Between the Stars

Between the Stars is a space captain game at heart, with ship management, tactical fights, and the sense that every jump matters more than raw speed. By our assessment, its best side is the mix of combat and route planning, which gives the player a reason to think before firing. The downside is that this kind of game can turn into resource juggling and repeated encounters if the map flow does not keep changing. In practice it asks for attention to fuel, upgrades, damage, and the order of choices, so it rewards calm management more than twitch play. It belongs with other space roguelike or strategy-leaning games rather than with pure shooters. Between the Stars suits people who enjoy piloting a ship as a sequence of hard choices, and it leaves little room for anyone who wants a simple arcadey ride.