Space Engineers is a game where imagination is the limit... or the game's coding, whichever gives out first. I've been with Space Engineers from super early on, and they've come a long way. The Steam Workshop integration allows for sharing of blueprints, scripts, and mods to overhaul your game experience for infinite replay-ability. It's one of my favorite games to play when I have time to spare, and nothing better to do. The game itself has some good and some bad, but still a pleasant experience regardless.

 

The bad are few and far between, as the game's been around over a decade now, and is still going strong... in my eyes.

 

--- The game is bland without friends. It takes forever to get anything started without helping hands, and being by yourself in space is not very fun at all. Even more so when the AI decides to come harass you and destroy your hard work.

 

--- Beware the wrath of "Clang". The physics are fidgety and have been for so long, that the player-base now blames Clang, the god of Space Engineers physics, for everything that goes wrong that just doesn't make sense.

 

--- Sometimes it's hard to see what seems to be a singular voxel. It's puny, but will still absolutely demolish anything that crashes into it. If you live in a war-torn region, carry plenty of spare components to fix your vehicle while exploring.

 

--- Essentially zero automation can be done without coding experience. Those with no knowledge in coding and a lack of friends with the game get to do all the hard work by hand, with no choice in the matter.

 

--- Player trading is quite confusing, and takes some getting used to. It's faster to put items in a container than to navigate the trading menu.

 

The good on the other hand make the game worth playing. The more Keen works on the game, the better it seems to get... up to a certain point.

 

--- DLC are optional, and do not affect gameplay in any way. DLC are purely cosmetic. And some of the blocks look quite nice.

 

--- The community that powers the workshop is fabulous. Almost any mod you could ever want exists, and can massively overhaul the experience. MES is one of the most popular ones, as it makes the universe so much more dynamic. Imagine minding your own business building a starter outpost just for a war to happen directly above you. It's quite exciting, I dare say.

 

--- The economy system that was implemented adds worth to everything. I have yet to find a true RP server... but maybe one day.

 

--- You can put parts together in just about any way. Make a train, car, mech, and whatever your heart pleases.

 

--- Game has creative and survival modes to fulfill the needs of both categories of players.

 

--- Blueprints system is a godsend. Being able to save blueprints for later, and in any other save is something I never thought I'd be unable to live without.

 

--- Projectors allow you to use blueprints to auto-build and auto-repair ships when combined with partially automated welding arms. Ends up saving tons of time when building ships. Spend an hour or two building it once, and then spend five minutes every time afterwards to print another one.

 

I bought Space Engineers out of pure curiosity when I was still in high school, and ended up sticking like glue. Sometimes I'll hit a spree for it and disappear off the face of the Earth for a week, which leaves my friends calling me to see where I've been. If you're interested in a good open-world survival experience with a slight sci-fi feel, then snag SE and download the MES plugins and take your brain on an adventure.