Kerbal Space Program

Kerbal Space Program

Hayden: Cobble a rocket together out of spare parts. Transport it to the launch pad. Count down from 10 in your bedroom. Launch it. Watch it soar majestically into the heavens over the planet of Kerbal. Detach the boosters as they run out of fuel. Resolutely guide your tiny capsule into orbit. Realize you don’t have enough fuel to get out of orbit. Leave your poor Kerbal floating in space for eternity.

Another escapee from the cold, grasping clutches of Early Access, I’ve actually been playing Kerbal Space Program on and off for about three years now. It’s an excellent space program simulator—lighthearted, with a charm that belies its unapologetic learning curve.

Brad: Unlike Hayden, I only picked up Kerbal after it exited Early Access. And while I’ve been just as enthralled as he has, the game’s found an even bigger fan in my household: my preteen daughter, who has been soaking in complex physics theories and sifting through Wikipedia pages in her quest to conquer the cosmos. I, on the other hand, love making ridiculous Frankensteinian creations loaded with rockets and watching them explode. Science!