I got invited to the playtest of Space Scum over Steam and after about two hours of destroying lizard mutants in the desert, I’m ready to give my initial thoughts. But first, it must be said that this version of the game is in a really early alpha stage, filled with bugs a-plenty, and a somewhat stunted AI (according to the devs themselves). However, even for feeling a tad spartan, especially in flair and lore, it shows potential for a nice Battle Brothers romp.
Mutant Battle Brothers
Seeing how the game is structured, this is almost a 1 to 1 Battle Brother clone, but with a sci-fi apocalyptic wasteland setting. That does not necessarily have to be a bad thing, but there is no denying things feel very similar – it hits with a strong sense of déjà vu.
Damage is high and deadly, with death being permanent, stalking your mercenary party like a shadow on a sunny day. You will find loot, weapons and equipment, and your men will level up, which grants you the ability to increase their stats, and skills. The main income will come from bounties from civilians and other factions willing to pay for someone to clean up the barren wilderness from bandits to robots.
Yet, there are changes to more than just the visuals. For example, Space Scum seems to have a bigger focus on movement, as every kind of movement in battle gives you bonus defense. This nullifies range superiority somewhat, because making a rush with your melee don’t have to mean a mandatory suicide attack now. Armor also works like Battle Brothers, except that helmets and other armors pool together. So a helmetless guy doesn’t mean a free “hit-me-here-button” for a quick win.
Early days
Since Space Scum is in the alpha stage, I decided to hold back on playing after giving it a few hours. But from what I have seen and felt – there is clear potential here for something fun, just like Battle Brothers. As mentioned, there is very little motivation currently to do anything, but more stuff in the story section is guaranteed to be added. The sandbox prototype is there, though, which seems to work pretty well.
Space Scum is definitely something to keep an eye on, but I fear it’s pretty away from a full release. Good news for the future, however. Make sure to sign up for the playest on their Steam page, if you want a chance to give a try yourself!
Thanks for reading.
– Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 