In its current form, this game is definitely more similar to a sandbox than a simulation, but it does sandbox well. What it currently lacks in dynamic environments and much of any meaningful interactions with non player factions, it more than makes up for with player freedom.

Want to build a base, but lack the confidence in being able to defend it? Build it near a friendly station. Notice that it still gets attacked sometimes, so outfit it with weapons/armor and surround it with healing/combat drones. Suddenly, you and your drones and base are doing enough damage that some of the enemies which wander in start dropping items instead of just a couple thousand credits, which you're also getting 10-20x more of. Are there asteroids and unclaimed planets nearby? Equip your base with a device that mines asteroids automatically, plant colonies on the habitable planets, and harvesters on those and the uninhabitable ones, and collect all of the credits and resources automatically with base equipment. Refine the ore, build better base gear, or craft equipment for yourself.

The beginning is slow though, like many people have pointed out, and combat is difficult without a decent amount of preparation and a strategy. And even then, you'll sometimes run into an enemy far higher level than the zone you're in. Dying is annoying; sometimes your equipped items get damaged, and you'll lose everything in your inventory, though you do have the chance to recover it. Once you get the hang of it, though, combat is as rewarding as it is punishing. The amount of credits you receive are not insignificant, and the equipment that drops, even if it winds up being worse than your own, might come with modifiers that outweigh that difference, sometimes to a rather absurd degree. One good modifier might double your total shield or armor regeneration, for instance, which becomes underwhelming when you realize that regen is decreased significantly during combat. Turns out, though, that you find an item that lets you utilize that regen to an extent during combat, and further, there are ways to transfer those shields and armor to allies. Suddenly, you're creating a ship in your fleet that is dedicated to keeping everything else alive, and feeding it all of the regen-oriented items that you find. Maybe you'll need a second ship to fill that same role, or maybe every ship does, and every battle becomes one of attrition.

Even in early access, there are already many ways to play Sector Space. Drones, bots, skills, and stations can all be used offensively, defensively, economically, or even fill a combination of roles, depending on your play style. It is a game that reminds me a lot of Star Sonata, an OG in the field of top-down space rpgs, and is a project that I will readily admit that I am eagerly anticipating the future of.

As other reviews suggest, do not sleep on this space sim if thats you're thing. The best and easiest way to describe this is Eve, top down, pixel 2D.

Finally an open world space game that doesn't suck