Video Game Review - Ixion

A space opera of a management sim...

Ixion starts by asking the question "are we alone in the universe?". As humanity starts to reach into space, its ultimate success depends on the chosen few up for the task. Whether it be engineers, medics, scientists, or just plain old average Joe - everyone has a part to play. But who gets to order all these people about? And what happens when things go to pot? Well, that's something you'll soon be finding out as Ixion places you in charge of humanity's quest into the stars.

Welcome to your new home...welcome to the Tuqquin.

The Tiqquin is a ginormous ark that's been constructed to shuttle the lucky few into space in search of a new homeworld for humanity. After years of exploration, planet Earth is on the brink of being unable to support mankind. As such humanity needs a new home and the Tiqquin is the means. Across its massive bays, the Tuqquin supports its crew by offering state-of-the-art medical facilities, apartment buildings, manufacturing plants, and rudimentary space travel - a home from home if you will. Powered by the massive VOHLE drive, which allows the Tiqquin to travel between star systems, you're the person in charge of pressing the button. 

Naturally, things go spectacularly wrong (I won't spoil how), and the Tuqquin is soon left broken and abandoned in the dark. From here it's your job as Administrator to keep the crew alive, find a new home, and uncover the deeper mystery of what went wrong. It's certainly a stressful job, but someone has to do it.

On the surface, the challenge of managing the Tiqquin seems to be virtually impossible. However, across its in-depth tutorial, you rapidly introduced yourself to the systems that keep the spacecraft running. Split across three unique yet interconnecting layers, you'll manage the day-to-day running of the spacecraft while remaining committed to the overall goal. The first of these layers is essentially the management sim that we're all used to. It's here where you'll be building homes and facilities that'll ultimately keep your crew alive across their journey. You'll need to maintain stability on the station by enacting certain policies and establishing production chains that'll keep everything running smoothly. 

While it's all familiar stuff to those familiar with the genre, Ixion expands on it uniquely. At the beginning of the journey, you'll only have access to one area of the Tiqquin. Due to security lockdowns, the rest of the ship is inaccessible. As such it isn't too long before you outgrow your starting sector to then work on ending the lockdown to expand. It's also here where things get a little stressful. Each of the six sectors is independently managed by the other. They all have their own needs but rely on each other to fulfill them. This means you'll need to manage imports and exports from each sector across an intricate web of logistics. There's also a large emphasis on space management with every square inch of the Tiqquin having a purpose. Poor spatial awareness often results in a sector not being efficient, which will have a knock-on effect down the chain. 

The crew themselves are also part of this intricate management. Initially in short supply, you'll need to set up your crew to work across various sectors. Overwork them and it'll lead to accidents and dissent, but being overly cautious will lead to that break in the chain. While there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer, there's always an issue that's waiting to prey on the least suspecting administrator. 

The second system is the Tiqquin itself. As you travel the Great expanse your mother ship will need to keep up with the expansion of those of its crew. As such you'll also be the go-to person to construct solar panels, story-related facilities, drone docks, and shuttle bays. Thankfully it's a far simpler mechanic than that of the interior, but it's made harder by the stunning scenery - more on this below! 

The third system that makes up Ixion's gameplay is its fleet actions. Taking place from the perspective of a galaxy map - that's very reminiscent of that seen in Mass Effect - you'll be directing how you explore and exploit the system to your needs. From sending drones to explore uncharted plants, freighters to ferry cargo, or science vessels to study anomalies, it's all part of the wider goings on. It's also from here that you'll discover narrative strands and subplots that keep the hard sci-fi story going. 

While not strictly a mechanic, the Tiqquin itself also offers a list of potential logistical nightmares. As you can imagine, the transportation of a huge floating hulk is a task all in itself, and moving between planetary bodies is no easy feat. As the station can only run on battery power while the VOHLE drive is in use, you'll have to meticulously plan every route. The Tiqquin is also fairly vulnerable to the forces of space, with travel causing stress to the hull and other operational extremities. As such running out of power mid-journey isn't something you want to happen. Slow and steady is a much more methodical way of moving the Tiqquin, rather than racing across systems.

When it comes to actual progression, Ixion is a pretty slow game. While the full suite of sub-plots and side-missions come at a quick pace, the objectives that control the overall narrative are often a bit of a chore. In between scouting abandoned craft, or planetary bases, these critical objectives will always be active. Normally these require you to gather resources or other materials in preparation for the Tiqquin to move on. Normally this wouldn't be too much of an issue, but when you only have one resource collector at your disposal, it puts a big hump in the road. Throw in that crew morale also diminishes if you stay in the same place for too long, waiting around for a single ship to finish its job isn't ideal.

Presentation means everything when it comes to dealing with space, and thankfully Ixion is a gorgeous game. The opening cutscene is probably the best opening to a game that I've seen for a while. Its pacing moves from a corporate propaganda news report courtesy of the Dolos Corporation (no relation to Westworld's Delos...) to a gorgeous view as your shuttle docks with the Tiqquin, to then transition straight into full gameplay. The attention to detail also bleeds into the main game as you'll see the crew scurrying about supply routes, while drones and other transport ferry supplies across each zone. Switching to the outside view offers stunning orbital vistas which not only emphasize just how vital your mission is but also show how utterly alone the Tiqquin is. It's also worth switching to this external view when upgrading or repairing the Tiqquin too. Doing so will give you a front-row seat as a tiny ballet of workers in EVA suits and repair droids go about their work.

All in all and Ixion is a management sim that's worth getting lost in. Its sci-fi narrative goes to some pretty interesting places which makes it far more than a generic 'lost in space exploration. With the sci-fi genre already having its fair share of triple-A titles already in 2023, Ixion proves you don't need a massive budget to make a compelling title. 

Rating 8/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review.

Ixion is available now and can be purchased via Steam.

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