FTL is and always will be in my top 3 games of all time.

My #1 changes due to my mood, and Mass Effect pops in and out on occasion when I get the itch and play for a while, but this game… THIS game… It lingers in my mind, ever-present, waiting hawklike to strike in my memory when least expected – reminding me of all its heaping joy, wracking despair, and the visceral bliss of a victory snatched at the doorstep of defeat. I love it like I shouldn’t love things that aren’t people.

Under its 1980s-esque veneer of simplicity, FTL is a beast. It will challenge all of your well-honed space nerd skills as you battle your way across the galaxy to take a critical data disk revealing the weakness of a evil super-weapon. You will be relentlessly pursued by Rebels across a branching, randomly generated sequence of sectors, encountering mercenaries; aliens; pirates; slavers; religious zealots; and a bevy of superbly-crafted, one-off moments, each with multiple possible results determined by your crew complement, your ship upgrades, and your own interactive choices. After an embarrassing number of playthroughs, I’m still discovering new stuff.

You’ll upgrade your ship (there are about two dozen unique builds) as you scour the sectors for weapons and allies, hiring new crewmembers, each of which you assign to a specific workstation, such as guns or shields. They’ll slowly grow in skill, making it all the more tragic when they’re suddenly vaporized in a torpedo blast, or because you tried to help someone you shouldn’t have, with disastrous consequences. The Rebel threat drives you mercilessly onward through each sector and, assuming you survive to the bitter end… well… good luck, friend. You’ll need it.

The delightful 16-bit eagle’s-eye visual style belongs more to the original NES than anything from this millennium, but that becomes an asset rather than a detraction. Ben Prunty’s bleeping, crash-booming synth soundtrack bolsters the retro style with absolute, spacey perfection. Most players will lose more often than they win, but don’t give up hope. After all, you can travel Faster Than Light.

6 stars out of 5.

Nothing gets better than this.