Hardspace: Shipbreaker Reviews
Looking up at the night sky often brings thoughts of what it would be like to go into space. While humanity has reached out into the cold dark, we’ve not physically been any further than our own Moon. With the first manned mission to Mars still years away, it falls to comic books, television shows, and video games to open this expanse. As such, we often get tales of daring heroes who battle alien threats or craft their own stories as hot-shot pilots.
The pure freedom that it offers you is impressive. The more you’re willing to invest yourself into taking apart the ships in different ways, the more satisfying it is. It just feels good to form a plan of your own and watch it pay off in real time as pieces of the ship gracefully peel away in the exact fashion you imagined in your mind.
A deep space shipbreaking simulator with a mellow feel and a satirical edge, that's only let down by a gameplay loop that eventually gets a little too repetitive.
Hardspace Shipbreaker is a sci-fi-inspired sim that puts you in the role of someone that spends their time working in low orbit pulling apart and salvaging old spaceships. And with all great sims, the premise is only a part of the appeal with the end result delivering pure low-orbit job immersion.
For what it’s worth, Hardspace: Shipbreaker is one of the most relaxing sci-fi games I’ve played in a long time and it runs wonderfully on the PS5. I don’t have to worry about crashing my ship into a planet or being shot up by aliens. As long as I’m not getting sucked into the furnace or shattering my helmet with a table I tried to throw into the furnace, life is good…especially once LYNX is out of the picture.
While at times the repetition inherent in its design got to me, the thing Hardspace: Shipbreaker shares most with those podcast games is that its core gameplay loop can feel incredible. That it sometimes tore me out of my complacency with no notice and made me fight for my life didn’t stop me from wanting to play just a few minutes more, it made the desire to do so nearly impossible to resist. Paying off your debt may be an endless slog, but when it feels this good I know I’ll be signing up for another tour with LYNX.
There is a simplicity to the core gameplay of Hardspace: Shipbreaker. Movement and momentum add an element of skill to every action. The difficulty ramps over time but treats you well to ease you into the escalators. Combining the strategy of breaking the ship with the skill of positioning yourself in place to do so, Shipbreaker wraps it up well with a clever main story to maximize - well, reduction of debt. But most of all, it's calming and fun, set in a world that feels similar to the many wonderful other sci-fi stories that have captured us over the years. Hardspace: Shipbreaker nets you a unique opportunity to inhabit a small corner of those worlds a shift at a time, for a job well done. "Live, Laugh, Salvage."
Dressed up as an unassuming blue-collar employment simulator, Hardspace: Shipbreaker actually clamps down on the injustice of a capitalist system where the health and safety of employees is overlooked in favor of just getting the job done. Gameplay can be a little slow, but the narrative payoff is worth the wait.
Some unnecessary design choices hindered my overall enjoyment with Hardspace: Shipbreaker, namely the monstrously uninteresting story and short work shifts, but I still spent a shocking amount of time with this curiously relaxing mix between a pasttime simulator, a puzzle game, and a survival title. It featured one of the most enjoyable, innovative and relaxing gameplay loops from any game I’ve played this year.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is an expertly crafted work simulator. The methodical dismantling of the ships is very satisfying. It contains an addictive gameplay hook and an intriguing story that focuses on the exploitation of workers. It is a job well done indeed.
A blue collar simulator-cum-puzzle game, where each ship feels like a mini-campaign, Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a truly unique and rewarding experience, if you have the time and patience to clock in and put in the work.
Hardspace Shipbreaker is not just a game, it is a call to action to put an end to the tyranny of mega-corporations and every gamer who is interested in such an idea will enjoy it.
Despite the fact that Hardspace: Shipbreaker can be called a high-quality and unusual project, it is quite difficult to recommend it to everyone and everyone. This is a very peculiar simulator for diligent, it takes time before you start to get any pleasure from it. But if you really like projects that reward meticulousness and glorify the simple work of ordinary people, then you will certainly like Hardspace: Shipbreaker.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker does a great job of reminding us that, no matter how marvelous our futures might be, we’ll still be working for the Man in one form or another. Aside from maybe being too long for its own good, the game is simultaneously relaxing and challenging to play. It drills down on relatively few ideas, but makes them engaging. Hardspace: Shipbreaker has developed into an outstanding sim and puzzle game.
Hardspace Shipbreaker does everything it wants to do, and does it well. The shipbreaking is fun, tactile, and rewarding. The story is humorous, thoughtful, and engaging. And the music is relaxing and thoughtful.
Hardspace Shipbreaker has cemented itself as one of my top three games of the year. It’s not without faults, like its superfluous room you’re forced to visit. However, the complete package is marvelous in the way it tells a powerful story mixed with chill, yet stressful gameplay.
If you’re a fan of simulator-like games, and want something a little more different and fantastical, it’s well worth giving Hardspace: Shipbreaker a try. It can feel very much like work at times, but there’s also something strange therapeutic about it. After all, it’s rewarding doing a good job, right?
Hardspace show all is potential with time. A real puzzle game which is important to analyze the environment to find solutions. But Hardspace : Shipbreaker show his limit very quickly with no adventure or by the assets who are very redundant. But if you like to take time to resolve brain teaser then you will like the game.
Review in French | Read full review
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a distinctive simulator that can easily deter with its unconventional gameplay, but it will reward handsomely if you will give it a chance.
Review in Russian | Read full review
It can get a bit samey towards the end, once you’ve seen all the tricks it has up its sleeve. Those tricks though are fantastic, and the control scheme behind it feels great. Few games have ever had as satisfying a gameplay loop for me, and if you have any type of decent gaming PC then this one is well worth a download