Jump Space Review

Jump Space developed and published by Keepsake Games is a bold leap into sci-fi co-op action, and it is a game of two halves—one polished, with one still finding its footing.

The story so far

The general story is you are a survivor of an ongoing conflict with “the Legion,” a hostile military group that is controlling more of the sector of space you find yourself starting in.  The game is a Third-person, Sci-fi, FPS with elements of exploration, looting, ship combat, as well as upgrading both your equipment and your ships.

You start the game on the craft named “The Catamaran”, a ship which is a perfect place to learn the workings of the game and how to improve yourself and your ride, New ones can be brought back to “the Hangar”, your home that you will constantly return to in this adventure. You will also meet characters at certain times in the campaign here, which can give you small missions when you want a snack instead of a full, sit-down meal.

Main missions last anything from 20 minutes to over an hour, dependent on your difficulty level selected and your current equipment.  At times, your character will have the ability to leave the ship, either to repel boarders from the outside of the ship or to use your jetpack to reach areas that contain lootable items. These are sometimes ship upgrades, modifiers which work exactly like buffs in a standard RPG. The abilities of you or your ship will change dependent on certain conditions being met. When you start, these modifiers are taken from you after each mission, but you later get to keep some upgrades, increasing their power and effectiveness.

Single Player: Iterative, but Irresistible

The solo campaign is a joyride through asteroid wrecks, ship interiors, and Resistance skirmishes. While some mission structures feel familiar, the variety of objectives and environments keeps things fresh. It is iterative, yes—but the kind that invites mastery rather than monotony.

You are accompanied on your journeys by a robot “Buddybot,” who is your wise cracking gunner, engineer and wingman when you leave the ship for on foot missions (although his verbalisations do get a tad repetitive after a few hours).Buddybot serves a purpose, but it is in multiplayer where the game really gets into its stride.

Multiplayer: Brilliant When It Behaves

Co-op is where Jump Space excels—when it works. Boarding enemy ships with friends, coordinating jumps between nodes, and scavenging for upgrades feels like living out your own sci-fi legend.

The duties on board your ship are split between the players available, so with two players you will have a pilot and a gunner.
But technical hiccups are frequent. I have been booted to dashboard mid-level and especially when transitioning between map nodes. Stability needs serious attention.

Visuals and Design

Ship interiors are stunning—gleaming hulls, flickering panels, and atmospheric lighting that sells the spacefaring fantasy. Enemy robot designs, however, lack the same detail and flair. They are functional, but don’t quite evoke the menace or mystery you’d expect from a galaxy-conquering machine army.

The Verdict

Despite its flaws, Jump Space keeps pulling me back. There is something magnetic about its gameplay loop and the promise of what it could become. If Keepsake games can iron out the co-op bugs, this will go from “highly recommended” to “compulsory purchase.”