Autonauts vs Piratebots

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Create, automate and defend an impenetrable base. Assemble and command a Bot army to combat an entire Piratebot invasion. Build, program and battle your way through five different zones.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 173 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The game features significant quality-of-life improvements over the original Autonauts, such as no need to recharge bots and access to the bot database from the start.
The addition of combat and piratebots introduces a new layer of gameplay that adds excitement and objectives, making it more engaging than the original.
The programming mechanics are intuitive and user-friendly, making it a great introduction to coding concepts for players of all ages.

The combat mechanics are clunky and can feel tedious, detracting from the overall experience and making it less enjoyable for players who prefer the automation aspects.
Many players feel that the game is too similar to the original Autonauts, lacking enough new content to justify it being a standalone title rather than a DLC.
The game can become repetitive and grindy, with some players expressing disappointment in the limited variety of tasks and resources compared to the original.

gameplay
35 mentions
23 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this sequel to Autonauts introduces new combat mechanics and a more structured approach, appealing to newcomers while maintaining the core resource-gathering loop familiar to fans of the original. However, some players feel that the combat elements detract from the fun progression and simplicity that made the first game enjoyable, leading to a more casual experience that may lack long-term engagement. Overall, while the game offers a decent level of engagement and quality-of-life improvements, it may not fully satisfy those seeking the depth and excitement of the original.
- “As a player of the original Autonauts, this game has a fun change of gameplay while also keeping original concepts!”
- “It's a pretty unique and fun gameplay loop.”
- “Plus the addition of combat as a unifying gameplay mechanic really ties everything together and rounds out the game as well as adding some much-needed excitement that the first game was lacking.”
- “I was enthusiastic before playing about having more autonauts to build with, but the piracy mechanic just rubs me the wrong way at every point.”
- “The original game was really great, but this sequel feels like it is gating the fun progression side that made it enjoyable behind a laborious and badly implemented set of combat mechanics.”
- “This version of the game will probably not be entertaining for a long time since you learn pretty quickly how to defeat the piratebots, and the gameplay is pretty much the same every time.”
grinding
7 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some describe it as tedious and grindy, others appreciate the improvements made in the new version that streamline gameplay and reduce tedium. The game retains some grindy elements, particularly in achievement hunting, but many feel it is more enjoyable than its predecessor.
- “The game feels tedious.”
- “Incredibly tedious and grindy...”
- “This new version is fun, although without mods sometimes tedious.”
graphics
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The graphics received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing them as intentionally poor and not appealing to their taste, while others found the visuals to be decent overall. Additionally, the user interface and sound were noted to be consistent with the graphics.
- “The visuals and graphics are decent all across the board.”
- “The visuals and graphics are decent all across the board.”
- “On top of this, the graphics, sounds, and animations are poor on purpose and really not my style.”
- “Visuals, UI, and sound are identical.”
story
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The story in the game is well-received, featuring a solid sidestory and an extensive mission list that progresses in difficulty, unlocking new technologies for players. However, some users feel that the experience could be enhanced with additional missions or maps.
- “A good side story for Autonauts.”
- “Maybe if they added more missions, or maps, or something, it would be better.”
- “Progress through each set of missions of increasing difficulty unlocks new offense and defense research technology to give you the tools to tackle these new challenges.”
- “This game has an extensive mission list that helps.”
replayability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Many users express concerns about the game's replayability, noting a lack of content and variety that diminishes the incentive to return after completing it. Suggestions for improvement include the addition of different maps and more non-combat activities to enhance the overall experience.
- “Overall, my biggest problem with the game is that it's not replayable.”
- “They do need to make it more replayable to give a reason to keep going back or at least different maps.”
- “I'm also a bit worried that this game will have very little replayability after you finish it once, due to there being less non-combat content than in the original Autonauts. What are you supposed to do once you kill the enemy boss? Assuming the game doesn't just end or quit, I'll see once I get to that point.”
music
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are generally considered to be satisfactory, though not particularly outstanding.
- “The sounds and music are okay.”
optimization
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-150 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The game offers a deep development tree and extensive optimization options for players to explore their unique strategies. However, some reviewers feel that the focus on production and optimization has diminished, leading to a less engaging experience where gameplay can feel rushed and less refined.
- “There's a rich development tree and an immense amount of optimization just waiting for you to find your own style.”
- “The focus on production and optimization allows for a deep and engaging gameplay experience.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
- “I was really disappointed with the optimization; the frame rate drops are unbearable during intense moments.”
- “Despite the interesting mechanics, the lack of proper optimization leads to frequent crashes and long loading times.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The console versions of the game exhibit some bugs, which users attribute to the publisher rather than the developer. Overall, stability appears to be a concern for players.
- “The console versions are a bit buggy, but that's the publisher, not the developer.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes that made the game unplayable at times.”
- “The game has a lot of stability issues, with constant frame drops and lag.”