In the second of a series that explores the gaming habits of the minions at Tag Towers, we asked Digital Marketing Executive Gavin Moffat what's been taking up his free time.
Tell us about what you've been playing then.
I've recently been hooked on Spaceplan, a premium clicker game that's a little different and dare I say, a little less cynical than many of its contemporaries.
So what makes it different?
Well first of all it's a premium game, which is rare in the clicker genre and shows confidence in the product from the developers. This got me intrigued from the start and what I found was a twist on the genre that proved quite different to clickers I'd played before. Spaceplan has a fairly in-depth narrative that unfolds as you play, which is based around space exploration and gets more and more ludicrous as the numbers increase in magnitude. Matt Damon aside, who would have known that potatoes are the key to unlocking the darkest secrets of the universe?
What about the gameplay?
In terms of mechanics Spaceplan is broadly similar to titles like Cookie Clicker and Adventure Capitalist. You start tapping to get your resource (in this case wattage) and as you gain more wattage you unlock new tools and upgrades, which in turn increase the speed at which you gather resources. Gameplay-wise it's nothing new at all but the slick, minimalist presentation, sense of mystery and snarky humour made it really stand out.
Is Spaceplan a game you can see yourself returning to long-term?
My usual cycle with clickers is to get hopelessly addicted for a few days, start having fever dreams about cookies or dollar signs, then quickly uninstall the game and vow never to return. Spaceplan however has a clear ending and I think I'm almost there, so I'll definitely be seeing it through to the end. Getting there without the experience dragging on or hitting paywalls has been refreshing and for £2.99 it's been a great experience. Highly recommended.