Astronaut: The Best
- August 15, 2023
- Universal Happymaker
Get on Steam"Astronaut: The Best" is a procedurally generated space-themed game where you navigate episodic storylines and make crucial decisions. Your arsenal includes training, sycophantic groveling, lying, and witchcraft as you aim to make history or risk ending up dead in a ditch. The game features five missions, hundreds of decisions, and thousands of procedurally generated astronauts, each with their unique personalities and traits, ensuring no two plays are the same.
Reviews
- The game features great writing, art, and music, providing a unique and engaging experience.
- It offers a humorous and chaotic gameplay experience, with plenty of absurd scenarios and memorable moments.
- The blend of management sim and roguelike elements creates a fun challenge where failure can lead to entertaining outcomes.
- The core gameplay loop can feel repetitive, with many missions having similar dialogue and scenarios.
- Some mechanics, like the spin wheel for outcomes, can be frustrating and feel overly reliant on luck.
- The game may not appeal to everyone due to its oddball art style and sense of humor, which can be polarizing.
- story18 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 94 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily a visual novel with preset, branching narratives, leading to a repetitive experience that diminishes replay value due to similar dialogue and scenarios. However, it compensates with humorous writing and inventive, absurd events that create unique player experiences, making each playthrough feel personal and engaging. The blend of character interactions, random events, and world-building adds depth, allowing players to enjoy the quirky narratives while managing their astronaut teams.
“The story contains humorous dialogue with witty character remarks and interactions, and has quite a few choices which provide opportunities for multiple playthroughs.”
“The writing is so genuinely funny, and the things that can happen as a result of succeeding or failing are so absurd, that I just fully accepted each weird, wonderful playthrough as my own story.”
“Of the five missions, #3 was my favorite (space wolves!), but as you go on, there's some pretty cool world-building that gets layered into the personalized procedural goodness.”
“I would say it's more of a visual novel with preset, branching narratives than a roguelike with a procedural story that is advertised as being very different every time you play.”
“It's very samey, and there's actually not much of a reason to replay missions because so much of the dialogue and story is the same every time.”
“It feels like a punishment to have to reread all the same long paragraphs of text you've seen before just because you failed previously, clicking nonstop to gather all the information you just gathered before in some of the mission types where you have to investigate.”
- humor15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and chaotic charm, appealing to those who enjoy surreal and offbeat comedy. Players appreciate the inventive scenarios and witty dialogue, which contribute to a unique storytelling experience filled with hilarious moments, whether through success or failure. While the humor may not resonate with everyone, it offers a delightful and engaging aspect that enhances the overall gameplay.
“Funny, chaotic, full of personality.”
“The writing was delightfully weird and funny.”
“The story contains humorous dialogue with witty character remarks and interactions, and has quite a few choices which provide opportunities for multiple playthroughs.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring a fun concept and quick mechanics that keep players engaged, regardless of success or failure. However, some users find the core loop repetitive and the presentation of certain mechanics frustrating, suggesting that the experience could benefit from further refinement and variety. Overall, the charming execution and appealing visuals contribute positively to the gameplay experience.
“The concept itself and gameplay is fun though; it could be great with some polishing.”
“And while I haven't given the roguelike mechanics enough time to settle in, I'm charmed by the execution so far.”
“Great art, funny writing, quick gameplay that's fun whether you 'succeed' or 'fail'.”
“But I can't blame anyone who finds that it grinds their gears; little things like how the wheel spinning mechanic is presented can potentially get on a person's nerves.”
“Cons: the core gameplay loop could be more interesting than 'press your luck', and the visuals for the often repeated segments get dull eventually.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics feature a unique art style and presentation that may not appeal to all players, with some finding it quirky and humorous. However, the visuals can become repetitive and dull over time, particularly in the context of the core gameplay loop.
“Everything from the unique play style to the unique art style.”
“This one's an oddball; the art style, sense of humor, and presentation are not for everyone.”
“Cons: the core gameplay loop could be more interesting than 'press your luck', and the visuals for the often repeated segments get dull eventually.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in "Astronaut: The Best" is praised for its vibrancy and ability to enhance the overall experience, complementing the game's strong writing and art. Reviewers highlight it as a key element that contributes to the game's unique and engaging atmosphere.
“With vibrant art and music, Astronaut: The Best provides a unique and engaging experience.”
“Great writing, art, and music.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as it requires significant effort to train characters, only to have progress determined by an unreliable luck-based system, such as a spin wheel, which can still result in failure even at maximum odds.
“The stats are all really grindy too, and it's frustrating to train your character so hard but have everything left up to luck in an unexciting spin wheel, which can still fail even at '100%' odds, and that has happened to me.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, where progress is painfully slow and rewards are minimal, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience, leading to burnout rather than excitement.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, enhanced by its charming elements and intriguing mysteries related to its gods, making it a worthwhile experience for players.
“The replayability value makes this game worth playing, especially with the charm it has through its gods and mysteries.”
“Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, keeping the game fresh and engaging.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes ensures that no two runs are the same, making you want to dive back in for more.”
“The game lacks significant replayability, making it feel repetitive after the first playthrough.”
“Once you complete the game, there’s little incentive to go back and play it again.”
“The limited choices and outcomes mean that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
