Lightracer Spark is an interesting take on civilization games that puts players in the role of an amender that comes from a high civilization. Tasked with guiding living beings through tough times or seeing them fall is up to you in this sci-fi civilization game. For those with experience in this field, this is a different take on a well established genre that will draw them in and hold their attention. Those without this experience are in for a task heavy ride that does a wonderful job of bringing you along while explaining the mechanics in an interesting manner.
The story here has a very simple start with you filling the role of an Amender tasked with guiding a civilization over a course of time. Starting a project may lead to you watching as years pass by before you get to see the results of your work so it is important that you look at the bigger picture when making decisions. While there are other games in this genre that are able to give you this feeling while still maintaining an engaging story, I found it soothing to make plans and watch as things unfold.
When you start the game up, there is a lengthy tutorial that guides you through a lot of the game’s mechanics before letting go of your hand. As someone who doesn’t have experience with a lot of games in this genre, it is always nice to get a full rundown of things before being let to my own devices. With a lack of multiplayer, It was nice to know that my knowledge was going to be tested against a pc and not a player who has put countless hours into learning every minor detail and optimization for the best results. This means that I was able to focus on enjoying my time here without worrying about how I would do in an online match.
Through the use of a solid and lengthy tutorial, I was able to find my way around the game’s many menus but it is important to note that things can get overwhelming pretty quickly. There is an order of operations here and I found myself forgetting what steps I should be taking before making the next move. This resulted in moments of me staring at the screen while trying to figure out what the next best thing for civilization may be.
It is important to understand that Lightracer Spark currently has one chapter out with two more planned as free DLC. I genuinely hope that the energy and mechanics here are seen in the next two chapters while improving on some of the minor mistakes that can be found. For instance, I would love subtle reminders about how some of the mechanics work when relevant. Like I said before, I often found myself trying to remember what was going on or how certain elements actually worked. The DLC is a perfect opportunity to introduce new civilizations to interact with as well as clean up some of these mistakes found here.
Lightracer Spark has a wonderful artstyle and an even better soundtrack to accompany it. The world continues to turn as you make decisions and navigate the menus. A peaceful and soothing soundtrack plays in the background and I soon found myself turning off my podcasts to just listen to the soundtrack as I helped guide my civilization to prosperity. When cutscenes play out, it is done with a beautiful yet simple art style that doesn’t wear out its welcome or clash with the games aesthetic. Since this is a civilization game with visual novel elements, it is comforting to know that these elements all flow well together without clashing or causing any issues.
With a simple UI and a basic story to follow, I believe Lightracer Spark is a great addition to anyone’s library that is looking for something soothing to play. With a tutorial that ensures players are knowledgeable about the mechanics here as well as a visual style that makes it easy to get lost in, this game is a relaxing journey to go through that has moments of frustration. If you are able to overcome this initial feeling of frustration and really commit these mechanics to memory, you will find a gem of a game that utilizes all of the mechanics introduced in the game. It is nice to see that everything introduced here continues to show up down the road, even if it is infrequent and hard to recall right away.
