DarkStar One

81%
Game Brain Score Based on 340 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
DarkStar One Game Cover
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DarkStar One is a space action adventure game that lets you explore a vast universe. As captain of the spaceship DarkStar One, you'll upgrade your ship, complete missions, and battle alien races. The game features an open-world environment with real-time combat and a dynamic market economy.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 340 reviews
story42 positive mentions
grinding16 negative mentions
  • Engaging space combat with RPG elements that allow for ship upgrades and customization.
  • Fun and nostalgic gameplay reminiscent of classic space sims like Freelancer.
  • Decent graphics and a large universe to explore, providing hours of entertainment.
  • Repetitive missions and gameplay can lead to boredom over time.
  • Poor voice acting and cutscenes detract from the overall experience.
  • Limited ship options as players are restricted to upgrading a single ship throughout the game.
  • story223 mentions

    The story in the game is generally perceived as mediocre and often cliché, with many players finding it linear and repetitive. While some appreciate the engaging elements and the freedom to explore various missions, others criticize the lack of depth and the frustrating design of certain missions. Overall, the narrative serves as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling driving force, leading to mixed feelings about its execution.

    • “The main story is nice and takes some time to complete; overall, it's a good old gem that I recommend to play.”
    • “An engaging storyline combined with extreme freedom of choice.”
    • “Following the likes of Wing Commander and the X-Wing series, Darkstar One is certainly not an original concept, but it is still an incredible space opera—a well-delivered story, great voice acting, an open galaxy, intuitive user interface, multiple side missions, and other fun stuff will keep you entertained for many hours.”
    • “The story is really weak, the combat isn't great, but the overall experience here is a lot of fun as you search asteroids for relics to upgrade your ship and explore a fairly open galaxy.”
    • “The plot could also be written better.”
    • “The voice acting is terrible, the story is painful, and the cut scenes look like they belong on a PS1/N64.”
  • graphics59 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally considered dated but still enjoyable, with many reviewers noting that they hold up reasonably well for their age, particularly in space environments. While some effects could use polishing and certain elements appear low-resolution, the overall visual experience is described as decent, especially for a title released over a decade ago. Despite the nostalgia factor and some charming designs, the graphics may not meet modern standards, but they do not detract significantly from the gameplay experience.

    • “Smooth frame rates and nice graphics.”
    • “The graphics are still good, especially considering it's from 2006; the different designs are enjoyable.”
    • “Excellant graphics and smooth flying controls.”
    • “Yes, the graphics are outdated, and the story is a bit lame, with characters that are really annoying.”
    • “Graphics are awful by today's standards; textures are so low resolution that space backgrounds appear to be an overstretched 80x80 bitmap.”
    • “Most of the graphics (stars, planets, asteroids) are just copy/pasted over and over again.”
  • gameplay56 mentions

    The gameplay is generally praised for its fun and engaging mechanics, particularly the ship upgrading system and immersive space combat, reminiscent of classic titles like Freelancer. However, many players note that the experience can become repetitive over time, with missions and gameplay loops lacking significant variation. Overall, while the game offers a solid arcade-style experience with decent graphics, it may not fully satisfy those seeking deeper exploration or trading elements typical of the space sim genre.

    • “Explore heaps of space, enjoy immersive space combat, a variety of gameplay approaches, and a hybrid RPG system intermingled with ship upgrades and artifact hunting.”
    • “The flight mechanics, including fighting, exploration, docking, etc. are very smooth and easy to get used to.”
    • “The gameplay is what makes this game fun; you play in an upgradable starship that follows a very arcade flight model.”
    • “There's simply no reason for an MMO mentality on dragging out gameplay in a single-player game like this.”
    • “I was enjoying it at first, but the gameplay got repetitive quickly.”
    • “The gameplay feels flat and it becomes very tedious after a while.”
  • grinding19 mentions

    The reviews highlight that the game is heavily grindy, with many players finding the repetitive tasks and lack of engaging content tedious and boring. While some appreciate the space combat and potential for exploration, the overwhelming need to grind for upgrades and artifacts detracts from the overall experience, making it feel like a slog rather than an enjoyable journey. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant drawback, leading to frustration rather than fun.

    • “There is very little downtime and no tedious micromanagement.”
    • “Not too grindy compared to Galaxy on Fire 2.”
    • “Overall, an incredibly grindy game.”
    • “A system that had a lot of potential, but is so grindy, the artifacts are behind this boring ways to obtain them.. 'navigate an asteroid in a descent like maze' or 'kill all the pirates in sight' and you need so many of them ... please... 4 upgrades to have 3 cannons.. and I need to grind also money to buy better weapons, better upgrades.. grind grind grind..”
    • “The gameplay feels flat and it becomes very tedious after a while.”
  • stability9 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting smooth performance on modern systems and Linux, while others experience significant bugs and crashes, particularly during specific missions. There are concerns about the lack of recent patches due to the developer's apparent closure, leading to a reliance on luck for a bug-free experience. Overall, while some players find it stable and enjoyable, others encounter frustrating issues that hinder gameplay.

    • “Works well on a modern computer and runs great on Linux.”
    • “The game has always been stable and no glitches for me, from a time when games were developed properly.”
    • “It's like roulette; you can get a bug-free playthrough.”
    • “Crap game, extremely buggy and crashes a new system.”
    • “Like many others out there, the game freezes on the third training mission and there's no way past it.”
    • “The game is pretty buggy though.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and gameplay experience, particularly during fights and exploration. While some find the music to be repetitive, it is still considered enjoyable and fitting for the game's overall vibe. However, there are technical issues related to music settings that have frustrated some users.

    • “Voices are a bit outdated, but the gameplay is fun and the music is awesome ^^”
    • “I do enjoy the music, and some of the ship designs are pretty neat and interesting.”
    • “Music is repetitive but good... it certainly gets the mood going for fights and exploring.”
    • “The music is neat and also dynamic.”
    • “- limited musicbox.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive background ambience, music, and engaging gameplay, which significantly enhance the overall experience. However, some reviewers note that poor voice acting detracts from the atmosphere, although environmental dialogue from pilots and space stations helps to maintain a sense of immersion. There is also a desire for more advanced features, like life-scaled solar systems, to further enrich the atmospheric experience.

    • “The atmosphere and the background ambience are just too good to pass up.”
    • “I just like the atmosphere of it, the music, and the gameplay.”
    • “The environmental speech from other pilots and space stations still adds to the atmosphere.”
    • “Other reviewers have criticized the terrible voice acting, and this is something I have to agree with - it is terrible for the most part, but the environmental speech from other pilots and space stations still adds to the atmosphere.”
    • “Nowadays we would probably even get life-scaled solar systems which would add to the atmosphere.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally poor voice acting, which many players find amusing, and the clever use of funny names for space systems that add to the comedic experience. Overall, the humor is described as entertaining and effective in enhancing the gameplay.

    • “The voice acting is woefully, hilariously bad.”
    • “And that was hilarious for the first try!”
    • “Funny names of space systems.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game has low replayability, with many players noting its repetitive nature and lack of compelling reasons to revisit after initial playthroughs. While some enjoy the experience for a limited time, the absence of diverse builds or engaging content diminishes its long-term appeal.

    • “Truthfully, I have yet to complete the game, but from what I've played, it has been fun. However, I cannot comment on replayability.”
    • “Low replayability value (you could go for a different build, but meh).”
    • “However, at the time of writing this, 7 hours in, it's becoming more and more apparent just how repetitive this game becomes, and offers you no replay value.”
    • “Graphics, complexity, and replayability are far behind games like Star Conflict, but it's still a decent time waster for a few hours of explosive fun.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while "Darkstar One" may not evoke strong emotional investment as easily as "Freelancer," it still manages to elicit a range of feelings, including laughter and sadness, suggesting moments of genuine emotional engagement.

    • “I laughed, I cried, I flew into a black hole and shouted, 'Murph!'”
    • “Compared to Freelancer, where you can easily get emotionally invested, Darkstar One is a bit harder to get a feel for in that regard.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game is noted for its fun and affordable space simulation experience, with forgiving performance despite its age. However, some users suggest that "Darkstar One" may offer a better balance of the freelancer experience with even lower performance demands.

    • “In all, it's a fun and affordable space simulator that satisfies the freelancer itch with very forgiving performance, especially considering its age.”
    • “For those seeking a freelancer-like experience at a low cost and with minimal performance demands, Darkstar One is likely the better choice.”
    • “In all, it's a fun and cheap space simulator that touches on the freelancer itch, but it has very forgiving performance, especially considering it's pretty old now.”
    • “For something more in line with that freelancer feeling at a low cost and with minimal performance cost, Darkstar One is probably the better choice.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

12hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
3-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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