Everspace 2: Wrath of the Ancients

I love the Everspace series. Ever since the old Freelancer, which came out in 2003, I've loved this kind of space game. You fly around the galaxy, collect loot, fight enemies, solve little mysteries and have complete freedom to just have fun and explore. It's the kind of game that gets me in gear and keeps me on the edge of my seat when the action starts. The controls in Everspace 2 are also part of what makes it great. Tight responses and a sense of control over your ship that feels built up over hours of combat and looting. I was happy with the base game because it improved so much from the first Everspace. But the first expansion, Titans, I wasn't a fan of. It felt scrappy and lacked the content that a nerdy space god like me would want to delve into.

Wrath of the Ancients has arrived and I've been playing it intensely. It's the final DLC and it builds on the campaign from the base game. You still play as Adam Roslin who, after the loss of his friend Dax, tries to recreate him by cloning him from a DNA sample found in his grave. He succeeds, but the clone only remembers the time before he got to know Adam, which naturally leads to a number of awkward and tense situations. Meanwhile, the human side of the galaxy is under attack by the mysterious Ancients. They arrive through space cracks and go straight for human infrastructure while leaving other races alone. The question of course is: why? It's great to have another mystery to solve in the beautiful Everspace universe, and I hope Rockfish does a sequel one day, as this is like catnip to me.

To find the answer, you must negotiate with ancient enemies like the Okkar race, who worship the Ancients as gods. You venture deep into their territory and try to find out what has angered these ancient creatures. And this is where the DLC really shines. The first expansion lacked an exciting story. Here you get what you were missing. I was constantly waiting for the next piece of the story. That's exactly the kind of storytelling that makes Everspace 2 special at its best.

But there are also criticisms. The level cap is still 30. It has been since the base game and it's unchanged in the DLC. This means that you reach max level already midway through the main game, and you stay at that level no matter how much DLC content you complete. There are no new perks, no new abilities and no new progression system. It's a real shame. It feels like ROCKFISH Games has missed an obvious opportunity to give players something more to work towards. A higher cap, new abilities and maybe some unique DLC-only skills would have made a world of difference.

That said, there's still plenty of goodies to be found. You get access to a new ship, the Wraith, which comes from the Okkar race. It plays differently to the existing ships and has an ability called Spectral Form, which turns you into a ghost in space for a short time. It's not overpowered, but it opens up for a more aggressive play style. There is also a new gear rarity: Ascendant. This gear can be upgraded with special Okkar catalysts and has abilities you won't find anywhere else in the game.

The legendary weapons have also been expanded. You can now find even wilder variations, such as a laser cannon that rotates between three different damage types every three seconds and eventually fires all three at once. It's fierce and it really makes a difference in the bigger battles. It's the kind of thing that makes my inner loot-freak cheer. And that's one of the reasons I love games like this. Finding a weapon that changes the whole way you play, it just feels great.

There are also four new star systems to explore, with plenty of little missions, secrets and the familiar puzzles that Everspace 2 loves to throw in. Some of the puzzles are new, but many are recycled, which can feel a little lazy. I would have liked a little more variety, a few more new mechanics in the environments, a few more surprises. There's also Ancient Rifts, where you can crank up the difficulty with the new Lunacy system, which now goes up to 4000. It's insanely difficult, but also insanely rewarding. I died constantly and I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart, but it's nice to have that variety.

Beyond that, you get a handful of quality-of-life improvements: You can now mark your equipment as a favourite, upgrade it to your current level without finding new versions, and you have an extra ship slot in the hangar. Little things that make life easier, that you don't think about until you have them and then you don't want to be without them again. That's also why I have a hard time playing the original Everspace.

So is Wrath of the Ancients worth it? That depends on who you are. If you're a fan and have played Everspace 2 for hundreds of hours, this is one last trip through the galaxy in style. You get more of what you already love, wrapped up in gorgeous graphics and solid combat. But if you were hoping the DLC would revolutionise the game, add a new progression or give you new systems to dive into, you might be a little disappointed. Because this is more Everspace. Not necessarily better, but still pretty cool.

I hope ROCKFISH Games chooses to move forward with the series and maybe think a little bigger for Everspace 3. There's so much potential here and it would be a shame if it stopped now.