Kerbal Space Program 2: Finding Fun in Failure

ign.com:

Kerbal Space Program 2 made me feel as dense as its layered gameplay systems in the best way possible. Before my two hours hands-on with the sequel to the beloved whimsy-infused astrophysics that is Kerbal Space Program, I hadn’t played a minute of the engineering/management/space sim series. Always fascinated by it, yet daunted at the prospect of giving it a go, I was fairly hesitant ahead of jumping in. However, I’m happy to report that I had a highly enjoyable time with KSP2, finding myself pleasantly surprised by its welcome approachability. Despite it certainly being a complicated beast to grapple with at times (this is rocket science after all), I managed to find joy in small victories and plenty of fun in my many, many failures.

To those, like me, who are new to the Kerbal Space Program series, it's fundamentally all about taking a fledgling space agency made up of green-shaded, Minion-like Kerbals to the stars and back. By building rockets and plotting missions of increased ambition, you’ll venture further and further into the Kerbol solar system, all in the name of exploration. Of course, reaching far, far away planets is no simple task, and nor should it be. And so begins a brain-straining challenge solved through educated trial and error.

In some ways, the experience reminded me of my early hours with Media Molecule’s dreams - being let loose in a sandbox of possibility where experimentation and well-intentioned – but fundamentally flawed – ideas are encouraged. The generous and well-structured tutorials are presented in a light-hearted and digestible manner, and I swiftly found myself swept up in the vast possibilities that Kerbal Space Program presents. Whilst Kerbal veterans around me with thousands of hours