When it comes to space-faring roguelikes on iOS, the gold standard everyone’s heard of is FTL: Faster Than Light, and for good reason. It’s a perfect fit for mobile, and there are very few roguelikes that can compete with it in quality or quantity. While not as well known as FTL, Crying Suns ($8.99) has very similar notes of urgency and mystery.
Much of the game feels rather similar to FTL, though that isn’t necessarily a bad thing?what is good in FTL is also good in Crying Suns. That’s not to say it’s the same, though, because it’s not. This is most glaringly evident during combat, but also in other, relatively smaller, systems: Ground excursions, squadrons, and unlockable content.
Combat, rather than a high-seas exchange of broadsides between ships, is more akin to capital ships trading blows at range, deploying auxiliary fighters to counter and capitalise upon the enemy’s strategy. The result is a tactical experience, emphasising careful use of the resources at your disposal. Order your fighters too far forward and they may be destroyed, leaving you with a weaker force for the next fight. On the other hand, playing too passively may have the same result or, worse, end with permanent hull damage and a weakened fleet. Not an appealing prospect.
To aid in avoiding such an unfavourable outcome, each officer in your retinue comes with a specialty in squadrons, hulls, weapons, or a mix of all three. While it isn’t alwa...