Can you run the best business in the galaxy?
Vostok Inc. is a twin-stick shooter in space, but also one where you micromanage a business between planets by collecting resources and planting more on them to gain even more cash, all while fending off a rival company that is the equivalent of the Mafia in Space.
Most of the time you’ll be able to fly away from enemy ships if you don’t fancy taking them on, but sometimes you’ll be trapped in a combat situation that you can’t escape from unless you take out all the enemies on screen, which can sometimes even include boss type ships that take considerably more damage to defeat. You can also upgrade your ship with the money earned from blowing up ships, asteroids and what you gain from planets, though these all are expensive and take a while to earn.
And this is where the problem with Vostok Inc. begins to show. It’s fun for a while to grind moolah to upgrade your ship and the space battles are fun but waiting around to have enough moolah to upgrade your ship or resource gathering tools becomes more of a chore and ultimately, less fun over time. It’s a shame since both concepts do work well together, but sadly drag each other out over time.
The 80s art style and pixilated visuals are a neat touch and the game runs smoothly on Switch in both handheld and docked modes. The sound effects for dialogue are a little on the irritating side, but the rest is more classic arcade-like sounds.
The Verdict
Vostok Inc. is a fun shooter twinned with managing a business, which starts out fun…but it soon becomes a bit of a tedious grind, waiting for resources to pile to upgrade either your ship or resource tools. Overall, it’s a decent game, but probably best played in short bursts.