Lost Vessel

Lost Vessel is a game that mixes an idle RPG with actual combat, crafting and resource management, and I think that combination is what makes it interesting. I start after crash landing on an alien planet with a wrecked ship and basically have to rebuild everything from nothing. I can salvage wreckage, mine resources, gather alien plants, make equipment and analyse materials to unlock better things. The idle side means my progress can continue while I am away, but there is still enough for me to do when I am actually playing that it does not feel like I am only watching numbers go up. I like how the five main skills connect to each other. Salvaging, mining, biology, fabrication and analysis are not just separate activities that happen to exist in the same game. I need materials from different areas to keep improving, so I have to think about what I should be working on next. This gives the progression more purpose than a basic idle game where I simply wait for enough currency to buy another upgrade. I can play for a short time, check things later or leave the game running in the background and still feel like I am making progress. The combat is another thing that makes Lost Vessel stand out for me. I have melee, ranged and void magic options, and enemies have different weaknesses that give me a reason to pay attention to what I am fighting. Equipment can also have useful effects such as critical hits, armour piercing, dodging, reflection and even instant kills on some legendary items. I particularly like that weapons have durability and can eventually break if I do not look after them. It makes equipment feel like something I actually need to manage rather than simply replacing it whenever I find a bigger number. There is a lot of progression here for an idle game too. I can build different equipment setups, improve my ship through a large upgrade system and work towards permanent bonuses through mastery. I also have the little robot I.D.L.E. that can run another skill queue, which fits the whole idea of keeping progress moving while I am doing something else. The co op expeditions and world boss give me some optional multiplayer content as well, while the faction based PvP gives the game another layer if I want it. I like that these multiplayer parts are not required for me to enjoy the main progression. The biggest weakness for me is that the game is clearly built around grinding. Even though the systems connect nicely, I am still spending a lot of time waiting for resources, improving skills and repeating activities to reach the next tier. That is normal for an idle RPG, but it can make the experience feel slow when I am actively playing for a long session. I also think the minimalist presentation is going to limit how much personality I get from the world. The ideas are there, but the game is much more focused on progression systems than giving me a huge alien adventure to explore. I also have to judge it as a newer game because it is still a relatively small project. The developer describes it as a passion project and there are plenty of systems that can still be expanded or adjusted. I like that the game is completely free and does not rely on energy timers or premium currency to restrict the basic progression. There are optional cosmetic supporter purchases, but the core idea is that I can play through the game without paying for power. That makes the grinding easier for me to accept because I am not constantly feeling like the game is trying to sell me a shortcut. Overall, Lost Vessel is a surprisingly ambitious idle RPG that gives me more to actually do than I normally expect from the genre. I like the connected skills, crafting, equipment durability, real combat and offline progression, and I think the alien survival setting gives the whole thing a nice reason for all the grinding and rebuilding. It is not perfect, and the repetitive progression and simple presentation stop me from putting it alongside my highest rated RPGs, but there is a solid foundation here. For me, it works best when I treat it as something I can check throughout the day rather than a game I need to constantly sit and play. It has enough depth underneath the idle systems to keep me interested, especially considering that the entire game is free. Rating: 8/10