14 DAY TRIAL // The Last Starship is the seventh and newest game coming from well-known developer Introversion Software, the studio behind the critically acclaimed Prison Architect. At first glance, it looks pretty much like a FTL: Faster Than Light clone, so I’m waiting to see what makes The Last Starship standout or if it brings any new things to the genre.
In The Last Starship, players begin their game with an empty starship hull and fit her out with propulsion, life-support, weapons and FTL drive, before they actually start exploring the galaxy. Depending on what design you choose for your starship, some of the procedurally generated missions might be more challenging than others.
Among the missions that you’ll be given throughout a playthrough, some will involve rescuing civilians from a transport with a critical engine failure, while others will require you to build a mining operation or a massive army to challenge the pirates in the area.
Visually, The Last Starship draws inspiration from the same FTL: Faster Than Light game developed by Subset Games, although it does seem a little bit more refined and cleaner. The fine folks at Introversion Software claim their game, The Last Starship will be launched in late 2022, but it’s unclear if the game will enter Steam Early Access first or if the studio plans a full release by the end of the year.
What’s clear is that the game is still in an early phase of development, with many missing features and placeholder art and sound, according to developers. More importantly, the game is currently in a closed Playtest on Steam, so those who want to try out the game before release can request access if they have a Steam account. Just keep in mind that you’ll be playing an unfinished game with a lot of placeholders, as tipped by developers in their announcement.
