14 DAY TRIAL // 
Laser and rocket fire hit the enemy weapons room, which I hope will slow down their rate of fire. I keep the rockets targeted there, mainly to take out any alien who is foolish enough to run in and try to repair the system. Meanwhile, my laser fire shifts, in an attempt to take out their ability to run by disabling engines.
At the same time, my engineer is repairing our own hull breach, with my hyperdrive specialist operating the weapons. I am keeping my pilot on the bridge, ready to jump to another sector if something truly bad happens. Even when it seems like we’re winning, there’s plenty of space for surprises.
After a few more combat rounds, in which my weapons fire continues to hit the mark, the enemy ship is destroyed and I manage to pick up some supplies. I would have loved to get an extra weapon, but I will probably have to trade for that if I find some friendly merchants soon.
Trigon: Space Story is created by Sernur.tech and published by Gameforge 4D. I played on Steam on the PC. The title delivers a space-based rogue-lite experience with a focus on combat and party management. The less-than-charitable take on the mechanics is that this is a clone of the classic FTL with improved graphics.
The campaign is centered around the concept of a crafty spaceship captain, left to fend for himself. Will he try to be a force for good or just a greedy pirate? What kind of crew will work with him? There are four narrative chapters, with just one open from the start. The writing is decent.
But there’s no originality to the alien races or the events players have to deal with. Neither of the characters is interesting. I like the massive and open galaxy that’s generated for every run, with sectors separated by mini-boss fights. But I wanted to find more choice variety and more weirdness to interact with, especially given the theme.
The gameplay of Trigon: Space Story is all about crew and energy management. The loop is simple: jump into a new area, see what’s there, charge the hyperspace drive, and decide whether to stay or leave as soon as possible.
When an enemy occupies the same location a battle starts. The two ships sling lasers, plasma, rockets, teleporting boarding parties, and more, at each other until one is destroyed or jumps out. The idea is to develop the capabilities required to eliminate enemy capabilities quickly while keeping damage to one’s ship manageable.
To win the player needs to have better weapons than the enemy and a good character to direct their fire. Gamers also have to carefully guide the crew to make sure that core systems stay up and running and that no one vents all the oxygen from the ship. It takes time to get from station to station and every action a character takes needs to be well thought out.
It is easy to get overwhelmed, especially when the enemy shows up with arachnid boarding parties or multiple rocket launchers. Jump away at the earliest opportunity if the opponent is very capable and hope to find weaker opponents next time. If victory comes your way make sure to patch holes and heal people before heading for a new challenge. Good preparation is half the battle.
There are systems in Trigon: Space Story with no opponents, which feature just a choice, or a character who gives out a side-quest, or a space station, to hire new crew and trade a little. Ships will improve capabilities over time if they avoid being blown up, and the crew will level up.
But the procedural nature of the universe means that even the best-trained people with solid hardware on hand are just one jump away from catastrophe. Trigon: Space Story is fun in small doses. There are runs that feel fun and seem to lead to solid progress, before a ship that takes out two vital systems in one shot shows up.
I once took down a boss with almost no prior preparation, only to be destroyed during the next encounter by a smaller ship with a capable assault team, even though I had the better weaponry. The frantic nature of the battles is exciting most of the time but there are also encounters where the difficulty spikes unexpectedly.
The game offered too little in the way of gameplay variety or narrative hooks to get me to quickly start another run after I fail one. FTL lovers will find plenty to appreciate when it comes to mechanics. But I am not sure if the extra narrative elements add something important to the game.
Trigon: Space Story uses a classic science-fiction look, with some truly impressive backgrounds (I love the frozen gas giant, even if it makes little sense). The ships are pretty and reflect the race that crews them. The user interface, with its row of bottom left indicators, is easy to learn and use, an important element in the middle of battle. But despite the good-looking world, the entire setting feels a little soulless, with little originality. The soundtrack underscores the feeling that this entire universe is built from bits and pieces of more interesting ones.
The Good
- Massive system map
- Tense combat
- Good presentation
The Bad
- Limited game universe
- No gameplay innovation
- Content unlock focus
Conclusion
Battles do deliver tense moments and I love the tension that developers as players evaluate whether it’s a good idea to flee or whether a victory is still achievable, with some losses. I also appreciate the depth of possibilities offered by the sector map. Trigon: Space Story has good core mechanics but never does anything interesting with them for anyone who has played FTL.
A review key was provided by the publisher.
