Rebel Galaxy is clearly designed to appeal to those who played and loved Elite and Freelancer when they were popular but I suspect that the game also has the potential to attract classic RPG lovers who are looking for something more than classic fantasy.

Minimalistic controls. Huge freedom of choice. Loads of fun. The only time something isn’t happening in Rebel Galaxy is when you pause it to go brew another cup of tea. [Issue#203, p.78]

While it's not as deep as it first appears, fun and fast naval-style combat and a vast explorable galaxy made me want to try out each of its different styles of captaining, and kept me happily blasting away.

The galaxy may be a bit empty, but there's still a lot to love about Rebel Galaxy. [Dec 2015, p.64]

Light on content but heavy on freedom, Rebel Galaxy is a charming romp through a frontier brimming with choices to make.

Great shoot-outs, freedom of choices and a lot of creative work in the hangar make the Galaxy Rebel interesting option for of space activities and simulation lovers.

If I was going to compare, Rebel Galaxy is this genres Burnout going up against the “Elite” behemoth that is Gran Turismo.

Rebel Galaxy is a stupendous effort from a small development team. Somewhat limited in the scope, the game shines in combat, ship progression and production values.

Rebel Galaxy is shallow but really compelling and immersive space combat and trading game.

Eschewing complex 3D flight models for whiskey and galactic broadsides, Rebel Galaxy takes the traditional space trading model, dresses it in spurs, and sets it loose on a frontier that’s dynamic, dangerous and unashamedly fun.

Rebel Galaxy appears complicated out of the gate, but it hits a steady pace after some acclimating to the ship controls and menu-based features like upgrade shops and the commodity market. The progression loop of grinding out missions, earning credits to beef up your ship, then taking it back out again is fun, but the mission design felt too familiar to keep me hooked for the long haul.

Rebel Galaxy is a robust trek through the stars, even if it is bogged down by a heavy reliance on repetition and a weak narrative. A host of systems that are all built to generate organic emergent moments, no matter what your play style, make Rebel Galaxy one of this year’s biggest surprises.

A decent debut project Double Damage Games. Rebel Galaxy is engaging and creates a great atmosphere, but the repeatability kicks in a little too early.

The game isn't deep or diverse enough to justify the 20-plus hours players can expect to invest before reaching the end. A tighter, narrower scope would have elevated Rebel Galaxy beyond being the sort of mild distraction derived from marathoning a TV show.

It doesn’t really do a lot more than what Elite achieved over 30 years ago, but this is a fun and accessible, if rather repetitive, space trading game.