ROVA

A laid-back, cosy game about exploring and documenting the features of an alien planet. The whole world is brimming with personality, especially the NPC astronauts who research with you. Even in early access there's plenty to explore and discover, from strange geology to alien life. Although some areas have quite harsh colours in my opinion, the stylised 'chibi' art style very appealing overall. The game at times looks more like a drawing from a comic book or graphic novel than a video game (In a good way). The camera system is simple but effective, and with some effort can be used to take fun photos. I would love to see this system expanded so you can take more interesting shots by changing the aperture or exposure of the camera, but I understand that this probably won't be added. The movement is fairly intuitive and responsive. However, it can sometimes be difficult to turn in tight spaces. I would appreciate the ability to swivel in place. When you have room to move, the movement is smooth and fast. Nothing beats picking up some speed and flying off a ramp like a stunt rider. There is a crew customisation system which allows you to personalise your astronaut buddies with a variety of cosmetics that can be unlocked throughout the game. I personally quite enjoyed using this to make important characters more recognisable by giving them cosmetics that aligned with their role or personality. It was like they became more distinct as I became more familiar with them. The progression of the game is incremental but rewarding, with your progress being reflected physically in the world. There are 'research project' quests to guide you toward particular areas of research, but you are also encouraged to explore independently and make discoveries yourself. I hope to see the colony grow further as more areas of research are introduced, and have more of the astronauts reveal their specialities and interests. (Spoilers) One more specific thing I liked was [spoiler] the alien research equipment left on the planet. It's interesting to encounter an alien species that shares our curiosity about the world around us, and I especially liked how the ancient doors (Which I initially assumed belonged to the same alien species) were as much of an enigma to them as they are to us. [/spoiler] All in all, I have greatly enjoyed playing this game so far, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here. This game has a lot of promise and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested.