Flotilla

I like Flotilla, but the super-short timed campaign was a terrible idea.

Very cool style, both with the sound-track and the story elements. The gameplay is simple and fun. I as really excited to try this out after finding it in my library from some long ago sale. It is, unfortunately, not functional. Specifically there is no save system. Super strange to have a campaign with no save. After playing it a few times just leaving it on when I had to go do something else though I also realized that there is virtually no "content" in the campaign. The very cool animal-aliens and little story elements generally amount to nothing besides a quick blurb in your journal and after restarting a few times you'll soon realize that the few events you saw in your first 15-minute run are mostly all there is to be had. You'll find the same events on almost every play-through. If this game was finished, much more content and a save system, this would be an amazing and memorable game. As it is it just feels like an extremely promising demo that never got finished. The sequel being VR only is a pretty big roadblock, but also that it has no real campaign mode at all and is just a skirmish engine is unfortunate, I had hoped it would flesh out the framework presented here rather than scaling it back.

Ten years later and I'm still checking to see if there is an update or a sequel, or something. Great game but too dang short.

Fun! Niche, brilliant, awkward. Like my cat, complicated but lovable.

Unique blend of turn based combat and 3d combat. Give it a shot.

TL;DR: Great fun for the humor, visual style and tactical combat. Less satisfying for the fact that it's game over after a set number of jumps and the core gameplay might get boring within a short span of time. If this game attracts your attention I would recommend waiting for a sale unless it really appeals to you. Flotilla is going to be a hit-or-miss kind of game depending on your tastes, but I recommend it for its unique concept, satisfying core gameplay, and odd sense of humor. Let's start with the good points: It's got a certain vibe and atmosphere that worked for me, both in terms of simplistic visual appeal and the tone of the events that you can encounter during each adventure. I admit that both the graphics and worldbuilding/humor aren't for everyone. The core gameplay is surprisingly tactical and it's satisfying to outmaneuver your enemies and blast them to pieces. Each battle doesn't take too long, and in the case you do lose it's easy to get back into it with the roguelike aspect to it. I've found choosing different options in the story/campaign mode to be entertaining until you've encountered them all a few times, but seeing what the different outcomes are is fun in and of itself. Let's talk about the bad points: After a set number of jumps your character will die of his terminal illness. Just when it's getting good and you're gaining ships and upgrades you're suddenly forced to end that particular run. Having a game over after a set number of jumps is a bad gameplay choice, I feel. The least they could have done is add some in-game way to extend that timer. The only thing that helps somewhat is the hardcore mode, which is tougher but lasts longer. Oh, and you can't "save and quit" during a run to continue later. The soundtrack is kinda odd, although I feel it's a deliberate choice to add to the humoristic atmosphere of the game, it doesn't really do much for me. While the core gameplay is good, it's kinda... basic. It lacks staying power and some way to keep your interest for very long. In my case I got quite some enjoyment out of it, but for some people it's going to be boring within a few hours of play. And that's just a waste of money. In the end, it's a great concept that could have been more addictive, but still stands on its own.

Shallow but fun. I wish someone would make a proper successor.

Great little turn-based 3D space game with cute little story lines. I used this when it first came out years ago for as few hours of distraction waiting in airport lobbies and hotel rooms while travelling. Glad to see it's still alive. Wish: That you could play longer than the "7 months" imposed terminal illness when you start. :-p

great game back in its day still good today.

Very cool, bite-sized, roguelike strategy game in which you planet hop from one zany encounter to another, eventually ending up in ship-to-ship combat in full 3D space. Combat pauses for you to give your ships orders for the next 30 seconds worth of fighting, then you watch it play out in real-time before it pauses for the next set of orders. When the battle is over, there's the option to watch it play out beginning to end without pause, which can be extremely satisfying after a particularly impressive or grueling victory. It's fairly difficult until you learn how to use terrain and manipulate the enemies, but having beaten it once on the normal mode (which lasts a certain number of turns before your character dies of terminal illness), I'm excited to try out the longer "Hardcore" mode.