[b]space drone: rescue mission[/b] is a minimalist resource management / sokoban / sliding puzzler with the setting and primary goal subtly hinted at in the title. the story is very optimistic, suggesting mankind can wait until 3177 to find a new place to live. either way, most of the crew in charge of locating earth 2.0 crash-lands and it's up to the one guy left behind to rescue them with a drone.
though the store page doesn't mention turn-based anywhere, in fact, the useless and usually incorrect tags say 'real time tactics' and 'rts' among other things, the game actually [b]works in a turn-based fashion[/b]. except when it requires timing and quick action and there's a [b]30-minute timer kicking in near the end[/b]. turn-based games are turn-based for a reason, so I find any kind of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like this unacceptable, and that's on top of [b]not having undo[/b].
[b]63 levels[/b], each comprised of a single-screen grid. [b]progression is linearish[/b], as in levels are mostly unlocked one by one and you're mostly following a single path, but might have to circle back to a screen later from another direction. there are hidden areas as well, found by locating similarly hidden wormholes.
the drone has to move from one charging station to the next without running out of energy, stations can and have to be used multiple times. there are asteroids in the way, some of which can be pushed, plus locked gates, ice and arrow tiles to slide over, switches to change arrow direction, inevitable teleporters, energy-draining tiles and even aliens to destroy (we come in peace, right?), though they're just another way to deplete energy when bumping into them.
crew members themselves are also present on some screens, of course, providing additional narrative. [b]a map is available[/b] for level selection, but hidden levels don't get added after discovering them, and [b]without level numbers anywhere[/b] and no markings of as yet unrescued crew members on visited screens, it's [b]far less useful than it could be[/b]. certain areas are colored differently at least, and your current location is highlighted (unless you're inside a wormwhole).
the mouse works in the menus but controls otherwise are keyboard-only: wasd or arrows to move, 'r' to restart. [b]no undo[/b], as I said above, but each charging station acts as a checkpoint. you'll be put back there after running out of energy, which is great, but [b]the level itself (asteroids, aliens, etc.) will be reset[/b], leading to frustration. selecting a level from the map puts you back to the first checkpoint and it can be better than re-arranging everything from the second one, for example.
on the other hand, [b]switches never reset[/b], which is another source of frustration. you might line everything up nicely, then make a mistake, have to [b]reset, then possibly turn switches back to their original position before trying again[/b]. absolutely unacceptable.
nice-looking minimalist graphics and an [b]excellent electronic soundtrack[/b] that restarts after every level reset and an annoying, [b]louder-than-everything-else text display sound that plays every single time[/b] you try and retry a level with a crew member. separate volume sliders, resolution options and a windowed mode toggle are the only settings, and progress is lazily stored in the registry.
[b]many things in the game are done well, but there are just as many issues.[/b] it'll still work for some people, so if you think none of the above is a dealbreaker, go for it, but I wouldn't be able to recommend it even if undo got patched in. should the situation change, I'll edit the review.
