Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

They say that love conquers all, but it doesn't hurt if you can team up with a partner in a custom, well-armed, prototype spaceship to help tip the scales in Love's favor. Luckily for the universe at large, that's exactly what you get in Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Unfortunately, this particular ship is a little understaffed. Everything, from the gun turrets and shields to the thruster and navigation map, are controlled from individual computer terminals. With only a two-creature team manning the ship, you have to frantically run from terminal to terminal to keep it in one piece. Single-player mode lets you order around an AI teammate to man other terminals, but the real fun is in the two-player multiplayer. It's a blast to sit next to another real person, frantically saying where you need each other to go and bumping into one another along the way.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is brimming with personality. The cute premise, unique gameplay, wacky characters, and colorful style all make it stand out from the usual space-shooter fare. Its biggest shortcoming comes from its pacing. Since you have to run around from terminal to terminal to get anything done, progressing through each level is a much slower process than you'd usually see in a similar game. It's not as noticeable when you have two players working together (and unintentionally distracting each other), but if you're playing solo, the additional step of ordering your AI pet around really spotlights the more methodical nature of the game. Later stages in particular can get frustrating as you run around, frequently forgetting your partner and trying to do it all yourself. Still, it's never frustrating to the point of outweighing the excitement of the game. And if you're lucky enough to find a Player Two you really gel with, it's a breeze to operate the ship like a well-oiled machine and breeze through the worst the game can throw at you.