Element Space

Element Space had choices that impacted the game like Mass Effect which I liked. Unfortunately, there were many bugs that caused the game time to be funny, frustrating, and annoying. A good game is there somewhere but the problems need to be fixed.

Element Space is a game that shows a lot of promise and potential but feels incomplete. The story has definitely been thought out, bringing this universe together, with a focus on political themes and exploring different cultures. Thereafter it starts to drop because of the issues with the Kill Cam, the User Interface and other elements of the game, like the game crashing and not having enough save points. The game feels like it was possibly released too soon and does not feel smooth while playing with the PS4 controller.

Long story short, if you want to play a tactical, turn-based game, it may be best to just play X-Com. It may even be a better plan to play Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. I’m not here to tell you what to do though. I’m just here to tell you that this would be a game that I could at no point in good faith recommend anyone to play unless they’re desperate for a brand new game of this genre. Even then, the game looks and controls like it’s older than most.

When Element Space is bad, it’s bad to the point of having to fully close the game and lose anything from a few minutes to a few hours of progress. When it seems good, I began to wonder if it only felt that way because almost every other part of the port feels unfinished. Overall, I appreciate parts and pieces of Element Space, but it cannot hold its own within the genre. Element Space has potential, but potential often isn’t enough.

Element Space is a very difficult game with good intentions but poor delivery. So much time was spent crafting out a storyline, using voice acting and putting some innovations into this genre that the main functionality of the game slips down. With clunky controls, high difficulty and such slow pacing, only experts at the turn-based strategy will make it through to enjoy the storyline. But they would need to be a glutton for punishment and have a lot of time on their hands.

In conclusion then, what we have here with Element Space on Xbox One is a game that apes two of the giants of sci-fi gaming – X-COM and Mass Effect – and instead of using this as inspiration and building on them, instead tries to ride two horses and ultimately ends up falling down the gap in the middle. The actual fighting mechanics are fine, but the way the game clearly has a plan it wants you to execute and punishes you for trying to go your own way makes it less appealing.