Infinite Space

 DS
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Mar 16, 2010
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 67 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 67
  3. Negative: 10 out of 67
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  1. colafred4
    Jan 3, 2011
    10
    Really charming game, you really feel like you traveled to the unknown. Distracts your attention for hours.
    Has a bit slow gameplay, so that you can't recognize how long are you playing for. The difficulty level alternates between an easy-like and a very hard level, and sometimes you will need a walkthrough if your maiden language is not english, even if you speak it well.
    I recommend this    Really charming game, you really feel like you traveled to the unknown. Distracts your attention for hours.
    Has a bit slow gameplay, so that you can't recognize how long are you playing for. The difficulty level alternates between an easy-like and a very hard level, and sometimes you will need a walkthrough if your maiden language is not english, even if you speak it well.
    I recommend this because of the outstanding story and dialogues!    … Expand
  2. chasehas
    Apr 5, 2011
    10
    Now, I've played a LOT of games (going back to 1990 or so) and in my estimation, this game's plot ranks in my all-time top 10. I confess to some bias, as I love me some space operas, but let me quickly try to outline what struck me about this game's story:

    -A Japanese anime-styled game that follows several genre tropes but also ridicules them periodically. (Line from the game: "What, you    Now, I've played a LOT of games (going back to 1990 or so) and in my estimation, this game's plot ranks in my all-time top 10. I confess to some bias, as I love me some space operas, but let me quickly try to outline what struck me about this game's story:

    -A Japanese anime-styled game that follows several genre tropes but also ridicules them periodically. (Line from the game: "What, you see anyone else around here with white hair?")

    -Mature subject matter. Lengthy discussions on the nature of man, man's purpose and destiny in life, religion, etc. Friendly characters become enemies, enemies become friends. Unlike most JRPG's where you're clearly taking down a stereotypical "big bad," many fights are against characters with noble goals of their own. Sometimes the game takes the classic weasel route and has the character "miraculously survive," but yeah, sometimes, you KILL them.

    -Compelling main character. Okay, yeah, you start out as the traditional "kid going off on an adventure," but your worldview adapts and changes. One bit that struck me (tiny spoiler): later in the game, you're directed to a generic informant NPC in an alley to learn the location of an important-to-the-plot NPC who's in hiding. Standard, right? Well, this informant starts boasting about how well he's adapted to the new regime in power, and how much money he's made informing on other people. Your character whips out a blade, and I'm expecting the usual "here's where the hero shows he can control his emotions bit." Nope. Murders the informant and leaves the corpse in the alley. Whoa. -Plot twists. Not predictable at all (though the ending reaches a bit).

    -Epic length. Even if you skip all the sidequests and just go straight through the story, this is easily a 40+ hour game.

    Gameplay: Unlike the amazing story, the actual gameplay is good, but not great. It's very complex; unlike most RPG's where there's only one system of character progression (gaining levels), you'll be dealing with new ships, new weapons and modules for said ships, crew (your characters, who do level up), and more. There's a couple tutorials, but generally, you'll want to refer to the manual or the in-game help system for details. This is all well-presented and fun. Module placement is unexpectedly interesting; frequently, you'll get upgraded modules that are actually worse in stats than earlier modules, but fit into a smaller space, forcing some interesting tradeoffs. Unfortunately, a lot of the game's complexity is wasted, due to fighters being vastly overpowered. Once you can afford two carriers loaded with fighters, you can win most every battle by launching the fighters and putting the DS down for a bit. Yes, even boss bottles, though you'll have to pick the DS up to relaunch the fighters every minute or so.
    It would have been a lot better if they let you control ships individually; unfortunately, your entire fleet acts as one, and your options for the entire game are limited to "Dodge" (1AP), "Attack" (1AP), and "Barrage" (Triple attack, 2AP, misses if enemy uses Dodge). Okay, later on you can launch fighters (who act totally autonomously), trigger AA fire (useless), or board for melee combat (which uses a simple rock-paper-scissors mechanic), but those options are mostly superfluous. Compounding this problem is the lack of detail about enemy health; enemies are either alive or dead, and you'll never see a HP bar.

    That said, almost every random encounter is skippable, and everything in the game is fast-forwardable. You can skip all the battle animations (both yours and enemies') which makes the encounters very bearable.

    Overall: I know I've criticized the gameplay a bit, but this game's story is absolutely fantastic, and worth the pickup alone. Buy it if you can find it.    … Expand
  3. snakekill321
    Feb 16, 2016
    9
    Youre probably here in 2016 reading reviews on this game because its now 70$ to find a complete version and you are debating if its worth it. Not gonna lie: If you dont like strong RPG elements it isnt, but if you love space adventures, massive custom robo type customization, and a build-a-ship workshop and have 60 hours to sink into a game this is well worth every cent. The game isYoure probably here in 2016 reading reviews on this game because its now 70$ to find a complete version and you are debating if its worth it. Not gonna lie: If you dont like strong RPG elements it isnt, but if you love space adventures, massive custom robo type customization, and a build-a-ship workshop and have 60 hours to sink into a game this is well worth every cent. The game is around 60 hours long, with limited grinding, there are so many options that it never feels like you have to immediately upgrade your ship as alot of battles can be won with strategy alone, The fighting mechanics are a basic rock paper scissors kind of thing on a single dimension playing field but you can get fighters melee, and other combat based tricks for the fight. The story is heartbreaking and not a typical RPG trope. And the art is great especially for those who were getting tired of the cutsy chibi art style of some other DS games out there, im glad i spent the money on the game it was well worth the adventure… Expand
  4. GabrielBelmont
    Aug 30, 2010
    10
    I don't often post reviews but after reading what has been said on this game, I feel that I have to somewhat rectify how it's perceived. As an avid gamer I believe Infinite Space is the one the best games of the decade, and I think any Sci-Fi and/or RPG enthusiast ought to check it out while they still can.

    Let me start right away by saying that the game is austere. It's impossibly grand    I don't often post reviews but after reading what has been said on this game, I feel that I have to somewhat rectify how it's perceived. As an avid gamer I believe Infinite Space is the one the best games of the decade, and I think any Sci-Fi and/or RPG enthusiast ought to check it out while they still can.

    Let me start right away by saying that the game is austere. It's impossibly grand in scope and runs on the least powerful of all current platforms, so concessions were made. And it's got a pretty steep learning curve. I think that's what turned off most of the people who didn't like it. When I read that the game is "extremely hard," I take it the person just didn't have the patience and tenacity to learn all the subtleties of the game. Because it's deep and rich, but once you understand how it works, it's incredibly accessible and not any harder than most of the games of this era.

    But what's bad for some can be good for others, and one thing I've enjoyed about Infinite Space is that it doesn't hold your hand. It doesn't hammer plot points or tutorials on you; if you miss something the first time it shows up there's a chance you've missed it for good. And it also treats your wannabe character as he ought to be treated. The downside is that it can be unforgiving if you aren't quick to "get it". For example there's a very well done Help Menu, but it's up to you to go check it, as the game won't go over every little detail for you. I can get behind this philosophy myself but it might not be for everyone. It's old school.

    To briefly mention the gameplay, you play as the captain of a fleet of space ships. You'll start out with one, and over the course of the story come to command over a maximum of 5 ships at once. You'll fight enemy ships in battles involving a maximum of 5 enemies at once. To do so there are a wide variety of different strategies you can use, and you can fashion your fleet in very different ways depending on your preferences (e.g. favoring carriers that use small fighters to attack enemy ships, investing in heavy duty battleships, focusing on fast and agile cruisers, etc.). There are tons of possibilities and combinations, and well over a hundred models of ships.

    Aside from battles, an important part of the game is the management of your fleet. There are two sides to it: managing the ships themselves, by having new models built and equipping them with dozens of modules (a surprisingly fun, challenging and addictive activity), and managing the crew, by recruiting new members and assigning them to various posts depending on their faculties (count over 35 posts to fill and over 60 available crew members).

    Last but certainly not least, the game's plot is absolutely brilliant. Many games nowadays use their story merely has a means to put the player in a battle situation, but not in Infinite Space. The plot is very well crafted and rather complex (space politics!) and the characters behave like you'd want them to most of the time. In other words it vastly outclasses most video games in that department. If you like Sci-Fi or just good stories in general you'll have a blast playing this.

    In conclusion, I believe this game has been unfairly and somewhat hastily judged by most "professional" reviewers because of its low profile release. I highly recommend to experienced gamers and I give it a 10/10 simply because it does to perfection what it set out to do. Games of this caliber are much too rare nowadays.    … Expand
  5. Magnvs
    Nov 3, 2010
    10
    Infinite Space, while sadly overlooked by many, is an astounding masterpiece that manages to mix an high profile, long and extremely rewarding sci-fi plot reminiscent of Tanaka and Clark, well written dialogues and a believable, painstakingly characterized setting with a battle system capable to simulate the struggles of your growing space fleet (up to four ships on both sides). There isInfinite Space, while sadly overlooked by many, is an astounding masterpiece that manages to mix an high profile, long and extremely rewarding sci-fi plot reminiscent of Tanaka and Clark, well written dialogues and a believable, painstakingly characterized setting with a battle system capable to simulate the struggles of your growing space fleet (up to four ships on both sides). There is an astounding potential for customization (dozens of ships, modules, weapons, recruitable characters to assign positions in your army), and the battles themselves rely heavily on movements, weapon range and logistics, managing to retain their charm even when you hit the 60-hour mark.If you have even a passing interest in space-operas you ought to play Infinite Space as soon as possible.… Expand
  6. No3Mole
    Oct 6, 2012
    2
    Infinite Space is honestly one of the worst games I've played in my life. I started playing once and gave up by chapter 5 out of sheer boredom. Told that the game really picks up after that, I painstakingly forced myself to play deeper in some years later, and found myself converting my video game review blog into a detailed analysis of everything that is wrong with Infinite Space. AnInfinite Space is honestly one of the worst games I've played in my life. I started playing once and gave up by chapter 5 out of sheer boredom. Told that the game really picks up after that, I painstakingly forced myself to play deeper in some years later, and found myself converting my video game review blog into a detailed analysis of everything that is wrong with Infinite Space. An abbreviated list of atrocities is as follows:

    The parts selection that it proudly boasts is lacking until late game. In late game, those parts are hardly a hard choice, because they are often scaling effectiveness instead of entirely different functions, and your ships are seldom lacking for space later on. The humour is bad (to the point of just trying to use the implication of rape as a joke ala that-guy-you-try-not-to-talk-to-at-paries. The gameplay is easy. The battle sequences are literally one-dimentional. As in, Infinite Space's combat takes place along straight lines of limited distance. The dialogue options are often inconsequential. The main character, Yuri, is the most vile, loathsome, stupid, bland creature ever to grace video game lead roles. You'll occasionally find yourself grinding so that you can buy a new ship that you probably don't need, but want. Smaller annoying quirks include being prompted for input (as though a choice was presented) when only one option is available, breaking up flow, ugly visuals, forcing the player to use touchscreen in menus that would clearly be better suited for standard controls, putting the 'database' function out of reach once you load a game for no discernible reason, and the crew-assigning portion of the game being so simplistic that the choices of who to put where are absolutely obvious. There are also unlisted horrible flaws that I can't get into without spoiling the plot, what little of it there is to spoil.

    The handful of tiny praise points I could give it are just trivialized by everything that is wrong. Everything about it, from the core mechanics to the tiny details, it's just mistake after mistake in terms of good game design, and it spoils anything good that could be said about it. I'm honestly astounded that its reviews are this favourable; I felt it was my duty as a good human being to make a Metacritic account just so I could give the game the panning it so rightly deserves, and maybe warn someone who was thinking of getting it in the future.    … Expand
  7. Susano
    Aug 25, 2010
    8
    While hugely ambitious, full of spaceship parts and, well, spaceships, Infinite Space is tehcnically fine and a cracking RPG. But it does seem to lack a certain spark that keeps you wanting more, as if it's somehow empty, like space itself. Not the case really, as it's packed with content.
  8. holytinman
    Mar 7, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Anyone who thinks that this is a bad game should be ashamed of themselves. The game throws you into a massive universe full of unique people and places that you explore in your fleet of ships. The game only gives you a brief tutorial and has a hoard of points of no return but in the end that gives you a greater sense of achievement, you grow with Yuri the captain and the other crew that join you on the way; your sister Kira, the pirate Valentin, Torlo your tough sidekick and Minas the slightly excitable professor to name just a few. The bosses are not as hard as they first seem, if you keep trying you eventually find their weaknesses and you will develop your own particular fighting style. The characters are easily believable and will make you really care about their fate, whether you want to save them from pirates or destroy them utterly. The best game, in my opinion, for the ds ever made. If only it had been more popular when released it could have had a sequel.… Expand
  9. Hedja
    May 4, 2013
    8
    Infinite Space is definitely not a game for everyone. If you're a fan of space, space operas, coming of age and the more general JRPG traditions, this is definitely a game to try out.

    It has a great story spanning years, likeable characters, good music and great customisation. I spent hours between story arcs just checking out new ships and parts and customisation. There's quite a bit    Infinite Space is definitely not a game for everyone. If you're a fan of space, space operas, coming of age and the more general JRPG traditions, this is definitely a game to try out.

    It has a great story spanning years, likeable characters, good music and great customisation. I spent hours between story arcs just checking out new ships and parts and customisation. There's quite a bit of grinding involved to get money. The fights themselves can be challenge with some requiring multiple battles before being able to save which can get frustrating at times but rewarding in the end.

    The one major downside however are the two combat systems (ship and melee). Both rely heavily of luck and are based around rock, paper scissors. There's always an element of luck with JRPGs but Infinite Space pushes it a bit too far into the region of annoyance.

    Also, due to the nature of most JRPGs and their heavy dialogue and scarce save points, it's not a portable game, I spent most of the my time playing this in my house for hours on end, clocking around 40 hours in total for my first run. Quests do not have any indicators; after the initial dialogue, you'll need to remember or take note of what was said as it's never repeated.

    Infinite Space is definitely one of my favourite games on the DS and with the DS's huge library of great games, that's saying something.    … Expand
  10. Acethief
    Dec 31, 2012
    10
    The gameplay has a strong feel to it and I have played it for a good 49 hours and have not completed the game at all. If you like games that dont have the best graphics in the world and dont mind playing them on the ds then your in for a nice relaxing game of destruction. :) The game itself is not at all hard you just have to be patient the dialogue will take some time. The developers putThe gameplay has a strong feel to it and I have played it for a good 49 hours and have not completed the game at all. If you like games that dont have the best graphics in the world and dont mind playing them on the ds then your in for a nice relaxing game of destruction. :) The game itself is not at all hard you just have to be patient the dialogue will take some time. The developers put alot of work into this game and i would say that it is totally worth the 10-15$ you have to pay to get it, it is a slow paced action game though dont listen to the people who rate this game badly because its "too hard" they say this because they dont have time to read all the dialogue. When you get into space for the first time your character has to do some crazy **** to get out it is really slow at the beginning but it does pick up. Get it for GOD'S sake!… Expand

Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best DS Game of 2010
19
#19 Most Discussed DS Game of 2010
7
#7 Most Shared DS Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
  1. RPG Fan
    81
    Overall, Infinite Space is a tough game to pin a clear-cut review on. Some of its elements like its story and modification system are expansive and enjoyable, whereas the lack of a tutorial is troublesome.
    Read full review
  2. NTSC-uk
    50
    So, to summarise, Mugen Kouro is an odd and unique mix of elements. The story holds the interest of the player even if the mundane battles don't. The customisation aspects provide a refreshing break and a more immediate goal. And the spaceships almost look like they're straight out of Star Wars! [JPN Import]
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Power
    80
    This is a game for those of us who always wanted to be Captain Kirk or, better yet, to design the Enterprise. [Apr 2010, p.86]
See all critic reviews »