Icarus Starship Command Simulator

When I first heard about this game and saw the graphics, I thought it couldn't be real. It looked like something from 1997 and not 2017! But once you delve into the gameplay, it's actually a really great game, and an absolutely STEAL for only $3.99 USD. The game is very much like a 3D version of FTL, except with less of a restriction on time and resources. It also reminds me a bit of Star Trek and other space games. Players of FTL might notice some similarities in the way the ship layout is displayed on the tactical menu. But on top of that, you can get up out of your captain's chair any time you want and walk around the ship, defent the ship and fend off boarding parties, or board and take over other starships as well! The object of the game is to get to a star which is on the other side of the map, and hopefully save it from going supernova! The map is layed out like a large chessboard of squares. You begin in the top-left most quatrant, and have to maneuver to the bottom ri...

I've been enjoying the game. It's a little rough around the edges but it plays close enough to a 3D FTL that those edges are easier to ignore. It doesn't have the amount of choices that FTL has, at least so far, but it fits within the spirit of the game. Actually having to control the captain brings it's own difficulty as well. You'll find yourself switching out of the chair quite often during battles due to boarding seemingly being central to the experience. Every ship I have encountered, the enemy has boarded me and your own crew doesn't seem to be able to handle this very well as they die quickly. There is no pause, so the pace is a little different and requires you to make decisions a bit faster. One of the cool things is that you can actually board and capture enemy ships. The only issue with it is you are trading your ship, so it is likely you won't be switching in the early section of the map. Still, it is a cool option. The graphics are not stellar and the 3D models c...

[h1] A truly [i] hidden [/i] gem, ignored by many for its graphics. [/h1] What's your favorite space strategy game? Many will say FTL. [b] Well, FTL fans (and space game fans), let me introduce this fantastic game to you! [/b] Icarus SCS is essentially FTL but in first person. Sure, it's a bit rough around the edges but once you look past all of that, a really complex and fun game lies underneath! In some cases, it's even more complex than FTL! The main premise is basically the same. You have to get somewhere quickly, and you can jump around in a fixed "sector-by-sector" kind of path. Every "sector" you will come across a random encounter, whether it be a random enemy or a group of people in need of help. However, this game pushes it just a bit further. The game allows you to hop out of the captain's chair and walk around your ship! You can interact with your crew members, dick around with ship modules, access your captain's log from your computer in your quarters etc. But the ...

[b]General Description[/b] A game about space exploration and saving lives of billions. Your main mission is to go towards a star and find some means to stop it going supernova. [b]Gameplay[/b] You start with your ship, the Icarus. A fine ship, but it is up to you to keep it or not for you can board hostile or non-hostile ships and capture them in the name of Mankind (or your personal greed). There are many races that you may encounter. Some of them are Mankind's allies others are not. Plus there might be some strange space bugs that are in need of being blown to dust (or explored). So as you can see this game has choices: shall you blow out of the sky enemy ships without caring who they are? Board and slaughter the crew? Study them? ([i]Note:[/i] communication is not an option. I have never been able to actually talk to a NPC either through ship channels or directly in person. This needs to be fixed in order to get a FULL immersion). Then there is upgrading and salvaging. There ar...

Refund requested! Horribly hard and clunky.

If you read nothing else of this review, read this: This game was made with the id Tech 4 engine - the same engine that runs Doom 3, released in August 2004. I challenge you to compared screenshots of Doom 3 to Icarus. (spoiler: Icarus looks better) It seems Midwest pushed the engine to its limits, and still produced, in my opinion, a good-looking, well-performing, and downright fun starship sim. Many limitations mentioned in other reviews are to be expected from a 16 year old engine, and holding Midwest accountable to such limitations isn't fair (again, in my opinion). I'll always have a special place in my gamer's heart for indie games. Their charm, their spirit, their character - more often than not, indie games are products of passion, and with Icarus that shines true. $4 really is a deal for such a game.

I picked this up as it happened to come across my queue and I am glad I did. I can only echo what others here have said - if you liked FTL; this in my view is a no brainer; the price makes it a steal. One again it shows that clever ideas well executed can provide far more enjoyment than triple A development done half baked. *cough* Andromeda *cough*. This is a fun game, and it does a nice job capturing some atmospheric things that even Bridge Crew (and I love that game) currently does not. I recommend this game highly...less than $5? You have spent more on worse, and so have I so what are you waiting for?

A great game and not quite like like FTL. I have bought FTL twice and I never really got to like it. Icarus, on the other hand, is great. It is not as close as repetitive as FTL is and the fact that you can create a crew, walk around, board things, etc. make this a really great game. Of course, the graphics are not up to date but for a mere three bucks, there is nothing wrong. In fact it is a gift. There are a lot of games more expensive and not as close as good as this one! For the devs, I hope that they will keep working on the game. Add some more content, maybe a sandbox more or whatever. The game has a lot of potential.

Fantastic indie game. The funcionality and guts of it is what makes it a hidden gem. I would LOVE to see someone put their mod skills to it and flesh it out. The visuals are basic but work. It would be nice to see mod improvements down the road especially for ship models and space itself which is essentially a black box that you can see out your ship windows. Navigation through space is just a one-page 15x15'ish grid as opposed to a more infinite galaxy feel which is a letdown. Once you've warped somewhere, you're just at the next grid and there's either someone/something there to deal with or nothing and you move onto the next grid. Over time with scrap/materials you find or take from enemies' wreckage; you upgrade your ship's equipment. Occasional visual bugs occur. For the price, you can't beat it. Once you've put the time into it to figure out how the game works, it's very enjoyable and deep. Bring on the modders!

Idea is good, but techincal execution is so bad that the game is unplayable. Crashes occasionally, loading times are like hour long, max screen reso is like 1000x1000...