Ancient Space (2014)

A standard space-based RTS.  Short, but also cheap, worth picking up if you are a fan of the genre or are just itching for some old-school RTS action.  Otherwise, you won't miss anything.

Ancient Space is worth a look for those who enjoy linear real time tactical games, but isn't going to be remembered with the same fondness as the games it has been compared to. While the levels look great up close, there's few other redeeming or original qualities.

Ancient Space is a beautiful, almost good space strategy game that falls short due to the amount of work it requires to control your units in battle. The upgrade and customization system lets you outfit your ship with abilities to your liking, and at times the core of the gameplay, which is combat and exploration, is a lot of fun. There's even a well-developed narrative and killer soundtrack. If you're a fan of space strategy games, you might enjoy Ancient Space, otherwise, it's not worth the frustration.

I sort of liked it, though, despite its idiosyncrasies. Maps were pretty, pickups are used as a source of in-game lore in a way that sort of helps draw you in, and the between-mission powerup system is, while perhaps a little one-dimensional, still capable of providing a few interesting options. I don't think we're going to be talking, or even thinking about Ancient Space for very long, but combat is occasionally tense and engrossing, and I enjoyed my time with it well enough.

Some fans will find things to like about Ancient Space, but its gameplay isn't as infinite as the depths of space that surrounds us.