Keep talking and the spaceship might not explode
When I first saw Fueled Up, I let out a “Dude, yes!” Some of us are endlessly searching for more couch co-op games with an Overcooked vibe, and this one — a so-called “spaceship recovery game” — has the look. So many other games come close but don’t quite nail it.
Fueled Up is about fixing spaceships before they spiral out of control and prioritizing your to-do list as a solo player or a team. In other words, it’s about cutting through the chaos.
So what makes this stand out where other (at times very similar) frantic teamwork-oriented games fall flat? A major thing for me is the way characters move — the zippier, the better. These games are often about getting from Point A to Point B while dealing with a bunch of detours along the way as “Oh shit, no!” surprises pop up. If rushing through obstacles and tackling emergencies feels energetic, not sluggish, then that’s a great sign.
It also helps that the wacky sci-fi premise of Fueled Up is larger than life, with an “evil space octopus” in the mix alongside threats like asteroids and wormholes.
Beyond a bare-minimum level clear, players can also strive to finish “extra objectives.” For the sake of replayability, I hope those goals encourage alternate approaches and the criteria for earning three stars (as seen in the top-right) is tough but fair. I want a reason to return, especially if the levels are taking more of a quality-over-quantity angle.
While this is the first time I’ve heard of Fueled Up‘s Polish developer, Fireline Games, the studio’s previous title, Intensive Exposure, is certainly an eyebrow-raiser.
Fueled Up is launching on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2022. While I tend to highlight games that have couch co-op first and foremost (since local support isn’t nearly as prevalent as we’d like), it’s worth noting that this one will have online multiplayer, too. It looks so fun.
There’s nothing in gaming that makes me happier than a lively co-op game. Straight up.
