Dawn of Andromeda

The game has plenty of potential, but the beautiful exterior hides a lacking, simple foundation cobbled together from other, superior games. One or two unique systems don't make up for pale echoes of so many others.

49%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

music, story

49% User Score Based on 157 reviews

Critic Score 48%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $2.27

Buy NowGet on Steam$29.99

About

Dawn of Andromeda is a 4X strategy game set in a distant galaxy. Choose your race, build and manage your space empire, and engage in diplomacy, research, and warfare. Explore new worlds, encounter alien species, and discover ancient technology as you expand and protect your territory in this expansive open universe.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

49%

Audience ScoreBased on 157 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a well-designed galaxy map, making exploration visually appealing.
It has a lot of potential with interesting mechanics like diplomacy and resource management, which could be engaging for players who enjoy 4X games.
The real-time strategy aspect allows for a different pace compared to traditional turn-based games, making it accessible for new players.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and unfinished mechanics, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Many players find the UI cumbersome and unintuitive, making navigation and management tedious.
Overall, the game lacks depth and complexity compared to other established titles in the genre, making it feel shallow and unbalanced.

gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
78%
8%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it overly simplistic and shallow, while others appreciate its intuitive mechanics and engaging elements like diplomacy and colony management. Many noted issues with bugs, slow pacing, and a lack of depth compared to other 4X titles, though some acknowledged that the game is accessible for newcomers. Overall, while it offers a visually appealing experience, the gameplay may not satisfy those seeking a more complex and challenging strategy game.
- “The gameplay is enjoyable.”
- “Well done game mechanics, engaging diplomacy with the other races and a colony system that really is interactive and fun.”
- “An intuitive UI, decent graphics, deep systems, and mechanics that aren't overly hard to understand.”
- “Very shallow gameplay and encountered several bugs.”
- “The UI is pretty horrible to navigate, the tech tree is absurdly small and pointless, and most of the game mechanics have just left me scratching my head.”
- “The gameplay is oversimplified.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising their beauty and detail, while others criticize them for being bland or repetitive upon closer inspection. Many agree that the visuals are a highlight, often described as gorgeous or fantastic, but they are overshadowed by issues such as bugs, poor pacing, and a lack of variety in design. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received, they are not enough to redeem the game's other shortcomings.
- “The music, graphics, and artwork are simply awesome; this game looks beautiful.”
- “It’s still debatable if Dawn of Andromeda’s graphics engine is running Unity 5 assets, but as far as players are concerned, the game looks gorgeous.”
- “The graphics are fantastic and combat is fun to watch.”
- “It is an awful game that uses graphics to misrepresent this broken mess of an unplayable and wholly dissatisfying game.”
- “I don't find the game graphics pretty at any level of zoom; it's all bland.”
- “There are quite a few clever ideas here, but headache-inducing graphical 'features' (having the camera wobble after you've moved it is cute the first time, nauseating the thousandth) and under-developed UI suck the enjoyment out of it.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising it as beautiful and fantastic, while others find it dull, dreadful, or lacking depth. While a few users appreciate the soothing and genre-specific nature of the soundtrack, many criticize it for being meandering and detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the music seems to be a polarizing aspect, with a significant divide in player opinions.
- “The music, graphics, and artwork are simply awesome (this game looks beautiful).”
- “This game is really pretty, and the music is amazing.”
- “The music is fantastic, the other races look great.”
- “The music is dreadful.”
- “Doa music is a dreary, meandering electronic trance mash-up that detracts from the game.”
- “In addition, the music is very, very dull.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's story has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the deep lore and coherent narrative, others feel it lacks depth and meaningful content, particularly in side quests and overall storytelling. Many users noted that the gameplay remains consistent regardless of the story scenarios, leading to a perception that the narrative is secondary to empire-building mechanics. Overall, while there are elements of storytelling, some players believe that other 4X games offer a richer narrative experience for the price.
- “It actually has a coherent storyline.”
- “I really like the deep lore and storytelling of the game, so that's very nice and you did a good job there.”
- “I was playtesting extensively the early access when out of the blue, that stage was over and I could finally sink my teeth into the proper Dawn of Andromeda storyline.”
- “For the amount of money they want from this, buy Stellaris or any other 4X game instead; you will get much more depth, story, and gameplay for the money.”
- “Also, the game literally ran out of side quests (anomalies and projects); the board just went blank with nothing new to discover.”
- “There's no real story to it, and it's more about empire expansion and development.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of freezing issues, buggy features, and unresponsive controls that significantly hinder gameplay. Users express frustration over the slow pace of fixes from the developers, leaving the game feeling incomplete and unbalanced. Overall, the persistent bugs and performance problems detract from the experience, making it difficult to recommend.
- “Game freezes when I've taken about half the map for myself.”
- “The devs have said they will fix this; however, with the extremely slow development, this hasn't happened yet and you're stuck with a buggy game.”
- “Quitting the game 'back to menu' freezes the game, needing you to kill it via Task Manager.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, users express optimism about the game's potential, noting that it runs smoothly but still requires further polishing and optimization to reach its full potential.
- “Runs smoothly.”
- “I think it'll turn out to be a great game when it reaches the finished, polished, and optimized stage.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lengthy wait times for resources needed to colonize new worlds, which slows down exploration and progression.
- “Having to wait for resources so you can colonize the next world, only for your scout ships to then proceed further on the map, is extremely tedious.”
- “The constant need to grind for materials makes the gameplay feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- “Spending hours on mindless tasks just to progress in the game takes away from the enjoyment and creativity.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game appeals particularly to players with a morbid sense of humor, as exemplified by the enjoyment derived from dark themes like a "planet killer weapon."
- “Just one hint... the planet killer weapon is so worth it for those with a morbid sense of humor like me, lol.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that while the game has potential for replayability, certain elements need further development to enhance the overall experience and encourage players to return.
- “Having said the above, there are some things that need to be fleshed out to make it better and more replayable.”