In Jump Ship, four of you take control of a spaceship and take on hordes of enemy robots in space and on ground missions. We were able to try out the co-op shooter.
The clock is ticking. Only 45 seconds remain before time runs out and the enemy troops call for reinforcements. With our valuable loot, we fight our way towards the landing platform, processing robots into scrap metal left and right. 20 seconds to go.
We toss the crate and its contents into the airlock and sprint to the cockpit. Two seconds before the end of the countdown, our spaceship takes off. Several enemy ships appear on the scanners and we barely manage to ignite the warp drive and reach our base.
This is Jump Ship at its best: exciting, challenging and often a bit chaotic. But what exactly is it that makes the co-op shooter so appealing and what are some of the remaining questions?
What did we play?
We were able to try out a beta of Jump Ship together with the developers and experience a mission that lasted about an hour. This early version is currently also being tested by selected players as part of a closed beta (you can sign up on the official website ). Jump Ship is scheduled to be released in early access on Steam in the summer of 2025.
What is Jump Ship actually about?
To summarize briefly: Jump Ship is a co-op shooter designed for groups of four players. Together, we control our spaceship through numerous missions, fight against enemy fleets and make sure that our flying machine doesn’t fall apart.
We can also leave the ship at any time, use a jetpack to explore the environment freely and, for example, collect loot from defeated enemies or board enemy ships. We also end up in enemy bases, where we engage in classic ground combat with assault rifles, shotguns and the like. There’s a lot of gameplay in the trailer:
Not entirely unique
Jump Ship is not the only game in which you control a spaceship in co-op. A very similar approach is also taken by Void Crew, which left early access in November 2024. With 87 percent positive reviews on Steam, the co-op game has been well received, but currently only a few players are active.
Co-op through and through
Collaboration and communication are at the heart of Jump Ship. As the developers emphasize, the game is completely geared towards co-op and we will have the most fun in a group. Technically, it is also possible to play alone, but it is rather tedious – at least for now, the developers are still looking for solutions here.
We really need our team, especially in space: when it comes to combat, one of us has to go into the cockpit while others man the turrets or repair damaged parts of the ship. Otherwise, important systems will fail and we will eventually drift defenselessly through space.
Chaos is inevitable, especially in the first few hours of the game. When we come under heavy fire during a skirmish, we take several hits and suddenly half the ship is on fire. I sprint from one fire to the next with the fire extinguisher and complain loudly about why everything is on fire here. Meanwhile, my teammates are doing their best to fend off the enemy ships.
But even during the ground battles, cooperation is essential. If we have to steal valuable loot from a warehouse, one of us carries the heavy crate while the rest of the team provides cover.
What weapons are there?
In the ground fights, you choose one of four weapons, which come in three different, unlockable levels:
- Submachine gun
- Assault rifle
- Shotgun
- Sniper rifle
You also always have a pistol with you that has infinite ammo.
This is the only way we can successfully complete the mission. Jump Ship is really challenging in space and ground combat, at least in the preview version. With a good team (in my case, my colleagues Jules and Paul), I never got frustrated, at least not when I tried it out. If we lose our spaceship, our mission fails, but at least we get part of the reward and our ship back.
Our shared Diablo character
This is a good thing, because the spaceship is our most important possession in Jump Ship. According to the developers, the ship should work like a shared Diablo character, for whom we gradually find new and better equipment such as drives, shields and reactors.
However, we have to think carefully about improving our flying base. We can’t just install the strongest components everywhere, because our reactor only generates a limited amount of energy. To ensure that a shield protects us, we have to plug it into a power strip with very limited space. Often, we then have to decide whether we want more powerful weapons, a more stable shield or stronger engines. We can’t have it all at once.
If we have collected enough money, we can even buy a whole new ship. This is usually stronger, but may require a different playing style. So far, there are four different ships, but the developers do not rule out the possibility of adding more during Early Access.
From mission to mission
We make our money with missions that are at the center of the gameplay loop. In our hub, a small hangar, we select a mission, usually in multiple parts, where the rewards increase with the difficulty level.
We then fly to several locations and complete tasks there. For example, we have to take out enemy ships, explore a wreck, loot a camp or destroy a device that is jamming our signal. We plan our route to the final destination ourselves and choose the stopovers whose rewards will be of most use to us.
To keep us from getting bored, the developers have created a variety of handcrafted maps and add random elements for variety. An AI also keeps an eye on whether a mission is too easy for us and, if necessary, throws additional enemies in our path.
A little bit of story
While we fly around and fight the robot hordes, Jump Ship also gives us some context for why we’re doing it in the first place. Here’s a brief summary: in the sci-fi world, all the robots have flipped out and turned against humanity. We are among the survivors of the attack and are now fighting back against the domination of the machines.
The story of our struggle will accompany us through the missions of Jump Ship, but should not be in the foreground. The first chapter will be playable at release in Early Access, with more to follow later.
Until then – the release is planned for the summer – the developers still have time to fix the bugs and performance issues that are still present in the preview version. That being said, Jump Ship is already making a good impression on us and we are excited to see where the space journey will take us soon.
Editor’s conclusion
I’ve only played for an hour, but I’ve already made a ton of cool memories. Whether it’s the spectacular escape after a successful raid or the tough fight against an enemy fleet, Jump Ship feels like the kind of game where our shared experiences make the best stories.
Of course, the freedom of play also contributes to this, which impresses me the most in space. Although I haven’t been able to try it out yet, the fact that I can theoretically leave my ship at any time during a fight and even fly to the opponent using a jetpack and board him sounds incredibly cool.
For my part, I am therefore extremely excited for the release, even though Jump Ship still has to prove itself, of course: Will the technology and performance be up to scratch? Will the game still be varied and motivating to unlock new weapons, components and ships even after a dozen missions?
It is encouraging to see that the developers are apparently working closely with the community and have already given a great deal of thought to requests and suggestions during the closed beta. So it is quite possible that Jump Ship will gather a loyal fan base even before its release.
