Space Trader Review
December 31, 2008 by Ryan Lodata
Hermitworks Entertainment’s first title, Space Trader, puts players in control of a space trader who must make ends meet through any means necessary. Blending elements of a first person shooter with trading, Space Trader offers up a unique experience. However, does Space Trader hold its own in a galaxy full of games?
Gameplay
The gameplay in Space Trader is both interesting and unique. Players are given the ability to make money through one of three methods. The first method is regular trade and has players attempting to turn a profit as they travel between planets and work the marketing pricing on each.
Trading in Space Trader is about as simple as you can get. To make money, you just head to a local vendor and purchase various goods that are available. These goods can range from food to weapons. No matter what you choose, you have to ensure that you are purchasing the goods at a low price and can expect a return from the planet you are travelling to.
The second method of earning money has you doing various missions provided to you by the locals of each planet. Although some of the missions are completed by talking to NPCs or finding parts, others will have you making a choice as to which direction you will take. For some, you are not given a choice if you forget a number sequence or fail the first part and you must take it to the FPS battlefield to regain respect. This leads to the third method of earning money.
Space Trader has a first person shooter mode that has you taking on several enemies in an expansive, futuristic level that gives a serene sense of nostalgia. Just like other first person shooters, you must find weapons and health that are strewn about the level. When the timer runs out, a boss appears that you must kill to receive your bounty. This proves to be a very lucrative method of earning money in the game especially early on.
There is not much that can be negatively said about the gameplay in Space Trader. The biggest drawback would come in the form of the bounty missions, which range from fairly easy to hair ripping difficult. Players might find themselves frustrated that the enemies hardly ever miss and this particular mode lacks a wide assortment of weapons. Despite these drawbacks, the FPS mode is not always necessary and possible to avoid at times.
Graphics
Don’t expect to jump into Space Trader and see the latest graphics throughout the game. What you can expect, however, is a game that will run on just about any modern computer and look decent while doing it. The exploring map that shows all of the places that you are able to travel to is beautifully drawn. However, some gamers may be put off by the lack of graphical prowess in first person mode which can be best compared to the original Unreal Tournament.
Sound
If there is one area that could use improvement, it is the in-game music. There is only one noticeable music track that plays throughout the entire game. After a few hours of game time it tends to blend into the background and is not noticeable, but it would have been nice to have some variation. However, the in-game dialogue is witty at times and worth a chuckle at moments. There is even a robot spelling out “WTF” when you intially talk to him. This initial encounter provided some comedic relief and set the tone for some of the other conversations that will be had throughout the game.
Plasmafactor
The decision to incorporate a first person mode into Space Trader was definitely interesting. Not only does it give gamers a break from trading, but it also provides a whole other layer of gameplay that adds to the overall depth of this title. With some improvements, the first person shooter mode could provide even further depth to the gameplay and further push forward the game’s storyline.
Conclusion
There are several things that Space Trader is doing right, but it falls short of perfection in the casual market. The trading aspect provides several hours of fun and would be an excellent addition to your travel laptop or the old PC you have in the house. However, you might find yourself pulling on out your hair as the level of difficulty in the first person mode fluctuates. With witty dialogue and a cheap retail price of $9.99(USD), Space Trader is sure to keep casual gamers busy and provide an interesting experience.
