Infinite Space Review

Designed by a Japanese developer, Infinite Space naturally pays respect to the great Japanese science fiction of the 1970s. It's a coming-of-age story starring a young captain named Yuri, who quickly grows to become part Commander Shepard and part Captain Kirk. Yuri's crew swells to more than a hundred recruitable characters as the game progresses, and the great majority of them are extremely likable. But unlike Mass Effect and other recent science fiction RPGs, the real stars of this game are the ships.

The majority of the game is spent traveling from planet to planet, battling pirates and collecting enough money to trick out your starship. Much of your cash will be spent on building out your ship with Infinite Space's absurd number of modules, which cover everything from radar rooms to mess halls. All kinds of factors have to be juggled; are you building up a tank that can take a shot from a wave motion cannon and keep on going, or are you more interested in long-range bombardment? The scarcity of funds and the Tetris-like customization -- each ship part is shaped in such a way that it's impossible to fit them all on one ship -- means that you'll have to make some hard choices.

And you'll face a similar predicament when assigning crew members. It's possible to fill every position, from first officer to head accountant to head chef, which is generally a simple matter of matching a characters highest stat to their job. With that in mind though, certain positions are more important than others, and abilities come into play as well. Yuri's girlfriend Kira is a killer chef, for example, but her healing ability makes her a much more valuable first officer.

Click the image above to check out all Infinite Space screens.

Unfortunately, it's not always clear what exactly all those positions and modules do. Definitions for obscure stats like "livability" and "med tech" are buried deep within the game's extensive help menu system, along with explanations for its myriad other mechanics. The poor presentation of information is a recurring problem throughout Infinite Space, and will likely lead to frustration. As one extreme example, I had no idea that certain abilities could be activated by placing a crew member in the first-officer position. When I needed to use a guest character's special abilities to complete a mission, I was at a loss until I finally broke down and checked out a forum.

The interface also lacks basic amenities like a mission log; an omission made more significant by the fact that Infinite Space is a portable game. There were more than a few occasions in which I completely forgot where I was supposed to be at any given time, which led to me wandering aimlessly through the stars trying to pick up the mission thread. For a game as intricate as Infinite Space, the overall poor presentation of information is a major shortcoming, and makes for a higher barrier of entry for more casual sci-fi fans.

Once you master the mechanics, though, Infinite Space becomes a tremendously entertaining romp through the stars. The space combat works well for what it is, only occasionally teetering on the brink of becoming one-dimensional. And later chapters add special abilities, starfighters and boarding parties, all of which steadily add to the number of variables you must juggle during battle. While combat occasionally degrades into a boring war of attrition, most of the battles offer a tense balance between knowing when to use starfighters and special abilities, and when to charge in with guns blazing. Less successful is the melee combat, which is a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, with a few special abilities thrown in for good measure. While it adds a bit of variety to the gameplay, there's little strategy outside of knowing when to jump to a different attack command; and so long as you've assigned a security chief with a high combat stat, you'll win every time.

The combat is just the end result of a long process that begins with the purchase of a starship blueprint though. It's not inconsequential, but there's no doubt that the meat of this game is in the customization. That makes Infinite Space a joy for those who want nothing more than to tinker with their battleship all day long, and a potential bore for many others. The nicheness of this game is only strengthened by the mechanical quirks described above, and the fact that it can get a tiny bit grind-heavy at times. It's often possible to simply sell a heavily modified vessel for top-dollar and buy something new, but you'll still undoubtedly spend a good chunk of time trolling the starlanes for trouble.

Click the image above to check out all Infinite Space screens.

Ultimately though, Infinite Space is an immensely satisfying 60-hour sci-fi adventure that does a fine job of presenting a sprawling universe, which is no mean feat for a portable game. The high degree of customization and the huge cast make it incredibly appealing to its particular niche, but I urge even casual sci-fi fans to give it a try. Even given its mechanical shortcomings, it's a unique entry in the DS library, and an entirely worthwhile purchase.

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