Kerbal Space Program

Kerbal Space Program is a hybrid of a spacecraft simulator and a physical sandbox. You assist an alien race named Kerbals in exploring outer space. So you build aircraft and rockets, develop new engines and modules, design devices, and finally test them. It’s a smart game; so if you install Kerbal Space Program, it will make you smarter too!

Aliens Like Humans

Though Kerbals themselves are typical Little Green Men, their space program looks quite earthly. It’s no coincidence, but a physical necessity. The game is in complete 3D, with not only space but physical laws like gravity and inertia accounting existing objects.

The spaceships (and everything else) may look schematic and primitive, but you may perceive them as real-time models on the display of your dashboard, and it changes everything.

Physics Is Fun

So, your mission at Kerbal Space Program is to explore outer space. To complete it, you should improve your rockets, explore new technologies, combine available engineering solutions to compile the most suitable spacecraft, and never give up. 

Various missions require various equipment. If you just establish the orbit around your planet, the initial speed should be lower than that necessary to go beyond that. The more cargo you carry, the more fuel you will need, and that adds to the weight of the rocket even more.

The capacity of the launch site is limited. New technologies cost money. Space exploration may deliver something worthy, but usually, it’s not as profitable. Space tourism is available, but its requirements are high. You will have to master both engineering and economy to succeed. There are easier modes, though, letting you focus on engineering or just create from scratch.

Kerbal Space Program is considered one of the hardest space simulators. Even given that its physics is still simplified, it lets the player see what the proverbial “rocket science” actually is. With user mods, it can become even more realistic; some of them refine gravity, others add new elements to use in rockets, some just enhance the visuals. 

It Takes a Workspace

Kerbal Space Program is a big game. Not in terms of size – it’s about 4 GB, and not in terms of requirements – a typical PC of 2015 will handle it easily. The interface, though, is complicated, with multilevel menus and small details. It’s easier to play Kerbal Space Program on PC with mouse and keyboard, closely to the display. Still, if you want a really smart game on your PS4 or Xbox One, Kerbal Space Program is among these few.

The Space Simulator #1

Some even call Kerbal Space Program “the space version of Minecraft”. There is some difference, though: Minecraft is rather about artistry, while KSP is physics-based. We’d rather compare it to Universe Sandbox, but the latter only deals with simulating nature, and KSP is about intelligence invading.

• Graphics 4.5
• Gameplay 5
• Controls 5
• Replay Value 5

Pros

Simple but spectacular visuals
Realistic (though simplified) physics
Almost unlimited freedom
Requires deep engineering thinking
Cute Kerbals

Cons

It’s a game to give many hours to
Complicated controls on consoles