Cygnus Enterprises

About

"Cygnus Enterprises" is a sci-fi action RPG set on the alien world of Mytilus, where players battle hostile creatures and manage their own base. The game boasts smart AI NPCs that can react to players and the environment in real time, although this feature is powered by a third party and may incur separate costs. Players can also gather resources, craft and trade items, and manage their base and employees for prosperity and happiness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 416 reviews

story58 positive mentions

grinding38 negative mentions

The game features visually appealing graphics and a fun mix of base building and top-down shooter mechanics.
Combat is engaging and offers a variety of weapons and skills, allowing for diverse builds.
The game has a humorous story and entertaining characters, particularly the AI companion.

The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play.
Development has been abandoned, with no further support or updates planned, leading to concerns about the game's longevity.
The gameplay loop becomes repetitive and tedious, with a lack of meaningful progression and automation in base management.

story
320 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
77%
5%
The story in "Cygnus Enterprises" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it derivative and filled with clichéd characters and plotlines. While some appreciate the humor and engaging elements of the narrative, others criticize the repetitive mission structure and lack of depth in character development. Overall, the game offers a blend of base management and mission-driven storytelling, but its execution leaves much to be desired, often feeling tedious and unoriginal.
- “The game features an epic story - literally, in my 13 hours of pretty heavily focusing on progressing I barely scratched the surface.”
- “I enjoyed Cygnus a lot: it's engaging, fun and the story gets more interesting the more you progress.”
- “The story intrigues: at first I thought my purpose in the game was superficial but gradually I get more and more signals that things aren't at all the way they seem at first.”
- “The story itself is not good - at best it's extremely derivative, it's often edgy to the point of being corny, and being forced to endure that for tens of hours just to unlock the game's basic features does not make the heart grow fonder.”
- “Weak story, dotted by generic characters and anonymous worldbuilding.”
- “All of this is coated with a glaze of boredom, given by the clichèd, zero-originality, limp-wristed plot that follows the trite concept of 'blah blah, ancient civilization on random planet, humans messed with stuff they can't understand, corporate greed ensued, everything went to hell.'”
gameplay
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
52%
6%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of top-down shooter mechanics and base management elements that some players find engaging and addictive, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the presence of bugs and optimization issues that hinder the overall experience, though some appreciate the smooth mechanics and customization options available. Overall, the game offers a decent experience for fans of the genre, but it may require further refinement and content to fully realize its potential.
- “The gameplay is amazing - varied, fast paced, highly customizable.”
- “The gameplay is really smooth and feels rewarding to do missions and keep improving my contractor. I also really enjoyed testing out new guns as I unlocked them; overall a great single-player experience to pass some time.”
- “Takes a while to get going, but the top-down shooter/action RPG gameplay gets engaging, as encounters eventually become fairly challenging and let you flex your combat skills in a fun and fast-paced way.”
- “It's not engaging and feels like a first pass before a real mechanic is implemented.”
- “The story (is there a story?) isn't interesting or engaging, and the gameplay loop gets really repetitive and boring after the first hour.”
- “Cons: fps loss, freeze, repetitive gameplay loop, many materials and RPG stats left in a bare bones state, feels unfinished and it's about 3 hours to see everything and 30 hours to upgrade everything maybe.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
30%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, detailed environments, and consistent art direction. However, some users criticize performance issues, particularly with the Unity engine, leading to poor frame rates and rendering problems. Overall, while the aesthetic and art style are well-received, technical performance remains a significant concern for players.
- “As for the graphics, they look amazing with detailed and gorgeous environments.”
- “The game features a detailed sci-fi setting with colorful graphics and atmospheric music.”
- “Wow, the visuals are quite beautiful in this one.”
- “Because thanks to the rotten gutter that is the Unity engine, you can have the same graphics from ten years ago, with 400% less performance.”
- “For $25, it's a cesspool of terrible frame rates, poor rendering, and even worse constant graphical problems.”
- “My PC is average yet it can't run the game smoothly on low graphics.”
grinding
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, particularly in resource collection and base management. Players find the stamina system limiting and the missions monotonous, leading to a lack of engagement over time. While there are opportunities for skill progression and combat variety, the overall experience is marred by a sense of soullessness and boredom.
- “But in the end, it's just a very tedious, soulless game.”
- “I can't recommend it for base builders because it's just so tedious and unfun, and I can't recommend it for extraction top-down shooters because it's so boring and uninspired.”
- “The farmable resources in your area are limited by a daily stamina count, which resets after a finished mission, letting you perform a daily routine that can become a bit tedious and repetitive.”
optimization
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
58%
32%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including frequent performance drops in crowded areas and a general decline in frame rates over time, particularly on the Steam Deck. While some players report occasional stability, the overall experience is marred by lag, stuttering, and bugs, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience that requires frequent restarts to maintain performance. Despite these challenges, there is potential for improvement as the game is still in early access.
- “With that, I will say that each half on its own isn't necessarily groundbreaking or particularly deep in mechanics, which isn't a bad thing, just a more relaxed approach without having a need to dive deep into optimizations and min/maxing.”
- “There's enough content to easily fill out about 20 hours if you are only sticking to completing the main plot, plenty of side missions and base optimizations to pad that out.”
- “Starting with the positives, I haven't had a single crash yet and only once have I had performance issues which we fixed with a close application and re-launch.”
- “A top-down ARPG/management hybrid that not only has little to offer in terms of enjoyable gameplay or involving content, but also is crippled by bad optimization and devastating bugs.”
- “The game still has a serious performance problem.”
- “Poorly optimized for Steam Deck.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
32%
9%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric quality and fitting integration with various gameplay elements, enhancing the overall experience. While many players appreciate the chill and relaxing vibe of the soundtrack, some feel it contrasts with the intensity of combat, particularly during boss fights where the music can be ambient or lacking. Overall, the soundtrack is considered fantastic, with beautiful compositions that complement the game's stunning visuals.
- “The color palette is beautiful and the music is absolutely amazing.”
- “The music is just so fitting and it changes depending on if you're building or adventuring.”
- “I have to say that both the music and the artwork in the game are just incredible.”
- “I actually really like it generally, but the chillout vibe most of the music has is really at odds with the 'fighting for my life with space monsters; why is reloading so slow?!' part of the core gameplay loop.”
- “It does require some skill with timing dodges during boss fights, but the music is very chill and relaxing.”
- “The music is usually the first thing I turn down in games; I ended up turning it back up on this one.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely driven by the interactions with the assistant robot, Pea, which many players find hilarious and well-timed. The story also contains a humorous tone, contributing to the overall comedic experience, though some users feel that the limited content and slow updates detract from its value. Overall, while the game has its funny moments, players are eager for more content to enhance the experience.
- “Honestly, the interactions with Pea are hilarious and hit just the right comedic timing.”
- “The story is funny and I'm looking forward to the complete game.”
- “Plus, the assistant robot Pea is really funny and cute.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is criticized for being buggy and experiencing various technical issues, such as audio problems. While some users appreciate the developers' frequent updates and responsiveness to issues, the game's abandonment and persistent bugs detract from the overall experience.
- “I would give it a thumbs up, but it was abandoned and is still very buggy.”
- “Buggy - Pea's speech audio repeats, is cut short, until the full audio is available, and then it repeats one more time and stops.”
- “It's a little bare bones and buggy at times, but the developers update pretty frequently and they respond very quickly to issues.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game has low replayability due to its linear content and lack of branching choices, although the inexpensive respec system allows players to experiment with different builds. Customizing missions offers minimal replay value as well.
- “The content is linear, respec is cheap so that you can try different builds, and there are no branching choices; replay value is low.”
- “If you sculpt missions by hand, there is little to no replay value.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a shallow cash grab, with players feeling that it detracts from the potential of the game by offering pay-for-useless-features. Many reviewers advise against engaging with the game due to its exploitative financial model.
- “Turning what should have been an awesome standalone hybrid into a shallow cash grab pay-for-useless-features is really not helping... but that's exactly what this is, at the time of this writing.”
- “So it's best to stay far away from this cash grab.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Cygnus Enterprises" is highlighted by the developers' deep appreciation for the support from players, indicating a strong connection and gratitude that resonates with the community. This sentiment reflects the game's ability to foster a sense of belonging and emotional investment among its audience.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its immersive sci-fi atmosphere, characterized by vibrant graphics and an engaging musical score that enhances the overall experience.
- “The game features a detailed sci-fi setting with colorful graphics and atmospheric music.”