Pew! Pew! Pew!
In a world filled with indie games and retro throwbacks, Escape Velocity Nova manages to not only fit in, but to be just as great as it was over a decade ago.
Back in 2002 I survived on shareware. This made sense considering the fact that I was A) dead broke and B) less then a decade old. My dad was subscribed to MacAddict at the time and I eagerly awaited the arrival of the software demo discs every month. On one of these discs I found the 30 day demo of EV Nova and after a few hours I knew it was something special. I saved coins from couches, chores, and dryer lint traps until I had the 30 dollars scraped together. It was the first game I ever bought, the first I modded, and the first I finished in its entirety.
Last month when I ran across the application buried deep in the recesses of my old hard drive, I was hesitant to boot it up. I know what it’s like to see a game as it truly is. The haze of nostalgia fades away and the realization creeps in that a beloved game just doesn’t hold up. I was chuffed to find out that this was not the case with EV Nova. I found out the developer, Ambrosia Software, released a compatibility update that played nice with the latest versions of OS X and that, despite a few flaws, This game is still as amazing as it was in the early 2000’s. So, with my belief in this game’s merit cemented, I'm setting out to evangelize to the masses.
Gameplay is viewed exclusively from a top-down perspective and menus are simple and utilitarian. You start off by creating your pilot and christening your ship and are then thrown headfirst into a cold unforgiving universe. There are two main area types; Space and planets/stations. When at a station you get a screenshot, a bit of flavor text, and access to the planet's services. From this hub you can buy or upgrade a ship, buy tradable goods, or search for missions in the BBS or local bar.
Nova shares a lot of DNA with other 4X games. You can choose between trading, combat, exploration etc… just as you’d expect. Although you can achieve riches and build the warship of your dreams via those means, you can’t access the top tier ships and outfits without following one of the main faction story threads. Only one faction can be joined per pilot, and after the lengthy campaign, the universe has undergone major changes. A word to the wise, the story is told exclusively through text boxes , so be prepared to read a TON of exposition.
Sprites all bank as your ship turns and engines glow as you catapult across the screen. Although simple, the graphics are well crafted and contribute a lot to the feel of the universe. Every faction’s spacecraft have a distinct look which helps keep a gamespace that could have been a cluttered mess slightly more legible. The sound however doesn’t fare quite as well.
Given the number of bullets, laser blasts, and missiles on screen in the heat of a large scale battle, the sound effects can become muddled and repetitive. Each individual effect is unique and, like the graphics, does a great job of letting you identify what weapon is being used without difficulty. It’s just a shame that once layered on top of each other they become annoying as all get out. (Pro tip: bump the game audio down a notch and play your own tunes in the background).
If you decide that you aren’t satisfied with any aspect of the game, EV Nova is extensively moddable. You can find a plethora of community expansions, cheats, and total conversions that alter the game world (do yourself a favor and download “rush from merrol bar” before you start playing. Trust me.) and if you don’t find anything that suits your fancy the mod tools are dead easy to use.
I really believe that you should dive in to this classic. It’s rare that I find a game that I love just as much now as I did as a kid, but EV Nova manages to remain engaging and entertaining, even with its flaws. Find a way to play it and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
