Particle Fleet: Emergence

Amazing stuff, the DNA of Creeper World, except instead of a fluid simulator it runs on a particle engine.
The main campaign is short, some 6-10 hours to complete, but the additional content (and player-designed missions) more than double the playtime while still introducing new fun mechanics that require strategy alterations.
If you're new to the series, I'd still recommend that you play Creeper World 3 first, because it offers the more complete experience, and greater variety of challenge types. And if you're familiar with Creeper World and enjoyed it, you'll definitely enjoy Particle Feet too.
Comparing difficulties, I found Particle Fleet a bit easier than CW games, mostly because forming a stable frontier is not challenging. I also wish more levels used scripted events to hamper my progress. Otherwise, Particle Fleet matches CW3's quality on all fronts.

The sheer amount of community games means there is so much content to be played here. Yea the campaign can be a bit short, but the community tab, whew, it's something else. Consider as well that community maps also include community made ships on top of just the map. Your going to be using different ships on different maps for days upon end.
There is just so much content.

This game is a masterpiece. the ships feel like they would be real, it all feels polished, and every level does not feel unfair to play. creating a new ship feels nice, and it feels very satisfying to see it actually work. this game is one of my favourite games and you should get this game. and knuckle cracker, PLEASE make another particle: fleet emergence game. I am here on my hands and knees begging you to make another game.

Pretty interesting spin off on the CW series. It less base building and more of an army building. Your army isnt as expendable compared to the previous games. You're limited to 25 ships, but with the ship editor you can create the perfect ship and just spam that into your fleet inventory. I enjoyed the story, a bit short, but still enjoyed it. The MUSIC is incredible, absolute fire OST.

This is my favourite Knuckle Cracker Creeper World type game. It is surprising how good this game is considering how complex the mechanics are. I am still playing the custom levels to this day.

Better than Creeper World. No! That's heresy... but it's so addictive. Was just gonna try it out for 15 minutes before dinner. 3 hours later the sun is down and my belly is still growling!
Played another 4 hours and had to add more accolades to this review:
Seriously well-made game. Each map in story mode (which is basically a fun tutorial for the multitude of ships you can build) has a few start locations with different difficulty / rewards, so replay is possible. You can also post your time against ALL other players (as with the creeper games) The author's honed his craft through the excellent Creeper World series to the point where in Particle Fleet, it actually feels like you're positioning military assets in battle. The enemy reacts to your moves in this game, requiring more strategy including tactical withdrawals. (or perhaps I'm just not good at the game yet). The ships you control, while increasing each level, are limited so you need to protect different front lines and use your upgrades to match your play-style. I've been putting everything into defence so I can survive, but I'm sure pro-players could go full aggro instead.
After some more time, I wasn't good enough to beat the final story mission, so I tried the random map generator. Nice that you can choose a more relaxing difficulty. I also tried some download maps, but couldn't find easy ones. There are many ways to search maps, but I couldn't find sort-by-difficulty.
I still need to try out ship design.

Particle Fleet is a flat plane ship combat game, with some construction, tech, resource management, and customization.

Is a good game? Sure.

Is it as good as the Creeper World Series? No. It inherits some design elements from Creeper World, but isn't as effective as it. The game is not as unique or as compelling as Creeper World.

The Good:
-Game is unique and robust. The game is a flat plane in which you basically shoot down space junk before it breaks your stuff.
-Custom scenario designer is great. There are a lot of player-designed scenarios available, often with custom ships.
-The simulcrum map generator is great, and infinitely replayable.

The bad:
-The in-game ship designs are AWFUL. They are underpowered, inefficient, and bulky in a game that is often about positioning and cost effectiveness. You will need custom designs for higher difficulties. I almost never use the in-game ship designs if I have the option. That said, the power spike from having ship designs that don't suck is massive. The best in-game ship is middling when compared to well-made customs.
-Figuring out how to design a good ship has a lot of trial and error, which some players may not have the patience for. I do, but I know many who don't.
-Power management can be a pain. "Overbuilding" (where you build more ships than you can afford) will kill you. Ships can run out of power and their weapons go offline. I usually use self-powering ships.

The other:
-It's just not as good as Creeper World 3 overall in my opinion.
-It's a well polished but unexceptional indie title. If I had to think of games to praise in particular, this wouldn't be on it. It's a solid title but not a great one. I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10. If you really like Creeper World and want something similar in nature, this is a great pickup. Otherwise, it's a bit meh.