5 Sci-fi Video Games That Float My Spaceship

A Sci-Friday post

First of all, thanks to

Andrew Smith

and

Dré Labre

for keeping up this new #Sci-Fri tradition.

Being as big a sci-fi nerd as I am, I naturally gravitate to the genre in any, if not all incarnations of media. Video games are no exception. There is a mountain of titles that could’ve made it onto this prestigious list but, alas, there had to be 5.

Without further ado, I present to you 5 Sci-Fi video games that really put the jelly in my doughnut.

Breathedge

Have you ever wanted to be thrown into the deep end of hard vacuum with nothing but a limited air supply and a sarcastic computer telling you what to do?

Yes?

Then this is a game you’ll enjoy greatly! It’s simultaneously beautiful, infuriating, suspenseful, and challenging. It walks a line between exploration and puzzle games with a killer sense of humour and a no-hand-holding approach to quest-giving.

It’s one of those games that starts you off with a deceptively simple task, like ‘Activate the emergency beacon’ then you think:

Ok, where’s the emergency beacon?

Oh! It’s a ship module. How do I find one of those?

Oh! I need a ship. Where do I find a ship?

Oh! I can build a ship. Cool! But I need parts like an atmosphere generator, engine, and computer. How do I get those?

And on, and on, and on, until…

Okay. Collect 5 aluminium. I saw some stuff over by that huge wrecked spaceship. Maybe there’s something there.

And so begins this mammoth journey of searching, crafting and surviving, even thriving, sometimes, in space.

Carrion

John Carpenter’s The Thing, but you get to be the big, bad scary monster and escape the top-secret underground facility, solving puzzles and leaving death and destruction in your wake.

It’s an almost cathartic adventure and the antithesis to games like Alien: Isolation where the big, bad scary monster will get you if you’re not careful. Carrion almost lets you relax a little in that the worst thing that’s going to come your way is a flamethrower.

That’s still bad news! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this game isn’t challenging. It is. It’s just nice to be the thing that’s feared by the puny humans.

There’s also a pretty minimal, but impactful, plot to discover as you explore the facility, gaining insight into the human world and why they’ve got you locked up miles below ground.

Stellaris

A civilisation builder played out over a century or two of galactic exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination.

A campaign is usually dripping with lore, interesting discoveries, political intrigue and technological advancement as your (fully customisable) race ventures out into the stars and vies for galactic influence.

There are alliances to be made, federations to establish, and religious enlightenment to strive for. Or, y’know, go all out building a military and just dominate the competition, solidifying your race’s place as the supreme galactic overlords. All of it is fun, and regardless of which type of civilisation you decide to play, there are always interesting choices to make.

Portal/Portal 2

If you haven’t played either of these games, I recommend you do it now.

Like right now. Take the rest of the day off and spend your weekend playing them.

The first is pretty short. What are you waiting for??

Not only were these huge hits, and rightly so, but they’ve held up incredibly well. They may even be more apt now than when they were first released.

The setting gets wilder and wilder the further into the game you get and the puzzles get harder, more interesting, and more gratifying when you pull them off.

Not only all of that, they are funny, well-written and supremely well-designed.

Control

Clearly inspired by the likes of Twin Peaks and The X-Files, this awesome action-RPG takes place in the sprawling headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control. Dark, interdimensional forces, called The Hiss, have invaded and corrupted reality in the somewhat dubious locality of the ‘building’ and you (Jesse) take on the newly vacated role of Director of the FBC in order to restore whatever normality you can.

An intoxicating mix of fast-paced action shooty business (with crazy mind powers), and an investigative journey through a paranormal, reality-bending mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. I’d love to go into more detail here but I think the less you know going in, the more you’ll enjoy the twists and turns of the narrative.

Suffice it to say, the game’s core action and investigative elements are tons of fun, really challenging in parts, and deeply, DEEPLY creepy.

Honourable mentions:

Space Invaders

Deus Ex

Cyberpunk 2077

No Man’s Sky

FTL

The Outer Worlds

I’m sure there are loads more awesome Sci-Fi games out there that I haven’t played so if you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments!

Psst! I also released Chapter 7 of my sci-fi novel today, go check it out! Or if you haven’t read any of the previous chapters, check them out here!