Distant Star: Revenant Fleet

62%
Game Brain Score Based on 404 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Distant Star: Revenant Fleet Game Cover
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"Distant Star: Revenant Fleet" is a tactical space strategy game where you build and command your own fleet of starships. Experience an engaging story in a procedurally generated universe, fighting against alien factions with unique strengths and weaknesses. Utilize strategic planning and real-time tactical decisions to survive and expand your territory.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 404 reviews
story28 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • The game combines elements of FTL and RTS, providing a unique gameplay experience.
  • The variety of ship classes enhances replayability and allows for different strategies.
  • The game has a solid aesthetic with good graphics and sound design.
  • The difficulty is unbalanced, often overwhelming players with too many enemies early on.
  • Combat can feel repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a grindy experience.
  • There are issues with the user interface and controls, making it frustrating to manage ships effectively.
  • story246 mentions

    The story in "Distant Star: Revenant Fleet" is generally considered straightforward and somewhat cliché, with many players noting its similarities to other games like "Homeworld." While the narrative includes interesting moral choices and a backdrop of war where players may not be the "good guys," the repetitive mission structure and lack of depth in storytelling detract from overall engagement, leading to limited replayability. Despite some enjoyable lore and unique ship designs, the game suffers from a lack of mission variety and depth, leaving many players wanting more from the narrative experience.

    • “The story is interesting and the events that unfold are really cool to read (even if a few may repeat themselves during a run).”
    • “The story's serviceable, and the world is presented with a workable amount of depth--I'm not expecting grand world-building here, and I didn't get it, but I did get a pleasant amount of insight into the universe.”
    • “The a'kari often resort to less than wholesome tactics to make their way through the game (as the necessity of their mission requires), but that will come with a moral weight to it, and if you become invested or put some time into thinking about the lore or backstory of the game, well, it may leave you wondering if you're actually playing for the right side.”
    • “Story is a bit lackluster.”
    • “The story is pretty plain and basic; you can see very similar storylines in other games (like Homeworld). I didn't like it, but the developers made a good lore for the game itself, covering its basic story and making you feel like you're making real decisions throughout the game.”
    • “Not much replayability, unless you want the small bits of story here and there.”
  • gameplay120 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lacking in depth and variety, often describing it as repetitive and simplistic, primarily relying on point-and-click mechanics. While some appreciate the tactical elements and potential for strategic gameplay, others criticize the execution, noting issues with UI and combat mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant improvements to fully engage players.

    • “Once you get these mechanics down, get the right equipment set up with your ships, recognize your ship abilities and have the patience to keep going with this game, it's an absolute blast.”
    • “The gameplay is really nice, it balances the RTS aspects well and I feel as if I could be even more impressed in the future with what is to come!”
    • “Nice tactical spaceship combat game, with simple but effective mechanics, a decently deep system of upgrades, ships you can recognize at a glance, and void-shattering explosions.”
    • “Artwork, music, and theme are amazing, but that's it; there is no substance to gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is a total drag.”
    • “But the gameplay is boring and unsatisfying.”
  • graphics80 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the aesthetic quality, artwork, and sound design, describing them as decent to good. However, some critiques highlight issues such as blurriness, lack of depth, and a two-dimensional feel, suggesting that while visually appealing, the graphics do not compensate for the game's perceived lack of substance and gameplay depth. Overall, the visuals are considered polished but not groundbreaking, with a need for more variety and options.

    • “The graphics are crisp and really work for the setting, although I got a lot of lag in the last few missions.”
    • “The graphics aren't quite Homeworld remastered, but nonetheless, they're definitely good enough to pass muster, presenting clearly defined racial ships for both the A'kari and the Orthani, along with a third set of ships for the neutral pirates.”
    • “Graphically it is great and there are some cool weapon and ability types to play with.”
    • “The graphics are meh, the gameplay is meh, it's rinse and repeat gameplay.”
    • “The graphics, while polished for what they are, come across as very two dimensional.”
    • “There is no 3D or 3D rendered or 2.5D graphics here.”
  • music54 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and fitting themes, often drawing comparisons to the Homeworld soundtrack with its tribal and dark ambient elements. However, many reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive and lacks diversity, which detracts from the overall experience. While some found the music engaging and immersive during gameplay, others felt it could be grating over time and suggested that it might not stand out as a standalone listening experience.

    • “The music very much reminds me of Homeworld while being its own.”
    • “Great music and art direction.”
    • “When combat takes place, the playfield is colorful and bright, the music sweeps up to an orchestral swell, the explosions are many, debris litters the place as ships disintegrate in style.”
    • “Sound effects are average, but the musical score will put you to sleep.”
    • “Seriously, if you have trouble getting to sleep, buy the soundtrack for this game.”
    • “Music transitions are awful.”
  • replayability34 mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of ship classes and randomly generated sectors that offer potential for replay, many criticize the limited mission variety and binary nature of random events, leading to a lack of engaging content for repeated playthroughs. Some users find the game enjoyable in short bursts, but overall, it struggles to match the replay value of similar titles like FTL. The absence of mods and a more extensive range of ships and weapons further restricts replayability for many players.

    • “It's pretty straightforward, but the variety of ship classes helps with replayability. There are lots of solid combinations to play around with, I like the ship designs, and I really like the quests that reveal that you are not necessarily the good guys in this war.”
    • “The luck parts come from the randomly generated sectors, which makes for great replayability but gets frustrating when one of your ships has an ion leak and your shields constantly drain while in combat and you haven't found a place to repair in the last 5 jumps!”
    • “It is early access, though, so it's currently rather short. Replay value is there, though, due to its roguelike nature.”
    • “There seems to be no replay value at all since all abilities are boring as hell anyway and random events are either fight...or run, 90% of the time.”
    • “Boring missions, zero replay value.”
    • “Enjoyable, but limited mission variety means there isn't a lot of replay value.”
  • atmosphere24 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging graphics and excellent sound design, which effectively convey a unique and immersive universe. Players appreciate the dark, ambient soundtrack and overall aesthetic, although some note that repetitive missions can detract from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's appeal.

    • “The graphics are good for what they need to do, and the sound is excellent for conveying the atmosphere.”
    • “Great art and the soundtrack is nice dark atmospheric space ambient.”
    • “Really nice atmosphere, with surprisingly good music score for being such a small game.”
    • “Finding the exact same mission in two consecutive systems, and then again in the next sector, also ruined the atmosphere for me (it was an escort mission, for the curious).”
    • “A more diverse soundtrack; it's interactive (which is great), but it's also really repetitive and gets in the way of the game's atmosphere and feeling.”
    • “Homeworld is a bit more of a stretch since it's basically a 2D space RTS when it comes to combat, but I have no problem with the comparison to Homeworld because of the atmosphere of the game.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and uninteresting, often feeling that it overshadows any tactical elements. Despite some attempts to introduce variety, such as unique ship features, the overall experience is marred by repetitive micro-management and a lack of engaging gameplay.

    • “Tedious and uninteresting.”
    • “Micro-managing ships around mines is not fun; it is boring and tedious.”
    • “Where FPS has actual tactics, this game just has grinding.”
  • stability6 mentions

    Overall, user experiences with stability are mixed; while some players report a smooth gameplay experience without glitches or crashes, others encounter significant UI issues and bugs that hinder their progress. Redundant naming of ship types is noted but does not significantly impact stability.

    • “The game is so buggy that I frequently run into problems with the UI, which sometimes gets stuck at a dialog window or stops responding at the fleet upgrade window.”
  • optimization6 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some users report great performance and quality with no lags, others experience issues such as pseudo-crashes, long load times, and stuttering when navigating menus. Despite these drawbacks, many feel the performance is commendable for an early access title, especially considering the amount of content available for the price.

    • “The performance and amount of content is good, and for that price, it's even better.”
    • “- Performance and overall appearance: great, no lags in the current version, and the overall quality is above average for an early access (I played a lot of them).”
    • “- Performance and overall appearance: great, no lags in the current version, and the overall quality is above average for an early access (I played a lot of them).”
    • “Pseudo-crashes, long load times, and stuttering when opening and closing menus.”
    • “Pseudo-crashes, long load times, and stuttering when opening and closing menus.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted to be less prevalent than in FTL, with encounters reflecting a serious tone that aligns with the gravity of a tribe warfleet's mission, emphasizing the stakes involved rather than comedic elements.

  • emotional2 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game deeply engaging, as the morally ambiguous actions of the a'kari provoke reflection on the righteousness of their mission. This complexity encourages players to invest in the lore and backstory, leading to a sense of moral weight and introspection about their choices throughout the game.

    • “The a'kari often resort to less than wholesome tactics to make their way through the game, but that will come with a moral weight to it. If you become invested or spend time thinking about the lore or backstory of the game, it may leave you wondering if you're actually playing for the right side.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

9hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
6-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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