Shortest Trip to Earth

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 897 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Shortest Trip to Earth Game Cover
If you are a fan of FTL and other similar games and would like a more in-depth experience I think you could get quite a bit of enjoyment out of Shortest Trip to Earth.
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"Shortest Trip to Earth" is a roguelike spaceship simulator where you navigate through a procedurally generated universe. Manage your crew, ship systems, and resources while encountering various alien species and events. Your goal is to reach Earth, but with permadeath and randomly generated challenges, each playthrough is a unique journey.

  • PC
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 897 reviews
gameplay50 positive mentions
grinding46 negative mentions
  • Engaging gameplay with a mix of resource management and tactical combat.
  • Offers a deeper experience than FTL with more ship customization and crew management.
  • The fate point system rewards players for their actions, adding a layer of progression.
  • The user interface is cluttered and can be confusing, making it difficult to manage crew and resources.
  • Combat can feel unbalanced, with some encounters being overwhelmingly difficult.
  • The game relies heavily on RNG, which can lead to frustrating experiences and a sense of unfairness.
  • gameplay161 mentions

    The gameplay of "Shortest Trip to Earth" is characterized by its complex mechanics and deep resource management, drawing comparisons to "FTL: Faster Than Light" while introducing additional layers of strategy. However, many players find the gameplay to be bogged down by excessive micromanagement, frustrating balance issues, and a steep difficulty curve that can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers engaging mechanics and a rich variety of systems, it struggles with bugs and a lack of polish, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term playability.

    • “In order to win, you'll need to play smart and consider every mechanic the game throws at you.”
    • “The gameplay is so engaging that when you fail a deep run, it hurts.”
    • “While it will remind you a lot of FTL in the way the gameplay is handled, its depth of complexity and variety of encounters has a more engrossing feel that has you feeling less like you're racing to the end, and more like you're just trying to keep your ship and crew in one piece.”
    • “Suddenly stopped receiving updates 3 years ago while still in a state of buggy and clunky gameplay.”
    • “Shortest Trip to Earth tries to jam in a lot of systems without thinking too much about how gameplay should flow.”
    • “The micro management mechanics were not fun; it just felt like the designer had no idea what sort of game they wanted to make, and the micro management mechanics were just a way to have the player spend all their time doing something... unfortunately that something is extremely tedious and unfun.”
  • story77 mentions

    The game's story is generally viewed as lacking depth and replayability, with many players noting its linearity and repetitive nature. While some appreciate the engaging writing and character backstories, others criticize the overall narrative as bland and underdeveloped, suggesting that more diverse quests and side missions could enhance the experience. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling driving force, leaving players hoping for future expansions that could enrich the narrative.

    • “The writing is fantastic, and I wouldn't normally care about that so much for this kind of game, but it makes exploration a delight and turns it into a better story generator than FTL ever was.”
    • “The game has interesting story elements that get you eager to get to the next sector.”
    • “Honestly, a fantastic game that very much scratches that FTL itch, and in my opinion does a better job than FTL itself, adding more layers of complexity, and removing some of that RNG in favor of strategy, and actually managing to get me invested in the story.”
    • “There's not much story to the game.”
    • “The plot and writing are paper thin and would have greatly helped the game if they had invested in a rich narrative-driven experience.”
    • “The storyline is fine, but it doesn't change for each sector, ever.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique art style and immersive aesthetics, while others criticize the clarity and detail, describing them as inconsistent or lacking depth. Many users note that the visuals can be cluttered and difficult to navigate, leading to confusion in gameplay. Overall, while the graphics may not meet the high expectations set by similar titles, they still offer a charming and stylized experience for those who appreciate the artistic direction.

    • “My first impression of this game was visually gorgeous; albeit, it is related to another game with almost similar mechanics, however, aesthetically this game got me hooked with plenty of content to immerse yourself in.”
    • “Its aesthetically pleasing and immersive.”
    • “The art style and music are well composed; simple enough to easily see what's going on, and diverse enough to keep things interesting.”
    • “The artwork and clarity from the visuals are the biggest letdown; it is easy to get lost when looking for something or click on a module versus a person in the room. It can be hard to find people or tell the difference between people and robots, etc.”
    • “The graphics are a little weak (dollhouse-ish?) and the game does appear to be ever-so slightly tainted by the politics of postmodernism in a variety of different ways.”
    • “Graphics are pretty mediocre and indistinct; ships are not very well drawn at all.”
  • grinding46 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unfun, with players often feeling overwhelmed by excessive micromanagement and repetitive tasks. Many reviews highlight that the need to constantly manage resources, crew positions, and ship configurations detracts from the overall enjoyment, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than an engaging experience. While some players appreciate the depth and potential for strategy, the consensus is that the grind often overshadows the fun elements, leading to a frustrating experience.

    • “I enjoyed the game mechanics and options initially, but because of a lot of micromanagement, repeated random events, and station/planet encounters, it became tedious and boring.”
    • “It's a grindy game with little to no pay-off for your efforts.”
    • “The micro management mechanics were not fun; it just felt like the designer had no idea what sort of game they wanted to make, and the micromanagement mechanics were just a way to have the player spend all their time doing something... unfortunately, that something is extremely tedious and unfun.”
  • replayability44 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the variety of builds and unlocks that encourage multiple playthroughs. However, some express frustration over fixed sector layouts and a lack of unique ship features, which limit the overall replay value. While there is potential for enjoyment through different strategies and achievements, many feel that the game could benefit from additional content and balancing to enhance its replayability.

    • “Replayable like nothing else!”
    • “The expectation of death and finding out of game upgrades that help you in each subsequent game adds replayability.”
    • “The game also has a really high replay value, as every run you get to unlock one ship provided you get through the sector, and a perk for every sector you go through.”
    • “If the ships had unique features then it would give the game a lot more replay value.”
    • “No sandbox/endless mode which makes this game limited in replayability.”
    • “The progression feels terrible and it's meant to have replay value but there isn't any.”
  • music29 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising it as relaxing and well-composed, while others find it dull and repetitive. Although it doesn't reach the heights of the acclaimed soundtrack from FTL, many players appreciate its unique style and overall quality, rating it around 7 to 9 out of 10. However, inconsistencies in volume and a lack of variation in tracks have been noted as drawbacks.

    • “The art team and the musicians did a marvelous job.”
    • “But yeah, the music is incredible for this game and totally matches the gameplay perfectly.”
    • “There's a lot more to the game than I even expected, and the art style, music, and sound effects are all pretty solid as well.”
    • “Sadly, there's this major problem: the music.”
    • “The music is the weakest point here; it's dull and repetitive.”
    • “The music loops so quickly it's actually annoying.”
  • stability20 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly in AI behavior and gameplay mechanics. While some players have experienced only minor issues, the overall consensus leans towards a lack of polish, with outdated updates contributing to a clunky experience. Despite these problems, some users still find enjoyment in the game, especially given its low price point.

    • “It is not really buggy, although I have experienced one or two minor bugs.”
    • “I want to close off that my short time with the game has been bug free, and I can vouch for it working on Linux (Ubuntu 18.04 - latest kernel, NVIDIA) via Steam Play.”
    • “Please remember that unless the video was made after around the 27th of August 2019, the version of the game they are playing in the video is not the bug-free, content-rich version with 10 sectors.”
    • “Suddenly stopped receiving updates 3 years ago while still in a state of buggy and clunky gameplay.”
    • “This game is extremely buggy.”
    • “But right now it's way too buggy and broken.”
  • humor19 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and subtlety, appealing to fans of shows like Futurama and Final Space. Players appreciate the blend of quirky, hilarious writing with serious themes, although some find certain jokes, particularly those about orgies and drugs, to be less effective. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with challenging gameplay, creating memorable and often laugh-out-loud moments.

    • “The game is full of good humor without getting silly, and fans of shows like Futurama or Final Space will feel at home.”
    • “I've had loads of fun playing it - it is actually a really funny game, the humor in much of the text encounters had me laughing out loud many times (especially the importance of the ship's cat).”
    • “The game is actually quite difficult, but also very humorous, and can still manage to pull at your heartstrings.”
    • “There's lots of flat, ham-fisted jokes about orgies and drugs which I guess were supposed to be funny, but they just come off as lame.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive exploration of planets, space stations, and asteroids, enhanced by dynamic music and strong writing that contribute to early enjoyment. While some players find the atmosphere lacking in depth compared to similar titles, others appreciate its unique mood and aesthetic, describing it as stylish and engaging with a captivating soundtrack. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant aspect that can either elevate the experience or feel repetitive, depending on individual expectations.

    • “Unlike in FTL, you can actually explore planets, space stations, mine asteroids, etc. The writing and the atmosphere in those parts are particularly good, and drive the game's enjoyment early on.”
    • “Very nice attention to mood and atmosphere of the game.”
    • “What I want to point out first and foremost, the whole atmosphere and feel is incomparable to any other game I played in the past.”
    • “Also no immersion or atmosphere.”
    • “The planets you visit are almost exactly the same, with only minor changes in 'flavor text', but the outcomes are exactly the same.”
    • “The whole atmosphere and feel is incomparable to any other game I played in the past.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to their crew in the game, feeling a deep attachment that intensifies the impact of losing key characters, such as the captain. The recent addition of skill leveling for crew members enhances this emotional investment, encouraging players to engage more deeply with the story and their characters' development.

    • “It's heartbreaking to lose your captain in FTL.”
    • “The devs also recently added skill leveling to crew members, which helps the player emotionally invest in the characters and advance the story.”
    • “Awesome FTL-like that made me feel deeply attached to my crew and always looking for ways to upgrade my ship's slots and systems.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users noting that performance issues significantly detract from the experience. Despite offering more content and features, the overall performance is described as subpar, making gameplay feel frustrating.

    • “It's like Faster Than Light (FTL) but with more sectors and stuff to discover, more optimizations available from the start. You can fight up to 3 ships at once, and you'll have to manage more resources.”
    • “I need to also mention that the performance in this game is just a joke.”
    • “Performance in general is not great.”
    • “It's like Faster Than Light (FTL) but with more sectors and stuff to discover; more optimizations are available from the start, but you can have to fight up to 3 ships at once and manage more resources.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Users express frustration with excessive advertisements cluttering their game library, indicating a negative impact on their overall experience.

    • “Stop spamming my library with ads!”
    • “The in-game purchases are way too expensive and feel necessary to progress.”
    • “I feel like I'm being pushed to spend money just to enjoy the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

23% average critic score

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Play time

18hMedian play time
33hAverage play time
3-51hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 15 analyzed playthroughs

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