Star Wanderer DX was recently released on PlayStation 5, and Leoful was nice enough to send me a copy to check out, which is always appreciated. Star Wanderer is an old-fashioned open-world space sim. You will be doing the typical things here: dog fights, trading, mining, and buying some new ships as you do freelance work. Don’t work the very originally named Mr. Anderson will walk you though everything.
The game looks pretty good for its $20 price point. I have no real complaints here, and the game, while short, maybe about 10 hours of story, is voice-acted. If you are looking for something to simply sit down and play on a budget, this game isn’t bad, as long as you realize this isn’t a AAA title. This isn’t the next Elite Dangerous on console, it won’t scratch that No Man’s Sky Itch.
The good news is, this game never claimed it would. The mining feels nice, it is quick and easy to get into, just shoot space rocks and collect minerals. The combat is what I like to call fast and dirty. Just you and enemy ships shooting at each other until someone dies. Trading is also quite simple, but low sell high. You can do this by mining minerals or even smuggling, and yes, you may have to outrun the police to do so.
Now the game is far from perfect or even great. Much of the galaxy feels empty, and jumping from system to system is by flying to special gateways, which feels like a chore when you really just want to get from one place to another. I truly feel like we have outgrown this mechanic by about a decade. Let me just use a galaxy map to jump to where I want to go. Also, with all these stations floating around I would think there would be more people for me to talk to and interact with.
While the game isn’t bad for $20, it also isn’t great. I have a hard time recommending this one with games like No Man’s Sky out there, but at the same time, if you need a change, I can’t say this one isn’t enjoyable. There is fun to be had in this 6/10 title. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
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