FTL: Faster Than Light in IOS

★★★★★

★★★★★ Fantastic Strategy Game, just one complaint...

Let me first say this... I love FTL. I’m not one to like real-time strategy games, but this is a MAJOR exception for me, as Subset Games did a phenomenal job developing this game. While the difficulty and perma-death system can be vexing at times, there is one thing that must be fixed to make the experience better than it is now... The final boss. In one play-though I experienced, where I was close to defeating the Rebel Flagship. In this case, I was at low hull integrity, the Flagship was at a similar state of disrepair, and there was a system that could repair some of my damage. Naturally, I decided to take that opportunity to better insure my victory. Unfortunately, when I went back to finish off the Flagship, IT was back to full health, and I was annihilated within a few minutes. Simply put, have a system put in so enemy ships maintain the damage you inflicted on them as it could make the game slightly easier, but not so easy that it would take away from the game’s experience.

★★★★★ I’m leaning towards “Meh”....

I only have a couple hours on this game but it’s already starting to grate on me. As others have said, it’s mostly about luck. The graphics look good. The premise is decent and I like the layout and interface. The tutorial is helpful enough. What this game really needs is a save feature since all it takes is one bad encounter and your work goes up in flames, with starting from scratch (or deleting the thing) as your only option. Most games I make it a few turns before I’m done. Some have gone bad on the first stop. A couple were actually starting to look hopeful with added weapons, extra crew, and buffed equipment, but again one bad run in and “poof”, gone. It’s pretty frustrating to get boarded and watch helplessly as your systems and 6 person crew are decimated room by room with absolutely nothing you can do about it. With the gameplay of this thing starting to look like all stick, no carrot, and lottery odds to beat a level, I suspect my interest here will be short lived. That’s not being a “wuss”. Some people just prefer games that require actual eye/hand coordination and real problem solving skills over something that caters to mindless tenacity.

★★★★★ Difficult, and highly rewarding strategy

For anyone who loves RTS games, this will be a unique RTS. For those who can’t do strategy, you will lose over and over until you understand it. Most of the time if you die, it is your fault. To date I haven’t beaten the boss but I have had more fun losing than I have had winning in other games. Those who complain about the high difficulty either need to practice or they need to stop complaining, the game is fair, you do the same damage with the same weapon that your enemy has and that doesn’t change, the difficulty level changes the boss a little and the scrap levels. Some deaths are caused by the random nature of this game, but most are due to player error with weapon timing, being unable to prioritize upgrades, or being unable to multitask. The music is fantastic, couldn’t find a better place to put that so it is here. Overall I would highly recommend this game with a warning that you will lose.

★★★★★ Easier to learn, hard to master

I bought this game when I was a kid, having saved up some money from lawn mowing. I recently noticed it was on the app store and decided to pick it up. It is the perfect game to play in between classes or when taking a break from work. Don’t be fooled however. This game can be relaxing but it is far from easy. Once you start to unlock other ships you realize there are so many different play styles. You will have to learn the ins and outs if you want to come close to beating the final boss. My tips: - Make getting a second shield your first priority - Don’t rely too much on missiles, use them to take out key systems before finishing them off with other weapons - Target the enemy’s weapons first. Take out their shields if you cannot get through them, target their pilot if they keep dodging - Manage your power well! Do not keep your medbay powered unless you need to heal, and you can de-power your oxygen if you need a quick boost - Shields and engine are priority upgrades. If you have the extra scrap, level up doors, oxygen, and pilot so you have a damage buffer - Your main objective is to avoid damage. Scraps you spend on repair could have been better spent on upgrades One of my favorite games from my childhood. Still holds up, and there is nothing like the feeling you get when you finally beat if for the first time.

★★★★★ Amazingly amazing

FTL is ALMOST perfect, despite the high price tag. It can get pretty hard, and get a few bad jumps in a row and you're over. And on rare occasion, the randomized events can have harsh language. Since the game is rather short, the difficulty pacing is pretty quick. If you laze on upgrading you’ll be starting all over pretty soon. The graphics are great, and so are the battles. There are no bosses other than the final boss. There are some side quests, adding some variety. The AI is fairly smart-but it’s only for the crew of enemy ships (and drones). One complaint though-there have been times I’ve been flying through a Mantis sectors and have encountered an event which spawns hostile Mantis in my ship. Of course, the enemy ship that came with the event was also Mantis, and they had a Teleport Room, which means the Mantis on the ship would teleport over to mine (the Mantis that spawned on my ship weren't crew of the other, meaning the couldn’t be teleported; also, ship layouts and rooms are randomized) As for bad things, (other than the rather harsh language) there isn’t much. When a ship explodes, it just shows a top view of it while it explodes. The death animations aren’t gore-y. Fighting isn’t bad at all. Fires are just fires, and crew can’t get visually burnt (but they do loose health-that’s it). All in all, it’s worth a download. Unless you have an ultra-sensitive phobia to deal with.

★★★★★ Difficult... Until you get the hang of it

FTL is a roguelite. It requires a good understanding of micromanagement and tactics to win consistently. Losing a single battle, or even just taking a lot of damage usually means losing the run. On easy, this is circumvented a bit. You can afford to tank beatings once in awhile. Unlike most other roguelites (and some other reviews on here), it is USUALLY possible to go through the game with almost any combination of things and win consistently. Yeah every once in a while you're handed 3 beams and a single laser to take on the world, but even then if you have Advanced Edition content on, you can just grab hacking and shut off enemy shields so your beams can cut their ship to pieces... or you could board their ship. My point is that a lot of these complaints about difficulty are kinda unwarranted if you consider the genre. Roguelites and Roguelikes are often characterized by their difficulty... and this game isn't that difficult for roguelite standards. Easy mode for me, for example, is the automatic win difficulty. Hell I've beaten the game on easy with 3 ion weapons and a fire beam, because shutting off their medbay so they can't stop the fire is stock and trade. Also start with advanced edition on. It makes the game harder, but more exploitable. In addition, you don't have to learn a new way to play after getting used to not having it.

★★★★★ Is this the greatest strategy game of all time?

It's definitely my favorite. Undoubtedly it is challenging, even on easy mode. It took me months to beat the boss the first time. But over time you adapt your strategy, you get better, the game unfolds new subtleties and scenarios. I find it endlessly replayable, with lots of variety with the different types of ships and multiple pathways to victory. I started playing this when my sons were very young -- they are teenagers now and the whole family plays this game (my wife and the boys play on their laptops). We have tournaments where we all play on the same ships and compare scores. I have played this game for thousands of hours and they have easily played for hundreds. One son wrote a 50+ page strategy guide for this game for a school writing assignment. It is hard, but stick with it, it is so rewarding!