Smugglers 4

Common knowledge states that space is quite big, even more so than we previously thought. Naturally, human curiosity and imagination came up with a lot of stories and fiction regarding the possible outcome of a galaxy-wide civilization, one that works together in order to trade resources, culture and technology. Naturally, one might also ponder if war would be part of the equation, especially when different races are involved.

Smugglers 4 is a turn-based strategy game that’s heavily focused on trading and economical simulation, but it also allows you to play aggressively and make a profession out of smuggling goods, assaulting merchant routes, or just living the life of a pirate, by avoiding the authorities and searching for treasure. The galaxy is big enough to try everything at least once, but you should avoid biting more than you can chew, otherwise the game over screen makes an appearance.

At the beginning of the game, you can choose a name and an avatar for your alter-ego, as well as as the desired profession. Naturally, you can opt between trader, mercenary, pirate and a few others, which are basically combinations of the three. Depending on your choice, the game can progress in a manner of different ways, since it is quite difficult to battle foes using a slow and heavy trading ship. Moreover, you can gather experience points and spend them by acquiring new useful skills in the art of trading, or being a successful mercenary.

Whenever you stumble into an encounter, the turn-based mechanics become a bit more obvious than on the world map, given the fact that you have a limited number of action points available each round. You can shoot your weapons, use the ship’s special ability, or fire rockets at the enemy ship, the latter of which requires a few turns to yield any results. It is also possible to destroy missiles that are on their way to you, although each action costs points and you may be unable to strike back in the same round.

From a technical point of view, the game is almost entirely composed out of static imagery, which no 3D models, special effects or any other kinds of glittery stuff. On the other hand, there is a fair amount of hand-drawn art to depict the ships and various other objects, which is enough to fuel the illusion turn after turn. The planets are small and not particularly impressive, while the ships are quite nicely portrayed to convey the science-fiction gimmick.

All things considered, Smugglers 4 may not be at the top of its class, but it does incorporate a lot of content and the mechanics are refined enough to become addictive. The encounters can get repetitive after a while and the ships cost a bit too much in the beginning, but after you get to know and understand its flaws, the game turns into quite the nice distraction.