Adios Amigos: Galactic Explorers
Pros
Beautiful music/atmosphere
Fun single-player or local multiplayer
Multiple campaigns for added difficulty, with additional criteria for bonuses/achievements
Cheeky references to classic games of the 1980's, Sci-Fi franchises of the 1960's, and more.
In-game item discovery log as database for what has been collected so far
Cons
Camera/zoom can occasionally be spotty
Randomization of game's planetary layouts can lead to unfair situations
Multiplayer is local split-screen only
One Small Step for Fam[ily]…
I have a… complicated opinion on astrophysics. On one hand, the astronomy sections and learning more about space, our solar system, and beyond is fascinating and so much fun to absorb as much information as possible. On the other hand, I flunked high school-level Physics, so an even more complicated setup with new factors and functions to consider is going to leave my brain a bubbling puddle of goo.
So when a family member purchased an indie game on the Xbox store that uses the term “serious astrophysics in a comic setting” in its tagline, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But to my welcome surprise, the game was true to its word—gone are the days of writing out complex equations, and in its place are realistic gravity effects, momentum-based movement, and estimated trajectory relative to orbiting planets or space stations.
And if ADIOS Amigos: Galactic Explorers can make physics fun, then you know you’re in for a treat.
Pennies From Heaven
Developed and published by Cosmic Picnic, ADIOS Amigos: Galactic Explorers (abbreviated to ADIOS Amigos GX) started as an earlier version simply titled ADIOS (Amazing Discoveries In Outer Space.) Though no longer available, a Penny Arcade comic strip, of all things, acknowledges its presence by at least early 2016. ADIOS Amigos would later release in September 2018 and eventually develop into what is available today.
Just as Tycho himself said under the comic, AA:GX feels like a very private game—not from it being made as a single-player game (changing that would be the entire point of future versions) or it being a hidden gem (changing that is the entire point of this website!,) but from how it covers such a specific, conceptual niche that still manages to be a glorious experience for families, both his and mine. This game likely holds the title of the hardest I’ve ever laughed, after a spectacularly timed meteor instantly popped onto the screen and squished our spaceship like a bug while I was messing with my siblings’ attempt to fly the ship, zooming the camera in and out by entering and exiting the ship mid-flight.
“The consensus here is that it would be preferable if you did not die.”
While the story you (and up to three friends) embark on depends on the Campaign (i.e. difficulty) you choose, there are some universal themes while exploring the universe. You are equipped with a single Utility Vessel, which functions as the primary method of transportation from planet to planet and solar system to solar system. But (as fun as it might be the first few times,) flying full speed into the nearest colorful planet isn’t going to get you far… in fact, flying full speed at all isn’t going to get you far—simplified as it might be, the astrophysics are still serious… and that comes with serious factors to consider throughout your journey.
- ☆-Data – When traveling through unknown worlds, a GPS or some form of positioning is preferred, and this is handled in the form of ☆-data. Automatically scanning large objects, landing on new planets, getting close to alien lifeforms (friendly or unfriendly,) bringing small objects back to the ship a la Pikmin, traversing through colorful gravity vortexes, or if you’re risky enough, skimming the surface of a star or event horizon of a black hole; all reward ☆-data. When enough in a solar system is reached, the ship can “Z-JUMP” to the next system, where a different amount of ☆-data is needed from the resources available there. Rinse and repeat until you’ve accomplished Z-JUMP #12, and you’ll make it to the end of the campaign… though that’s much easier said than done.
- Fuel – The ship has a limited supply of fuel that will need to be continuously restored by gathering small objects and bringing them back to the ship (again, a la Pikmin,) or in rarer cases, finding (and sometimes restoring) other machines with a white, sparkly glow and using the ship’s included Tow Cable to siphon the energy. It’s a little bit rude, sure, but it beats the alternative: running out of energy and instantly losing.
- Hull – While not actively drained like fuel, the ship’s hull—represented by a wrench icon—is just as important, as if it reaches zero, much like fuel, the game is instantly over. It thankfully doesn’t decrease just from usual flying, but a rough landing, a graze against a meteor, space station collision, or reaching too high of a temperature all damage the ship’s hull, and barring a rare item, the only way to repair the ship is by using the already-valuable fuel, so it’s best not to even scratch the paint if you can avoid it.
- Health – Normally, health is the #1 priority in a game, but depending on how you play AA:GX, it could actually fall anywhere priority-wise on this list. Health can be lost from hostile aliens, landing in spikes, colliding with something at too fast of a momentum, or reaching too high of a temperature and catching fire. Like with the hull, the only way to heal is to use precious fuel or find a rare item, so losing health should be avoided when possible. However, when there is more than one player, losing all your health and dying does not necessarily mean the game is over; if the remaining players can bring the ship over to your unresponsive body, you are automatically deposited into it and – if you’re willing to drain enough juice to heal to 20-30% HP – you can actually jump back out and continue the adventure (no such luck if you’re playing single-player though, sorry.) If you abandon an unresponsive buddy in a previous solar system, there’s even a very rare chance their body can be found floating around later on, in case you have better fuel sources and can now properly retrieve and revive them.
Party Like It’s 2001 (or 1968)
As mentioned earlier, different Campaigns correspond to different difficulties and cover different story arcs. All but the Introduction are 12 Z-JUMPs, and all but the Introduction award a trophy upon successfully making it to your target destination.
Introduction: The basic tutorial for the game. Your automated space shuttle trip is disrupted by a severe asteroid strike. ZING, your ship’s egotistical navigational computer, uploads itself to the shuttle’s attached Utility Vessel, akin to a small rover-slash-escape pod. Upon surviving the crash, ZING teaches you the basic mechanics, including refueling the Utility Vessel, healing yourself and repairing the Vessel’s hull integrity, piloting the vessel from planetoid to planetoid, and scanning objects for ☆-data in order to Z-JUMP to another solar system, one light-year closer to home. After three Z-JUMPs, the tutorial ends and Odyssey is unlocked.
Odyssey: Easy Mode, and a continuation of the Tutorial’s theme of making it back home. Planets and scannable objects are prevalent, allowing for liberal use of the Utility Vessel’s thrusters, tow cable, and healing/repair. This is probably the best Campaign for exploration and discovering new items, and is a good starting point for younger players. After 12 Z-JUMPs, the player astronaut(s) arrive home to a hero’s welcome and a shiny bronze trophy, and Voyage is unlocked.
Voyage: Medium difficulty. It’s good to be home, but leisure doesn’t last—ZING reports that the home world has lost contact with a distant research colony that had been investigating “blobby-looking lifeforms infesting space stations,” and it’s placed upon you to traverse to the colony and check on them. More ☆-data is required for each Z-JUMP, and may require searching asteroid belts and space shuttles to find the last bits of ☆-data needed. Making it to the research colony awards you a silver trophy and unlocks Endeavor.
Endeavor: Hard Mode is putting it lightly. The blobby-looking lifeforms have left researchers stumped and unable to identify them. Picking up where their research left off, it’s up to you (and any friends that come along the way) to find the source of this blob threat… and that means twelve more Z-JUMPs through even more grueling, dangerous systems, without any shortcuts. “Endeavor” really puts into perspective that you’re traversing a deadly universe in what is effectively a glorified minivan. Teamwork is essential, and critical decisions may need to be made on healing or repairing the ship… or forgoing either to save on energy. Good luck going for gold—you’ll need it.
In Conclusion
Adios Amigos: Galactic Explorers is an incredible game that was clearly made with passion and love. It’s ironic for a space-focused game to have so much atmosphere, but the beautiful starry visuals and phenomenal music will stick with you for a while, and that’s assuming you don’t get stuck to the game for a while! The many different discoveries, unlockables, and secrets in the roguelite gameplay style incentivizes a “just one more round” mindset, and enjoyment can be found regardless of how you play. Revisiting this game for the review was a blast, and I’m excited to see where Cosmic Picnic goes from here.
Interested in games with similar themes? NeverMore Niche reviews of Sci-Fi games can be found here, and Roguelites can be found here.
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