Rebel Galaxy Review (PC)

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Rebel Galaxy
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Rebel Galaxy combat sequence

Rebel Galaxy might just be the successor to Freelancer that many gamers have been craving for, a space-based video game that gives gamers the freedom to pursue their space dreams and use their ship to try and get that big score that will make them wealthy or famous or both.

The title offers a role-playing experience that ditches the fantasy space to move into space, combining exploration with combat, trade, character interactions and an engaging single-player story.

The same ship can be equipped with mining lasers and specialized systems to search for valuable minerals, can get a cargo expansion and some solid defensive weapons to trade across dangerous space or gain offensive upgrades and strong drives to engage in piracy or in hunts that target lawbreakers.

Rebel Galaxy is developed by Double Damage Games, a company led by a couple of industry veterans who have already worked on major titles like Diablo, Torchlight, Hellgate and more.

This space-based RPG is a little limited in terms of narrative and universe size, but it does manage to remain engaging in the long-term, offering gamers ways to become more powerful or more efficient as long as one tweaks one's ship and tactics.

Story

Rebel Galaxy starts the player off by asking him to find his aunt and the first few missions he needs to undertake introduce a story that involves a long-lost aunt and some smuggling and also serve as a tutorial which explains the core mechanic.

Players will quickly meet an Artificial Intelligence and get hints about a bigger threat that they need to be aware of, and they can choose to simply move ahead to discover more narrative content and uncover the mysterious links to it.

But Rebel Galaxy is a game about the freedom to become anyone the player wants in a universe where violence and money are more important than morality, dialogue or solid government control over space and resources.

Piracy is a valid option, vigilantism is actively encouraged, trading is important but threatened by factions preying on ships that move across the most important routes through the systems.

Rebel Galaxy battle collaboration
Rebel Galaxy battle collaboration

The various characters that players will interact with mostly lack personalities and serve mainly as ways to improve the player's ship than persons to try and reason with in an interesting way.

Rebel Galaxy is not a role-playing game in the classic sense of the word, but it does put the gamer at the center of the experience and invites him to create an interesting path for him as a captain and the crew he controls, taking advantage of all the opportunities that the big galaxy created by Double Damage Games offers.

Gameplay

Rebel Galaxy focuses on the complexities of handling a capital ship during space combat, even if the development team has smartly abstracted some mechanics in order to make the task of the player somewhat easier.

All movement and combat take place on just one plane, with no controls for pitch and roll, which means that gamers will only have to worry about one axis of direction for their vessel.

But in Rebel Galaxy, they also have to deal with a range of other combat tasks, including the firing of a range of weapon systems, dealing with shields, using some special powers and evaluating the strength of the enemies they are facing.

Engagements often involved enemy fighters as well as capital ships and the most importance resource a gamer will have to manage is his own attention.

In order to stay clear of enemy fire, boost accelerations and solid use of a disruptor that absorbs all damage are required, but that means less brain power for targeting, with weapons that are not directly controlled, managed by the computer.

Fights in Rebel Galaxy can involve a lot of ships and threat assessment is very important, especially when smaller fighters are mixed in with bigger missile corvettes and other gun-focused vessels.

I found that having a hired merc as help is always a good idea and that speedy retreats and complex maneuvers are a good way of splitting enemies up to deal with them individually.

Rebel Galaxy offers players a lot of freedom when it comes to ship load out and tactical approach, but there's no magic built that makes combat easy and I often found I had to grind a little, doing side missions for money, before I could deal with the stronger enemies from one sector.

When they are not fighting other ships, gamers will need to move across the randomly generated system, deal with a variety of missions and keep their ship in solid shape while also upgrading it to use new weapons and better systems.

Factions also need to be taken into account when the player performs secondary missions because their wrath might make some sections of space all but inaccessible.

Mining and trading are also valid choices, although I suspect that for most of the community, they will be sideshows that bring in some extra resources rather than the core focus.

The one-plane combat of Rebel Galaxy might feel strange to some space sim fans, but the only problem I had was that it tended to make combat a little too predictable after a few hours.

The game also has a few too many layers of menus gamers need to deal with, and I would have appreciated a little more clarity in their design and in the way the map shows off the core features of a system.

Graphics and audio

Rebel Galaxy has a presentation that is very much influenced by the classic Firefly series but also by Battlestar Galactica, Babaylon 5 and, at least on a conceptual levels, other science fiction series that delivers a gritty and dark look on the future of a humanity that manages to conquer the stars but never creates a utopia.

The universe of the title looks very good, with the camera mostly sticking close to the player's ship and with solar systems that are filled with wonders, from gas clouds to strange planets and beautiful sun reflections.

There's less detail for the ships themselves and for the often visited stations, but the size of the game's universe makes it difficult to deliver impressive quality for them using the resources of a relatively small team.

When combat takes place, gamers might be a little disappointed with the relatively limited range of effects used for explosions and ship movement, but the interface stays clean and gamers will always have an idea about their tactical situation and what their next move needs to be.

The only major oversight is that the development team at Double Damage does not offer a clear percentage-based evaluation of shield and hull strength, which means that I often found myself surprised by the explosion of my ship (I knew I was in trouble but not that much of it).

Rebel Galaxy also has a great soundtrack, with a mix of rock and country influences that once again recalls the spirit of Firefly and manages to impact a particular adventurous frontier spirit to the gamer, encouraging him to go adventuring and create his own destiny by exploring the included solar systems.

The voice work is less impressive, and after playing for a while, I simply turned it off entirely, choosing to explore the galaxy with my ears filled with the beautiful music of the game (delivered to my characters via some futuristic headphones) while adding some realism to the experience by accepting that space does not allow the sound of the explosions and weapons to actually reach those inside the ships.


The Good

  • Combat mechanics
  • Cool interconnected systems
  • Randomly generated universes

The Bad

  • Can be overwhelming
  • Limited narrative appeal

Conclusion

Many gamers will love or hate the game based on how they feel about the two dimensional combat and the unique way it challenges players to be aware of movement, shields, disruptor, boost and weapon fire at the same time.

Rebel Galaxy is clearly designed to appeal to those who played and loved Elite and Freelancer when they were popular, but I suspect that the game also has the potential to attract classic RPG lovers who are looking for something more than classic fantasy.

For all those who play it, the title from Double Damage delivers impressive moments of triumph and loss, plenty of challenge and the freedom to embrace whatever destiny they want to in the vastness of space.

story 7
gameplay 9
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 10
multiplayer 0
final rating 9
Editor's review
excellent
 

Rebel Galaxy Images (25 Images)

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