Lately I've been playing around with game types more and more and I'm slowly getting out of my comfort zone that I've set since playing on the Nintendo Switch.
Starting the game, I experienced a kind of blast to the past, where I remembered my teenage days and playing on PC everything I could get my hands on.
Stellar Wanderer DX is an old-school space simulation set in a huge open-world universe.
You can choose one of 4 classes: Fighter, Trader, Tank or Engineer, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, the Fighter is invincible in battle, but it can't carry a lot of cargo, so you'll mostly collect money (credits) by capturing pirates or providing armed support to cargo convoys. The Trader will carry precious cargo but rely on support from others, the Tank is something of a combination of everything, but is terribly slow and doesn't have much firepower. Engineer is great for mining and buying and reselling precious materials and equipment.
Each asteroid can be mined to collect precious materials for sale
If you follow the story, you will complete various missions for characters with mysterious names such as Mr. Anderson and Mr. Smith where for a successfully completed task you will receive money and experience, with which you can strengthen your character, buy a new one or upgrade your existing ship with more than a hundred different pieces of equipment. Missions range from capturing pirates, mining on asteroids, trading, transporting goods and passengers, securing convoy escorts, and you'll also try your hand at space racing.
Space is huge, and you can explore it freely, during or between missions.
You can decide for yourself how you want to develop your career, whether you want to be a bounty hunter, a pirate, a trader, or even a smuggler.
In order to travel faster, there are also Stargates through which you can instantly jump to the desired part of the galaxy - where it leads is indicated, making it easier to navigate.
Visually, Stellar Wanderer DX plays heavily on the nostalgia card and is irresistibly reminiscent of retro space simulators from the 2000s. The appearance of spaceships, HUD and space effects, all draw on the style of classic PC games. While the animations are solid, the graphics are far from top-notch. However, the universe is quite nicely designed, so you'll be weaving through asteroid belts and past space stations while enjoying the view of nebulae in the distance.
The menus are quite outdated and I often wasn't sure if the mark was on YES or NO, so I accidentally gave up on something.
Also, you have the option of playing from the cockpit, which in my opinion is the best way, because the movements of the ship in the third-person view seem quite strange and unnatural.
And there is nothing more beautiful than pretending that you are behind the wheel of a TIE Fighter or Millennium Falcon.
The game runs at 60fps without any problems, even when the screen is crowded.
The screen will show you distances to Stargates, current missions, or enemies.
The sound is solid and contributes well to the atmosphere. You will quickly get used to the hum of ship engines, numerous explosions and the sound of lasers, so you often won't even notice the light ambient music while you explore space, but it complements the entire atmosphere very well.
Even after you finish the campaign, which lasts about 10 hours, the game gives you enough content to spend a lot more time exploring galaxies, completing additional missions, catching thieves or simply trying to build a completely different career.
Unfortunately, there is no multiplayer, and in my opinion, this is unforgivable in this type of game. Because imagine playing with a friend (or more) and working together to catch space pirates, build a trading empire, or each develop a career on one side of the law.
Those looking for a superb story and graphics should skip this title, while fans of the classics who want gameplay, lots of options for equipping ships and open-end freedom to explore galaxies will be satisfied.
A copy of the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game was provided by publisher Leoful for review purposes.
