Everspace 2 console review

Everspace 2 came out on PC just over 4 months ago, receiving some great reviews including ours, Rockfish’s space sim RPG was praised for its deep progression, combat, and exploration. I missed out on playing in April, but after spending hours with Everspace 2 on console, I’m happy to report it’s just as sublime, especially with the way the DualSense has been integrated to help immerse you in the chaotic space battles and vast travel. There’s so much on offer, plenty of loot to find and improve your ship, and a story that is interesting and filled with lore that you’ll never be bored or short of something to do.

I don’t want to rehash the ground covered in our original review, but there’s so much I want to talk about. While traversing across various star systems and finding tons of missions and battles to engage in, Everspace 2 on console feels so good to play with the PS5 controller. With dogfights so intense, gameplay is incredibly responsive. Sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed by multiple enemies. Fortunately, getting out of tight spots and turning fluidly to hunt down a target is smooth and effective, as you can turn quickly, roll out of the way, boost towards limited choke points, and make use of the environments to force temporary barriers between you and your enemies.

In the early stages of Everspace 2 on console, I got frustrated by how quickly my ship got shot down. Enemies are ruthless and the universe is endless and open, but there’re ways to get the upper hand. When groups of four or five ships can attack you at a time, it pays to be patient, either firing from a distance or using stealth elements to pick them off one by one. Floating rocks, abandoned facilities, and debris can be hidden behind to avoid detection or block fire, so using these helps mitigate the damage being done to you.

There’s also the DualSense’s haptic feedback that helps to provide updates to your ammo and its depletion by giving particular feedback when you’ve ran out, as well as doing so once your boosts are emptied. You start to become familiar with these telltale signs, and it helps when you’re right in the middle of a battle, prompting you to retreat if only for a second, or switch to another weapon in order to destroy those enemy raiders and elites. When retreating or travelling elsewhere on the map, the adaptive triggers offer varying speeds to disappear at, adding to that level of immersion.

Everspace 2 on console looks incredible. From your ship’s detailed designs to the beautifully crafted space you find yourself in with every new location. There’re tons of lighting effects as stars reflect off the camera angles, and the level of detail in space stations, trader ships, and more all bring to life the fantastic work Rockfish has done in building this gorgeous yet daunting world. While it looks fantastic, it performs at a steady 60fps, making it a joy to play as you enjoy the rich campaign and the many, many battles along the way.

There are countless missions to undertake, from fetching items for various characters, investigating mysterious signals, battling raiders, and more. Everspace 2 on console has all the trappings featured in the PC version, however, it now immerses you in a way the PC version didn’t thanks to the haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features of the PS5. If you missed out back in April, it’s well worth investing if you’re a fan of dogfights in space, featuring a great loot system that allows you to constantly change your build, new ships to unlock, and a control system that feels like a dream to play.