Lead Extraterrestrial Civilizations to Prosperity in Sci-Fi Drama Lightracer Spark

Lightracer Spark is a full-fledged sci-fi narrative game that is trying to do a hard thing, and that’s to perfectly blend three very different genres: visual novel, management sim, and RPG. The good news is Smartmelon Games has the experience to make this formula work since their upcoming game is the follow-up to the studio’s acclaimed mobile hit, Lightracer Ignition, which has 5.5 million players and won the Best Mobile Game award at IndiePlay China 2020.

Unlike the original game, Lightracer Spark will be available on PC, as well. After spending around 2 hours with an early build, I’ve decided that I’ll be playing this to completion when it releases on Steam this Spring. Those who aren’t sure they would like something like this can try out the demo for free until February 13.

One of the best parts of Lightracer Spark is the premise. You take on the role of an advance being called the Amender, who visits various extraterrestrial worlds to help and guide not-so-advanced civilizations to prosperity. This isn’t the result of altruism, though. On the contrary, it’s the only solution to save the universe.

I know, it sounds pretty generic, but bear with me. Some 3 million years ago, one particular civilization became so powerful that it decided to meddle with the rules by which the entire universe operates. They managed to slow the expansion of the universe, which will one day lead to an inward collapse. Basically, all existing matter will be compressed into one singularity, and the universe as we know it will be gone.

A single civilization will survive and thrive within that singularity. They will basically become the rulers of everything that remains. The entire phenomenon described is called The Great Recoil, and you’re one of the half a million Amenders who have been sent to every corner of the universe to stop it.

The main objective of every Amender in the universe is to find primitive civilizations that have no idea what expects them and then try to help and guide them to prosperity. As a member of the UCF (United Cosmos Front), you must influence and lead these primitive civilizations to a better outcome because only united you’ll have a chance of stopping the Collapse Day from coming.

Your first mission starts on Originum, a carbon-based habitable planet where the development of the local civilization follows the standard path. Your space station gravitates on an orbit around Originum, hidden from the prying sensors of local satellites, at least for the moment. Once the AI provides you with a detailed report about the planet, you’re presented with a few options that will allow you to influence the local society.

The choices you make to guide the people living on Originum do matter. Sometimes you might fail some objectives, but you’re immediately presented with other opportunities. The demo is tailored in such a way that players will get a taste of the game’s formula, so you’ll be able to learn to build so-called “celestial projects” on the territories you control. Speaking of which, the easiest way to take control of a region is to invest energy and research, but other times you’ll have to resort to brute force.

This is where the game teaches you how to recruit, deploy and move your troops. There’s no actual combat in Lightracer Spark, but armies are always tagged with a value that represents their power. The higher the number, the more powerful is the army, so it’s easy to make tactical decisions based on that.

It’s a fascinating game of politics, warfare, and diplomacy. Think of Game of Thrones, but at an intergalactic scale. The projects you choose to invest in may often reward you not just with resources but they can also unlock new buildings that can provide you with precious goodies.

As Amender, you have to manipulate the territory, manage resources and influence the landscape to affect the way the local civilization evolves and progresses. There’s also an interesting part that isn’t available in the demo where you can actually make deals with other highly advanced civilizations by traveling to the center of the universe. I have to see how this works.

Conclusion

Lightracer Spark is an interesting concept that starts small but quickly expands to epic levels. Although I wasn’t impressed with the visuals and UI, which are more akin to a mobile rather than a PC game, I was pretty excited to play my sci-fi Game of Thrones for nearly two hours.

If you like sci-fi and stories of cosmic measures, Lightracer Spark is definitely going to scratch that itch. Even though the demo offers just a glimpse of the expansive sci-fi story, I was pretty hooked by some of the mechanics and the choice system. I can’t wait to unravel the mysteries behind The Great Recoil and forge the evolution of an entire planet.