Aetherspace

About

Aetherspace is a game about turn-based battles between outlaw gangs. In space. With starships.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews

graphics2 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and challenging turn-based strategy experience with diverse missions and engaging gameplay mechanics.
Players appreciate the depth of customization for pilots and ships, as well as the strategic elements involved in combat.
As a free-to-play title, it provides a decent amount of content and is worth trying out, especially for fans of turn-based tactics.

The tutorial is poorly designed and fails to adequately teach new players the game mechanics, leading to confusion.
Many items and features are locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the free-to-play experience and can frustrate players.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and accessing ship menus cumbersome during gameplay.

story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
71%
14%
The game's story is minimal, focusing more on diverse mission types and crew management rather than a cohesive narrative. Players appreciate the variety of missions, from combat to rescue operations, but some express frustration with mission constraints and bugs that disrupt gameplay. Overall, while the content is engaging, the lack of a strong story and occasional technical issues detract from the experience.
- “I was so impressed and entertained by the first few tutorial missions; I simply had to write this first-look review.”
- “Playing the first few missions, you learn a lot and it's challenging but also rewarding with fast level-ups for your pilots and new gear to buy/loot.”
- “For now, I only finished 2 missions in Aetherspace, but I must say, I'm surprised with this title.”
- “Love the game, but I decided to abandon the story at the 'escort' mission. It refuses to allow me to play my way, and I would also be allowed to buy better ships than the first three. I'm filthy rich and have nothing to spend it on.”
- “My one con for this game is that some of the dialogue is spelled incorrectly or seems to be missing some words. For example, 'loose' when it should be 'lose', and there was one bit of dialogue in the tutorial that had a very broken sentence that made little sense until I read it a few times. I believe the sentence went something like 'if happens it, do will.' I think it was for the mission where you hack the sparrows' comms array.”
- “It's easy to learn, there's quite a bit of content, and although there isn't much of a story, it has a diverse series of missions and ways to go about building your crew, their abilities, their teamwork, and their ships.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay is characterized by interesting mechanics and a unique turn-based space battle system that is easy to learn, especially with the provided tutorials. While some players find certain mechanics cumbersome due to menu navigation, the overall interface is considered intuitive. The game's music enhances the experience, making it a fun addition for casual play, though some feel that monetization impacts gameplay ease.
- “The game has some interesting gameplay mechanics.”
- “The music really sets the tone for the gameplay.”
- “This game has slick graphics and inspired gameplay.”
- “Eh.. tried it out, concept is simple enough and the gameplay requires a bit of common sense and nothing more.”
- “Some of the mechanics are a bit cumbersome/annoying but are still easy to learn and remember.”
- “I am not saying these are bad mechanics and the only reason I say they are cumbersome/annoying is that you have to hover over your ship and go through menus to do this and in order to hover over the ship you must have the ship centered around the middle of your screen.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it uninspired and not well-suited to the gameplay, while others appreciate its energetic style, particularly in relation to turn-based mechanics. Overall, there is a desire for more engaging and fitting background music to enhance the gaming experience.
- “The music really sets the tone for the gameplay.”
- “If you like overhyping music and turn-based gameplay.”
- “Additionally, changing the music; I like power metal, but I don't like it when it sounds uninspired.”
- “Additionally, changing the music; I like power metal, but I don't like it when it sounds so uninspired.”
- “The background music can be better.”
- “The music choice threw me for a bit, but all that aside.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The graphics of the game are praised for being slick and visually appealing, complementing the inspired gameplay and overall solid game system.
- “This game has slick graphics and inspired gameplay.”
- “Good graphics, fine game system.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment or additional lives to progress effectively.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players report a stable experience with no significant glitches or issues encountered during gameplay.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game is generally well-received, some users feel that the character design lacks appeal, which may impact the overall character development experience.
- “I'd say it's a pretty good game for those who enjoy these types of games, but I think the character design is a bit off.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted through witty dialogue from pilots and AI, with many players finding it genuinely entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, particularly in moments like the "wrench" application.
- “Even the dialogue of your pilots and AI is humorous and entertaining. If you don't laugh when the 'wrench' is applied, then you wouldn't know what funny was if it smacked you upside the head.”
- “The game's humor is cleverly woven into the storyline, making every interaction a delightful surprise.”
- “I found myself chuckling at the witty one-liners and absurd situations that kept popping up throughout the game.”