izigame.me

This is an Early Access review, and therefore subject to change:
After a little over 3 hours of playtime, I honestly think this has the potential to be one of the greatest cooperative games of the year. This game is truly one of the most fun multiplayer experiences I have ever had, and I cannot wait for the full release. Players can expect a seamless blend of the space combat elements of Elite: Dangerous, the system and resource management of FTL, the exploration and looting of Sea of Thieves, and the class specialization of Deep Rock Galactic. There's even some of the comedic escalation of issues found in Barotrauma, which is one of my favorite games ever. While I have a small number of issues, and a handful of features I'd love to see, the majority of Void Crew is a charming and robust experience, wrapped up in a delightfully intriguing package.
Players begin in a hub, where they can choose from a small selection of ships, customize their character, and prepare for their voyage. Once on your ship, you're tasked with selecting a mission from a procedurally generated list, and embarking on a multi-stage "pilgrimage," to salvage resources, destroy enemies and bosses, and explore. There are potential playthrough options for solo players, or teams of up to 4.
THE CONS:
I think my biggest aggravation has been feeling like I understand very little about the mechanics of the enemies and different mission events. For example, some missions suggest "stealthy" approaches, and I don't really see how something like that would be possible given enemy detection ranges. There's also supposedly a much larger threat that is supposed to appear after a countdown - which begins from when you're starting engagement with the enemy - but I haven't stuck around long enough to find out if it's just a difficult foe or a run-ending obstacle you're meant to avoid. While I like the opportunity to learn about enemies and some mechanics, I do feel like the tutorial is overly comprehensive about some things while leaving out some other tips or gameplay things that players might appreciate. As the tutorial is repeatable, even if players don't remember everything after the first attempt - don't worry, you won't remember everything - I think it could stand to be more comprehensive to give players more starting knowledge. Similarly, I struggle to understand the pacing and difficulty curves. Some missions that are listed as Normal can be exceedingly quick and easy, while others are exhausting. My friend and I played a "Protect" mission, but the ships we were escorting got shredded before enemies even showed up by environmental hazards that we didn't see (ice shards?). The increasingly overwhelming volume of enemies tended to drown us out before we could really explore or collect any items. Lastly, the health/damage of the ship is a little confusing. Your ships health can be limitedly recovered after battles by space-walking and repairing hull damage. However, it won't bring your ship up to full health. I can appreciate the need for special repair items for larger wounds, but one could argue that making those repairs SHOULD restore the integrity much more than they do. If we hot-extracted from a mission in the middle of combat, we'd start the next one unable to accomplish much repairs, both because the system would restrict how much hull strength we could restore, and because of how quickly enemies engaged us and triggered the mysterious boss timer. There's no "safe-space" to drop out of the warp and do repairs in between missions without ending your run. The stressful elements are great, but they can conflict with some of the other elements I actively want to enjoy.
THE PROS:
Overall, this game has a lot to be proud of and a lot to enjoy. I experienced zero bugs, and enjoyed every minute of high-octane play. Between a high level of polish and a wide range of objectives, there is so much to do. The sub-system management is confusing at first, but easy enough to get your head around. It adds a lot to the management stress in a delightful way that lends to the whole "space captain" role fantasy. I had this moment of such deep immersion, where my friend and I were raiding an abandoned facility while being beset on all sides by huge cruisers and swarms of fighters. I gave the order for him to leap out of the ship as I flew by, so he could grab an essential item from the base while I flew around dodging ordnance barrages. He was also my gunner, so I was defenseless, but focused on the objective and really really into the moment. When he grabbed the item, I flew back under HEAVY fire, popped quick shields as I slowed just enough to evade lasers but give him room to launch himself into the airlock and get back onboard. We hastily prepped the void engines, did some repairs and launched into hyperspace as lasers exploded all around us. Our hull was at 4%, and it was an absolute nail-biter. These are the kinds of experiences you can cultivate - epic stories of skilled maneuvers and heroic deeds - in this game. It is all made better by the seamless transition from flying around in space, walking your corridors to repair and manage power, and leaving the ship to grab supplies. Before you ask - yes, you can disengage safeties and accidentally or purposefully airlock yourself or others. What an absolute thrill ride.
THE OTHER STUFF:
There are plenty of things I would love to see added, but I fully acknowledge that some are controversial and some might not make sense. First and foremost, the ships: I would love more ship designs, layouts, etc., but most importantly, a way to design your own. If I could start a run and pick what things to bring, or even design my own ship, I would be so happy. I would also love to see some player guns/first-person combat to add to the action. From repelling boarders, assaulting outposts or even other ships to disable them, I think there's a LOT of potential in something like that. Third, would be to make resources more abundant, or to give more opportunity to explore and raid within each mission. The crafting mechanic is cool, but I've only ever found a handful of goods I could retrieve, so it feels overly limited. I even would like to see loot boxes/microtransactions/more cosmetics for players. Since players CAN get boxes for just cosmetics, I see no harm in including ways to get the look you want and supporting the devs. I normally rail against these things, but I think here there is an easy and inoffensive way to include them without breaking anything.
Overall, I am so happy that I picked this game up. If you're on the fence about this for any reason, it's completely worthy of a second look. If you're looking for people to play with, I'm always glad to add to my crew!