Warpgate, Freeverse’s long-awaited massive space exploration game, has finally been released and is available from the app store. This game is truly what you make of it, allowing you to explore the enormous map, engage in commodities trading, choose to side with one of the warring factions, complete missions, and more.
Warpgate Pros:
- Outstanding graphics
- Plus+ integration
- Long game life
- Huge world to explore
- Plenty of vessels, weapons
- Huge commodities market
- Simple controls
- Play at your own pace
- Epic soundtrack
Warpgate Cons:
- Battles are superficial button-mashing events
- Large fingers and tiny buttons don’t mix well
Warpgate features an impressively large world with over 35 star systems controlled by five antagonistic groups of space folk. Different systems are accessible through warpgates, hence the game’s title. With 3 or 4 planets per system, there are plenty of locations to explore and exploit. You pilot a ship from planet to planet, completing available missions as you see fit. There are over 100 quests to keep you plenty busy. Planets have distinct resources for trade, with an extensive market system whose prices fluctuate like the stock market. Finding the best price for your wares requires some comparison shopping, which can become a game unto itself. This can yield huge profits if you play it right, allowing you to purchase upgrades to your vessel. There are some 170+ starships available, so you are bound to find several options that excite you. You can spend countless hours just working toward upgrading your ships to better and better models. These ships become integral for holding/transporting large amounts of cargo and for fighting off attacking ships, or fleeing from them depending on their point of origin and your standing with their group. Keeping the peace in space is no easy task, as your every move is likely to please one group while angering another. There are quite a number of facets to the game, yet they all come together so seamlessly that it’s breathtaking.
This is easily one of the most engaging games we’ve come across in some time. Freeverse has hit upon a winning combination of gameplay elements that allow you to play the game in multiple manners with equal enjoyment. If you want to tool around attacking ships and making enemies out of everyone you meet, have at it. If you want to become a merchant extraordinaire, pedal your cargo from here to the moon. If you just want to experience the glory that is space travel, explore the far reaches to your heart’s content. Gameplay is fairly slow-paced and not very action-packed, allowing for a more relaxing, strategic game than one where the goal is to blast everything as quickly as possible. Even the battle scenes are fairly low-key, as you tap on a button to discharge your weapon while your ship auto-pilots itself. This aspect was actually a bit underwhelming for us, though it works within the context of this type of game. When you view the game is more of a text-based jaunt with graphical enhancements, its majesty really takes center stage.
The graphics are stunning, with gorgeous colors and beautiful backdrops that invoke a real sense of depth and the utter vastness of space. You can pinch zoom to get a better look at the environment, going tight on your ship or wide to see your positioning among the stars. A two-finger twisting motion allows you to change your perspective, spinning the camera for your desired field of view. Moving from here to there is as simple as tapping to make your ship go to a certain spot or swiping to launch your ship in a specific direction. There are arrows that point to different points of interest that can be tapped to lead your ship to them. Arriving at planets or warpgates brings up buttons that allow you to scan for information on the location or land and make trades, mine for resources, or upgrade your ship. The HUD has plenty of buttons to give you quick and easy access to game elements, the most useful of which is a map which allows you to plot your course in an effort to avoid certain areas or find the quickest path to your goal. You can also check your ship’s stats, access your mission log, and check your reputation with the 5 factions. Access to news stories from the various planets can give you insight into where certain commodities might be desired or which factions are warring with each other. The background music borders on epic, though it can get repetitive after a while. Fortunately, you can access your music library in-game, giving you more options to enhance the game. Speeding through space while blasting “Back in Black” just felt right.
Replay value is huge, with enough gameplay to keep you going for hours upon hours on end. Plus+ integration allows for a nice achievement system. An extensive tutorial system allows you to get hands-on with the game before embarking on your own journey, which was very helpful and well thought out. For $4.99, Warpgate offers a ton of value, earning a 5-Dimple score for its scope and content.
