Between the Stars
- March 7, 2024
- Isolated Games
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam"Between the Stars" is a single-player spaceship action game with strategy elements. Command your crew, manage resources, and engage in real-time combat while exploring a vast, procedurally generated galaxy. Upgrade your ship, recruit new crew members, and make important decisions that will determine your fate in this immersive space adventure.
Reviews
- Engaging story with interesting characters and choices that impact gameplay.
- Fun ship combat mechanics with a variety of weapons and customization options.
- Unique blend of RPG elements and dice rolling that adds depth to encounters.
- Repetitive missions and random encounters that can become tedious over time.
- Voice acting quality varies, with some performances being subpar.
- Some gameplay mechanics, like the dice rolls, can feel frustrating and lead to save scumming.
- story834 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its emotional depth and engaging narrative, while others criticize it for being linear, repetitive, and at times poorly executed. Some players found the text-based storytelling and character interactions compelling, likening it to a choose-your-own-adventure format, while others felt overwhelmed by the amount of reading required and noted issues with pacing and mission variety. Overall, while the story has potential and offers intriguing elements, it is often seen as needing further development and refinement to fully realize its promise.
“It's rare that I encounter a game that allows me to become emotionally attached to the characters and the overall story.”
“The story is just amazing, with tons of branching paths, full of surprises; the later chapters really grip you and don't let go until the end.”
“The story kept me intrigued, and I'm looking forward to a second playthrough with new choices and strategy.”
“The story, which should serve as the backbone of any RPG, is another disappointment.”
“Unfortunately, it's bogged down by dated mechanics, a lackluster story, and poorly designed systems that ultimately turn what could have been a stellar journey into a tedious grind.”
“The story is also a bit unrealistic, overly convoluted, immature, and cliché.”
- gameplay248 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Between the Stars" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the core mechanics are engaging and the ship combat can be fun, they are often hindered by outdated design choices and a lack of variety in missions. The introduction of dice mechanics adds an interesting layer, but some find it frustrating and poorly balanced, leading to repetitive gameplay. Overall, while there are promising elements and enjoyable aspects, many players feel that the game needs significant improvements to its mechanics and variety to fully realize its potential.
“The gameplay is solid, smooth, and compelling.”
“The mechanics gel together and complement one another, building a satisfying and compelling game.”
“The gameplay is very fun and addicting, and the graphics look amazing on ultra.”
“Title: Between the Stars – potential lost in the void of dated mechanics.”
“While it's playable, the core mechanics are weighed down by outdated design choices that detract from the overall experience.”
“Unfortunately, it's bogged down by dated mechanics, a lackluster story, and poorly designed systems that ultimately turn what could have been a stellar journey into a tedious grind.”
- graphics152 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received generally positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the stunning visuals, detailed ship designs, and vibrant space environments that enhance immersion. However, some users noted issues such as graphical glitches, mediocre character models, and a lack of 360-degree visuals during combat. Overall, while the graphics are considered a highlight, there are areas for improvement, particularly in performance and consistency.
“The visuals are stunning, with detailed ship designs and vibrant space environments adding to the sense of immersion.”
“This game's graphics are very good, with beautiful ships, effects, scenery, UI, and an excellent photo mode that pauses time and allows a free camera, so you can share the game's beauty with others.”
“The graphics are amazing, the ships are awesome to look at, and combat is fairly smooth.”
“There are various other small glitches often graphical in terms of state.”
“The character models are okay at best; however, anything besides space travel and combat has no graphics besides a few static pictures and text descriptions.”
“Painful voice acting, clunky interface, outdated graphics, cheesy dialog, boring combat.”
- music57 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the sci-fi atmosphere, often drawing comparisons to notable soundtracks like that of Battlestar Galactica. However, several players express frustration over the repetitiveness of the tracks, leading to a desire for more variety and ambient music to accompany different gameplay scenarios. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received, its limited range can detract from the experience over extended play sessions.
“The music is basic sci-fi, with elements that remind me of other soundtracks I've heard, so I don't know if that was planned or by accident, but it's there.”
“This game's music is really good and sets the mood very well.”
“Great sense of immersion into a futuristic sci-fi galaxy, wonderful screenshot opportunities, and the music is amazing.”
“After a few hours of gameplay, game events become so repetitive that you want to tear away one of your limbs to use it to kill yourself... the same track in the background is so annoying after some time of playing that you have to suppress the music.”
“The soundtrack can get repetitive quickly.”
“All the negatives combined to make me abandon my playthrough... the annoying music, the grating voices, the grind, and the scaled enemies.”
- grinding32 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious and repetitive, with many describing it as slow and lacking in rewarding mechanics. While some appreciate the satisfaction of upgrading ships and earning money, the grind often feels exhausting and detracts from the overall enjoyment. Combat and navigation can also contribute to the tedium, making the experience feel more like a chore than an engaging journey.
“Surprisingly not grindy.”
“+ it's not too grindy, even if you want to save up for a nice ship.”
“Space traveling isn't tedious.”
“Unfortunately, it's bogged down by dated mechanics, a lackluster story, and poorly designed systems that ultimately turn what could have been a stellar journey into a tedious grind.”
“Interesting concept and some of the aspects of the game are fun, but it is very grindy and the ship combat currently is completely underwhelming.”
“Very tedious game.. can't really find anything good to say about the game.”
- stability28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 79 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches, particularly in inventory management and mission triggers. While some users experienced minimal issues and found the gameplay enjoyable, others faced significant problems that hindered progress, especially given its early access status. Overall, while there is potential, the game currently suffers from stability issues that may frustrate players.
“For an early access game, the content that exists is fully functional and bug free.”
“For an early access game, it's really bug free and worth a try; the price is good, I've had worse for the money.”
“Interesting story, fun gameplay, and relatively bug free considering it's so new.”
“Still quite buggy and some of the side stories don't trigger or complete properly, issues with selling equipment and captives and missing text.”
“The inventory/menu controls are buggy, sometimes they don't work at all; only solution was to save/restart.”
“I wouldn't recommend now as the game is extremely buggy.”
- humor26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by a mix of sarcastic dialogue, absurd scenarios, and self-aware writing that often breaks the fourth wall. Players appreciate the blend of hilarious moments with darker themes, creating a unique tone that ranges from genuinely funny to unsettling. While some aspects may feel cheesy or buggy, the overall comedic elements, including random encounters and side quests, contribute to an enjoyable and memorable experience.
“The characters are humorous and sarcastic.”
“For all the jank, delay, and hilariously amateur scuff, this game will make you love it even more.”
“The dialogue, both written and voiced, is also solid and humorous, though the game does have some moments that can be dark/somber, fitting for what life in space would most likely be.”
- optimization17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, performance issues, and frame rate drops, particularly on medium settings. While some improvements have been noted, such as reduced graphics stuttering, the overall consensus is that the game requires further optimization to enhance playability, especially given its demanding resource requirements. As it is still in early access, players are hopeful for future updates to address these concerns.
“It is pretty demanding on video resources for what it is, but I am sure more optimization will come as development continues.”
“It should run smoothly on most systems.”
“Being early access, there are a few areas to improve upon of course, but the game is perfectly playable, enjoyable, and the performance is good.”
“There are some bugs and performance issues left.”
“Has potential, but it's terribly unoptimized. On medium settings, I can barely push 30 fps with this game, and I have a decent computer that can run most things.”
“Optimization is a bit bad for my PC; I often get a freeze screen at first start and respawn, and sometimes have FPS drops during fights.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional connection to the characters and story in "Between the Stars," with many experiencing laughter and tears throughout their gameplay. While some appreciate the tragic and heroic moments, others feel that the emotional impact is diminished by predictable dialogue pacing. Overall, the game successfully evokes a range of emotions, from joy to existential dread.
“It's rare that I encounter a game that allows me to become emotionally attached to the characters and the overall story.”
“I laughed, I shed a tear, and most of all I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough of Between the Stars.”
“The story is great and the prologue can make you shed a tear.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by impressive music and sound effects that create a vibrant universe filled with dynamic space battles. While many players appreciate the overall ambiance, some feel that it could benefit from deeper storytelling and more lively elements to fully capture the epicness of the main narrative.
“Last but not least, the atmosphere is amazing, with ships docking at stations and a living universe wherever you go. Also, credits to the music and sound effects, which give you an all-immersive galaxy.”
“The soundtrack is really good and helps to build a great atmosphere.”
“It is very atmospheric being a part of larger battles that you experience in the story.”
“Somehow it reminds me of 'Schleichfahrt'; there's also been storytelling by text boxes, but the atmosphere in battles was denser there. I know it's early access, and the story is not bad, but the only thing that's lacking for me is to illustrate more of the epicness of the main story and more depth of the characters. Maybe also more strict consequences of the shown behavior.”
“- needs to have a more lively atmosphere.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the variety in text adventure choices and the potential for different outcomes based on die rolls, others find the random missions repetitive and the main story's branching paths limited until later in the game. Many hope for future updates to enhance sandbox options and expand content, which could significantly improve replay value.
“Most of the replayability comes from different text adventure choices that not only affect subsequent scenes but also depend heavily on the success of die rolls.”
“All of these elements lead to a game that is fun to play and offers significant replay value.”
“Expanding the sandbox options, such as more engagement and contract options, additional ships to play with, and definitely more unique weapons, will enhance replayability.”
“Most of the replayability comes from different text adventure choices, which are not directly subsequent scenes and heavily depend on the success of die rolls.”
“I found the random missions a bit too repetitive, and the replayability of the main story might be a problem; there seem to be some serious branches, but they only start deep into the story.”
“There is a lack of replayability at this point; I guess it's because the game is not finished. I hope more will be added, as I can see this becoming a 'Kenshi in space,' which I could really get behind.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development is a significant aspect of the game, as players must thoughtfully assign points that influence their character's statistics through a 'perk' system. This design encourages meaningful choices, making the player's decisions impactful on their gameplay experience.
“Character design is fairly important and raises the question of how best to assign your points.”
“This is not a bad thing; however, each choice the player makes has an impact on the player themselves, as character development can actually affect statistics using a sort of 'perk' system as you advance.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Reviews on monetization reflect a divided opinion; while some users appreciate the game's passion and effort despite its early access status, others perceive it as a cash grab, leading to frustration and a desire for refunds.
“Fix the game and maybe I'll change my opinion, but this game felt like a cash grab that tied up time for a refund.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the overall experience.”
