The Long Journey Home

This game is O.K. The main problem i see is that you'll find yourself quitting the game often just to get the landing right, save more fuel, etc. Otherwise decent game. The visuals are very well done. The stories to be told are timeless. Also the Serenity probe is a must for its versatility, the other two probes cannot compare. ...I think the probes should have the same amount of slots. The ISS Discovery is awful, but still possible to win.
At first I was wondering why the instruments would break so easily, but then I realized its a part of the game. Still, i don't like things break right after I repair it. I think the economy is very hard to get going in the early game, and you won't be able to buy anything/ be forced to land on a dangerous planet. Personal Rating: 6.5/10.
That out of the way, the atmosphere in this game is very good. The music really sets you into the situation and is awe-inspiring. It sucks you in, and if you're patient, you might attempt a play-through, or two.

I can deliberately crash into the sun a few times and NASA still thinks I'm qualified to be the person to test humanity's first warp drive

I don't think this game deserves its mixed reception. I think it's decent fun, if far from perfect.
At the very least, it is worth its price of 1 BUCK! (if on sale), if not quite its original asking price of 30 at release. If you are on the fence about buying it, go for it. You can still refund it for two hours, and by then you will know if you like it enough to keep it.
The game presents itself as a roguelike RPG, without any meta progression and a rather slim selection of starting loadouts (ship and crew). Thus it has a rather limited replay value compared to similar games, but as the first couple of runs were fun for me, I think it's a fair deal.
Many complained about the difficulty at release, however most of these issues were addressed shortly after release with an easy mode and a reload feature. If you play on said easy difficulty, the game is pretty fair and beatable in the first couple attempts, after you have learned what you are doing. A full run will probably be about 4 hours long, but it heavly depends on how thought- and careful you are.
The game is pretty well polished and has a great atmosphere with its fantastic music (I love you Kai why arent you famous yet?)
Most peoples issues with the game seem to be with the movement systems, which are rather - deliberate - to be fair.
In the galaxy view, movement is strongly momentum based, as you will orbit around planets and sling yourself from one to another to save on fuel. This is fun but can sometimes result in considerable downtime while gliding through the void. During this time, sometimes the crew will have a few interactions, which are sadly way to simple and limited.
During Lander missions, to gather resources from planets, you will be battling with the dynamic gravity and wind of said planet, predictably using a lunar-lander-like movement system. Sadly this part of the game seems a little limited and could have been a greater focus of development.
The third and last system is what I would call battle mode. Like in one of those pirate flash games, you shoot out of the side of your ship and have to turn towards the enemy accordingly. Sadly this means turning speed is balanced for battling and horribly slow at all other times.
All in all, I feel like this game feels a little undercooked in a lot of ways, but its presentation and polish make it worthwhile for a few hours of fun.