That sounds correct, and is actually an interesting point. I don’t know if I have any space-related games that feel like they’re on this smaller scale. This one is all about conquering and doing things at a much higher level. I wonder if that’s what also didn’t work for me? The stories didn’t feel like they were there, unfortunately.

You always bring up some very thoughtful comments, Roger! Thanks again for stopping by and continuing to give me reasons to examine my solo gaming tastes. Always a great time to dig a little deeper: Helps ensure that I make better buying decisions down the line!

In Xia and Star Wars Outer Rim (and my own favourite Firefly), you’re much smaller: there are huge untouchable factions out there, and you just want to be left alone with your small ship and not come to people’s attention. (At least at the start of the game – there’s some powering-up to be done, and you may conduct a daring raid against the Imperials or Niška or even a fellow PC, but even then you strike and retreat rather than saying “har har, I’m bigger than everyone now”.) I don’t think any of them has anything on the scale of conquering a planet.

It certainly has some great things going for it! To me, it just fell short in a few important ways. I also realized I played it multiplayer a couple of times, and forgot about it since my gaming group didn’t quite love it, either. But I definitely recommend continuing to research it, as my opinion is just my own, and there are other solo variants out there that might make it even better!
I actually haven’t played either of those games, although I’ve heard great things about them! Really need to keep an eye out… I don’t think I own enough space-related games, particularly ones that are more about exploration and stories. Guess I’ll need to update my wishlist at some point!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!