Josh Cui reviews Fractured Space…
Are you a fan of massive spacecraft as seen in Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica? Do you also happen to be a fan of the MOBA genre (League of Legends, DOTA, Heroes of the Storm)? If so you might be in for a treat; even those who answered no to those questions however, might want to check out Edge Case Games Ltd.’s new release Fractured Space. Not only is the game free-to-play, it is visually spectacular, immensely fun, and although isn’t that hard to pick up and learn how to play, carries within a deep complexity that can provide for hours of customization and entertainment.
Fractured Space is at its core a 5v5 space MOBA where the ultimate goal is to break into the other team’s base and destroy it, basically the same concept as every other game in the genre. Once you get into the specifics however, notable differences start to set the game apart from its counterparts. First, the map is not a typical 3 lane encounter with unrevealed terrain and the ability to ambush your opponents unaware by lane switching. The map is broken into 3 different sectors, 2 “lanes” on the side that are separate entities by themselves, and 1 central “gamma” sector in the middle that acts as a capturable base which provides a combat buff to whichever team manages to claim it. There are no minions or creep in the lanes either; instead they are populated by small mining stations that can be captured by either team which allows players to purchase upgrades faster and cheaper during the battle. Players travel between lanes through the use of warping, an interesting mechanic that gives players the element of surprise when needed, but also renders their ships incredibly vulnerable during a warp. Getting caught mid-warp by your opponents can swing a battle quickly as they can often destroy your ship if you are caught unaware.
Another big difference from how Fractured Space plays out against other MOBAs is that the pace of the game is extremely slower than that of current MOBA’s such as League. After all, these are massive galactic flagships that the players pilot, and probably shouldn’t be zipping around the map taking opponents out with ease. Certain ships are faster than others, but all the ships in the game controls like how one would imagine they would: bulky and rough to maneuver. Compounded with the fact that the game is played on a 3D plane where positioning actually matters (certain parts of ships take more damage than others, weapon positioning, etc), a small encounter can quickly build up to a massive space battle, and it feels great because it feels like how a proper space battle should. Gameplay wise, this provides for an excellent experience (unless you prefer a fast-paced game) and sometimes makes battles feel more like a chess game than a MOBA, as teamwork and patience are rewarded heavily.
Now let’s talk about the fact that Fractured Space is a free-to-play title. In the current mindset of the playerbase, free-to-play is often associated with massive paywalls, pay-to-win aspects, or extreme grinds to unlock otherwise easily obtained items. I have to say that personally I don’t see any of these issues with Fractured Space. Sure, there are some parts which feel pay-to-win in that a player can purchase an “Armada Pack” and obtain all the available ships, or purchase upgrades that can be crucially useful in battles, but I feel like overall these do little to harm the experience and rather just provide those without as much time to play an even-handed experience. The game absolutely does not require any purchases for players to succeed; even the free initial ships provided to you at the start of the game are good enough to fight against the best of them, and the amount of credits one earns per game isn’t trivial enough to force players to undergo insurmountable grinds simply to get ships; they come rather easily as players simply play the game. Finally, I’d suggest aspiring players to really put in some time to learn the game and understand some of its greater complexities; if you find yourself really falling in love with the game, the Armada Pack is roughly the price of a AA game and gives players EVERY ship available, which honestly isn’t the worst deal ever.
Check out Fractured Space if it seems like this might be the game for you. You probably won’t regret it.
Pros:
+ Unique MOBA experience with a deeply complex system, but easily picked up
+ Free! And doesn’t feel pay-to-win
+ Stellar visuals, battles feel like how epic space battles should
Cons:
– Definitely a different MOBA experience than players who love the genre might be used to
– Relatively small playerbase
– Players are still learning the game, so often games are decidedly one-sided
Rating: 8/10
Fractured Space is out now on PC, available on Steam and free-to-play.
Josh Cui
Originally published October 22, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
