Over time, that spark; that special something; that novelty, if you will, of a Kairosoft 'sim' game started to wear off, even despite refinement of the genre from its rough beginnings on the iOS with Game Dev Story. Seeing the same elements again and again brought an ugly sense of deja vu, but Epic Astro Story breaks the cycle, daring to re-purpose ideas we've seen before to create something novel once again.

At first the player is greeted, almost like an old friend, to the familiar layout of a town-management sim from Kairosoft, complete with townsfolk that work in fields; carry resources to the docks; and end the day in a cosy home. The cute, miniaturized sprites and familiar touch-based menu interfaces have also returned, so fans will find themselves jumping in with little prompting required.

However, aside from the basic setup, things quickly evolve in to something very unique. For starters you're limited in how much space you have available because you've just colonized a new planet. You also have friendly aliens popping in to check out the quaint humans who have just settled, kicking off a tourism industry as well. In order to expand in to a true metropolis, you'll need to explore the lands around you by forming groups of colonists, sending them off to automatically explore and encounter random events... including automatically resolved battles.

Exploration rewards the player with money as well as 'research' points, both of which can be used to develop new technologies that extend either the trade, tourism, or exploration gameplay elements. The more you explore, the harder it becomes without better equipment and more experienced colonists and you'll soon find yourself being crushed by 'boss' creatures if you expand too quickly.

Thankfully more recruits can be found by exploring other planets, simultaneously improving relations with the other races. Unlike some prior releases, you will encounter one new colonist at a time, making the decision to hire them and return back to your planet, or stay and explore some more - potentially unlocking a new technology - a pivotal choice that can determine the success or failure of your colony.

Being stuffed with sci-fi and generally geeky references doesn't hurt the game either, making it an amusing experience on top of everything else.

If you've been hesitant to jump back in to a Kairosoft title - hesitate no longer; this one is a keeper.