X Rebirth

X Rebirth is a space simulator created by Egosoft Studios, the creators of the previous games from X series. However, this is not a straightforward sequel - the developers decided to rethink the main assumptions behind their iconic game series and introduce new ideas. The main goal was to simplify the game without sacrificing its many features and gameplay mechanics.

The game’s story is set several years after the events from the previous installment. A gigantic supernova rearranged the balance of power in the galaxy and destroyed many major civilization centers. Now, the most resourceful humans and the aliens need to carry out the task of returning their world to its former glory. The space has changed beyond recognition - primarily the number of known sectors has been reduced. There also appeared some huge clusters of space stations and galactic highways between them.

X Rebirth introduces a campaign narrative that is better constructed and more clearly marked in the game’s world. You play as Ren Otani, a young adventurer who accidentally gets on board of a prototypical ship called The Albion Skunk, formerly known as The Pride of Albion. Soon he is joined by a woman named Yisha, who is involved in political affairs of the region. This way, Otani gets involved into an intrigue concerning abusive practices of one of the most powerful factions in the known space. The campaign story is full of plot twists, and at the same time it serves as an introduction to basic gameplay mechanics. The knowledge acquired that way can be useful in free play mode.

X Rebirth is not without major changes as compared to the previous installments of the series. First of all, a player can personally control only one ship. This is compensated by optional use of remote-controlled drones and military and transport fleet management. Now, it is not enough to buy a new ship - each of them needs to be filled with a crew. People can be hired on space stations, which make up another novelty in X Rebirth. There are also merchants selling smaller items inside such facilities.

The ways of making money have also changed - not only can you perform simple combat or transportation missions, but also trade in smaller objects, loot cosmic litter using a long-range radar, or look for promotions and bargains. This last element is connected with a system of analyzing the components of a station - the more you know about a given facility, the better deals you can expect. There are also all the traditional features: it is still possible to trade on a wholesale scale and build your own stations. Now, however, you can only build them in predestined places in a given zone.

X Rebirth creators introduced a lot of changes to the interface, which aimed to simplify the game. One of the things Egosoft is proud of, is that all the game aspects can be easily controlled with a game pad. Unfortunately, these changes caused many people to believe that the game is less friendly to keyboard and mouse users. On release, the game was full of technical errors – the German developer systematically removes them in frequently released updates.

Last updated on August 14, 2015