Cargo Commander (which I keep accidentally calling Cargo Container) is a unique experience. Since it’s going to take me a little while to formulate a proper review, here’s a First Opinion to tide everyone over.

The basic premise, zip around floating cargo containers, gathering random items and dodging enemies sounds like most any other platformer. Where CC deviates is in it’s use variable gravities, random containers and destructible environments. I recently was playing through my first time and was in my third sector. As usual I used my ship’s magnet to attract a new cargo container to crash into my ship – no lie – so I could breach the side with my drill arm and loot it. I was deep in the third container when I got my warning. The game has a random time limit that requires you to return to your ship before a worm hole destroys the containers you’re exploring. No, this doesn’t make scientific sense, but it works in the context of this game.

Cargo Commander

If you’re trapped, either by baddies or time, you can drill through most walls, ceilings  and floors to escape. Naturally this takes time, so you’re vulnerable while drilling. I had to bore a hole into the vacuum of space and float back to my ship. You can do short space walks at any time (by holding your breath, according to the game, which makes perfect sense) and you eventually become pretty comfortable with using space outside of the containers for navigating. On about my third or fourth pull in my third sector (titled “aagh,” since you can choose any word to generate the sector’s contents) I found my way into a pretty large container. I never found any cargo on the first third, two-thirds of the ship, but I did find an absolute ton of baddies. Eventually they, plus too much space walking, plus space-borne enemies did me in. It was then, during the end-of-life wrap up that I saw why I was having so much trouble clearing this ship:

Cargo Commander

It was freaking massive. That little bump on the top is my home ship and most cargo containers seem to be about that size. This one was huge. However, like I said, I died. Exit: one Alphasim.

Cargo Commander is a fun title so far. It’s controls as far as jumping aren’t the best and I have the same aiming trouble I did playing Awesomenauts on PC but I’m going to keep playing. Someone has to collect all that space junk, right?