Let's Game!: Sol Trader 6/11/2016
1Sol Trader is a unique indie sci-fi game that mashes together what you would expect from a sci-fi game of this sort (trade, pirating, mining) with a very unique relationship game that focus on how people perceive you.
Strengths:
* The relationships are the strongest aspect of the game, no other game takes the feeling that you get when playing mafia with friends where what you say and what they perceive you doing is more important than what you actually are or do.
* Trade and resource gathering, while simple is very enjoyable. Buying resources from one planet and shipping it over to another planet, while meeting people along the way is very unique.
* The game really makes you feel like a detective, finding dirt and gossip is very unique to this game. Having to track who is friends with who, leads to a very intricate web of information that you need to sift through to get the juicy details.
* The dev working on Sol Trader is a beast, with new builds being shipped out every day since it has been released. He is very open to new ideas for the game, and it feels like this game is going to really shine after a few months.
Weaknesses:
* Relaying information and small talk can be cumbersome after some time playing the game. Your listing of information can get extremely long, and having to scroll through it with each conversation can be tiresome.
* The game is a bit shallow at this point in time, where getting a job means very little, not a lot to spend money on. You don't feel as if you can make a big impact on the wonderful simulation that is happening in the background.
* There is a steep learning curve in the beginning of the game, where it is tough to determine what is doing what to your perception.
Overall, I would really suggest this game for someone that is looking for a thinking man's scifi game. Combat may take a backseat, but the relationship systems in place make for a very interesting and unique experience.