. It’s very easy to wander into one of the game’s later sectors while working on a mission, only to face quick destruction at the hands of a small bandit force. Yes, you can attempt to talk your way out of the confrontation, but that rarely works. Most enemies pop up and repeat the same three lines of dialogue before attacking your ship. This is why upgrades are more important than people skills.

One of the More Interesting Conversations

Actually, upgrades are a huge part of Rebel Galaxy. The main quests take a massive leap in difficulty after the first few hours, making it essential to build an unstoppable ship as quickly as possible. Each weapon and system on the ship can be individually upgraded with specific parts, some of which are distributed at every space station. Other parts, however, have to be purchased from specific military bases or guild headquarters. Joining these guilds is very important simply so you can get better gear and find big rewards. Plus, these special stations also have some missions that feel more unique than the fairly generic versions at regular space stations.

There are multiple aspects of Rebel Galaxy that make it such a fantastic game—art style, combat—but the music is by far the best. The music of Rebel Galaxy is an interesting blend of southern rock—and something inspired by GangstaGrass—that would be better suited in Sons of Anarchy or Justified. This choice may sound strange at first, but you quickly discover that the music gels surprisingly well with space combat. Hell, you are basically a space trucker anyway, so why not crank some southern rock?

It also helps that one of the artists on the soundtrack played lead guitar in Poison on the album “Crack a Smile…and More”, possibly the band’s best album. That version of “Cover of the Rolling Stone” is spectacular, but I digress.

Only one of many systems.

The randomly generated universes and bitchin’ soundtrack made Rebel Galaxy a surprise hit on PC last year, and now Double Damage Games special project can shine on consoles. This tiny team should be proud of this accomplishment that takes old-school space combat, mixes in some RPG elements, and throws in about 16 solar systems to explore. Sure, the difficulty may be a little harsh in early moments, and the side missions may not be overly unique, but that’s not the point. Rebel Galaxy is just a lot of fun.

Look, two guys made this awesome space game, and I can’t stop playing after more than 20 hours. I’ve barely scratched the surface of side areas!