I had bought Fractured Space on STEAM when it became available as early access, and I gave up after a few unsuccessful attempts at finding other players. I has, however, received a big update in May. It was quite a surprise when I launched the game again and saw a few games going on.
Fractured Space revolves around fleets of battleships (5 vs 5) fighting over resources control. Each player pilots a specialized ship with its unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses, such as a slow, bulky and sturdy capital ship able to unleash hell on an opponent at close range, or a fragile sniper able to shoot targets up to 50 km away and mark their opponents for maximized damage from their team.
The game borrows elements of MOBAs, with two lanes (Alpha and Beta) containing each 2 forward stations (1 for each team) and 3 mining stations. Whoever controls the most bases or stations generates gas which will grant ship upgrades over time and which have to be redeemed at the base, or at forward stations.
A twist to the gameplay lies in the Gamma sector opening up on a regular schedule. Whoever controls Gamma and its station will grant its team an increase in capture speed, as well as an immediate bonus in gas.
The game is won when the enemy’s base has been worn down by capturing it.
Fractured Space also introduces an element of technology development, akin to World of Tanks’s tech trees. By playing a particular manufacturer, one gathers XP and can unlock new ships and new equipment. The player starts with the three basic ships: capital ship, hunter and corvette.
Finally, there is an element of crew management. Each crew member comes with his, her or its own bonuses such as faster capture, increased damage output, improved damage mitigation, faster refresh of abilities, etc.
As of May 2015, the game offers 12 ships, and about 15 crew members to be recruited.
All in all, it is a fun and fast game that is currently in Alpha development phase and will benefit from new maps, ships and crew members over time.
