I gave Collapsed Galaxy 2 a shot as part of the Steam Next Fest but honestly, it just didn’t click with me. As someone who never played the original Shattered Galaxy and doesn’t gravitate toward multiplayer-heavy games, I found myself confused and frustrated more than anything. Despite its potential, I struggled to see what makes this game special, and ultimately, I’ve taken it off my wishlist.
What’s Good:
- Developer Dedication: The small team behind Collapsed Galaxy 2 is clearly passionate. They’ve got a Q4 2024 release in mind, although it feels more like they’re heading into some kind of early access phase. Given the state of the game right now, there’s a long road ahead, but I respect that they’re engaging with player feedback during testing.
- Nostalgic Appeal for Old Fans: If you’re a die-hard fan of the original Shattered Galaxy, you might find something worth sticking around for. The MMORTS concept isn’t something you see often these days, and Collapsed Galaxy 2 is trying to recapture that faction-based, large-scale warfare with RPG elements.
- Potential for Growth: Despite all its current flaws, I can see that the game could evolve into something decent with enough player feedback and development time. The “Collaborate, Control, Conspire, and Conquer” system could be interesting with proper balance tweaks and more polish.
What Needs Work (A Lot):
- It’s Rough, Really Rough: This game feels like it’s barely out of the gate. Right now, it’s clunky and awkward to play. The UI is a mess, and I spent a lot of time just trying to figure out what I was supposed to do or where things were located. It’s not intuitive at all, and that kills any sense of immersion. Even basic things like unit control feel off, and half the time, units didn’t go where I wanted them to.
- The 3D Walking Intro – Why?: When you load up the game, there’s this weird third-person introduction where you walk around in 3D. It’s completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the gameplay. In fact, it just feels like a distraction. I’d rather jump straight into the action and strategy instead of wandering around for no reason.
- Performance Issues: Lag was a constant problem, which I expected to some extent since there aren’t any European servers. But the performance issues go beyond that. Fog of war doesn’t work properly, units are glitchy, and the game struggles with larger battles. Combine that with a UI that’s in desperate need of a complete overhaul, and you’re left with a frustrating experience.
- Multiplayer-Heavy Focus: As someone who mainly plays single-player games, the multiplayer aspects didn’t hook me. The game revolves around large-scale faction warfare, but the balance is way off. Factions are lopsided, and it doesn’t help that the combat itself feels chaotic. With no clear tutorial or explanations, I was left to figure things out on my own, which didn’t go well.
Additional Gripes:
- Lack of Polish: Sounds are cheap, animations are stiff, and the overall presentation leaves a lot to be desired. It feels like a game from a decade ago. I get that it’s early, but when even basic things like sound design and unit animations aren’t working, it’s hard to feel invested.
- Faction Imbalance and Confusion: The game’s faction system is a major part of the gameplay, but there’s a clear imbalance. Some factions are way more populated than others, and there’s no mechanic to stop players from joining the more popular factions. This makes the whole experience feel uneven. On top of that, a lot of the acronyms and faction-specific terms are thrown at you with little explanation, making it hard to keep track of what’s happening.
- Map Design Feels Off: The maps feel disjointed, almost like they belong in a mobile game, with pieces split apart in odd ways. Spawn camping is a massive issue because of the limited access to high ground, and battles feel cramped. It doesn’t help that there’s no easy way to click around the minimap to navigate quickly, which slows everything down.
The Bottom Line:
For me, Collapsed Galaxy 2 is just too messy to enjoy right now. As someone not invested in the original Shattered Galaxy and more of a single-player gamer, this MMORTS left me scratching my head. There’s clearly some potential here, but it feels buried under layers of unfinished mechanics, poor UI, and frustrating design choices.
If you’re a fan of the original game or enjoy multiplayer strategy games, it might be worth keeping an eye on. But as it stands, Collapsed Galaxy 2 is not for me. Hopefully, with more development and community input, it’ll grow into something better down the line. Until then, I’ll be passing on this one.
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