Beyond Galaxyland review

I’ve talked a lot about Beyond Galaxyland in the past few months due to playing two separate previews, and when I thought I couldn’t love Sam Enright’s sci-fi RPG even more, the full game was everything I thought it would be and more. While not as long as I first thought it may be, it packs in a wonderfully personal story of friendship among a journey across the stars. I’ll forever be grateful to Sam for creating such a great character in Boom-Boom the guinea pig, and also providing a world that has so much heart whichever planet you end up on.

After a cataclysmic event destroys Earth (or so you’re told), Doug ends up in Galaxyland, a place beyond the far reaches of the galaxy where a shady corporation known as DreamCore are in control. At first, Doug feels lost and alone, ripped away from his loved ones with nothing but his pet guinea pig, now human size and with the ability to talk, well almost. The adventure you find yourself on is filled with some incredible locations and characters. Almost every alien you meet can be spoken to, even if it’s a rare line of dialogue, but this helps to make everywhere feel alive. Most are static, but they all have their personalities, and you encounter various races that feel different to the next.

That dread of being away from home has been something we’ve all felt in our lifetime, be it for a few days or months. Unfortunately, Doug is pretty much screwed, and learning the possibility of returning to Earth seems less and less likely the more you progress only fuels your desire to uncover the truth about Galaxyland, about DreamCore, about the Queen, and about every mystery you uncover. Throughout it all, Doug has his friends, and naturally he makes new ones while bumping into some he thought were gone forever. I don’t want to ruin the story too much because it really is special, but there are some sweet moments that highlight how human interaction can be amazing.

Beyond Galaxyland is a side-scrolling RPG. Outside of combat, Doug can jump across platforms and solve environmental puzzles, interact with the environment, and chat with a colourful class of characters. There are some brilliant designs, and humour plays a huge part of these creations. My favourite has to be a hip-hop hippo who you have to fight in a bar. I can’t actually remember if he looks like a hippo now, but Flight of the Concords hiphoppopotamus comes to mind. Enough talk about hippos, anyway. Come to think of it, I’m sure he wasn’t a hippo.

Anyway, combat is simple yet effective, with multiple ways to get the advantage on your enemy. Your party grows the more you play, and with new characters come new attack methods. The fundamentals revolve around attacking with basic attacks, using an ability specific to the party member, and using a summon. When you attack, you might miss on occasion, but for every successful hit, you earn an ability point. The more ability points in your pocket, the more abilities you can use. One of my favourites was a character called Rosie’s ability to do a lot of damage from long range, which came in handy on multiple occasions.

Summons are also a huge part of combat. As you start to weaken enemies, Doug can attempt to catch them and then use them in later battles. When calling on these summons, they’re another branch of your fighting tree that can be harnessed for maximum effect. Some will do damage, some will recover HP, and some might lower an enemy’s defences or slow them down. There are a lot to find and capture, giving you plenty to experiment with. You can also find Artefacts that can be equipped to your party that add buffs like extra hit points, a chance to do a follow-up attack, and more.

Doug can also use his camera to study enemies, and if you ever fight one after snapping them, you’ll learn their total health, strengths, and weaknesses. This can be done in combat at the cost of ability points, so doing so while exploring is the best option. On top of its exciting combat, you’ll also be able to fly across the cosmos and discover new plants to explore. Some will be tougher than others depending on your level, but they can always be gone back to when you feel like you’re ready. A lot of the quests in Beyond Galaxyland are about going somewhere, finding something, and returning to an area.

They aren’t particularly challenging, however, the odd quest comes along that gives you something else to do. Getting to ride on a speeder as a human-sized, sentient guinea pig was unexpected yet pretty cool. Moments like this make up a lot of Beyond Galaxyland. It’s so impressive that it’s been made by one person. The story is wonderful, and the conversations between Doug and his friends or strangers you come across are beautifully crafted with both heart and humour. The visuals are also stunning, with its pixelated aesthetic allowing the variety of locations possible.

Beyond Galaxyland is filled with exciting combat and an engrossing story. I loved watching the relationships unfold just as much as I did the overarching story involving DreamCore, Malefactor, and other important facets of the narrative, but most of all I loved its characters. They’re relatable, likeable, and you’re always rooting for them. If you haven’t had your eye on this and love old-school science fiction and classic turn-based RPGs, this is definitely something you need to play.