Edge of Space
- September 17, 2015
- Handyman Studios
- 67h median play time
Get on Steam"Edge of Space" is a sci-fi sandbox adventure game set on a distant planet. As a "Handyman," players must build, craft, and fight to survive and explore the hostile alien environment. With a variety of tools, weapons, and transportation options, players have the freedom to shape their own experience in this expansive, procedurally generated world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a unique sci-fi theme and interesting visuals.
- The crafting system allows for a variety of upgrades and customization.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and have made improvements over time.
- The game feels unfinished and has been abandoned by the developers.
- The user interface is clunky and not intuitive, making gameplay frustrating.
- Progression is slow and tedious, with many bugs and glitches affecting the experience.
- gameplay312 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Edge of Space" has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players citing clunky controls, repetitive mechanics, and a lack of polish as major issues. Critics have compared it unfavorably to similar titles like "Terraria" and "Starbound," noting that it feels unfinished and often frustrating due to bugs and poor design choices. While some players see potential in its mechanics and content, the overall consensus is that the game currently suffers from significant gameplay flaws that detract from the experience.
“I really like the Terraria/Starbound 2D worldcraft type gameplay and the controls/combat of this particular title does the style justice.”
“The gameplay itself is fairly solid.”
“Pretty much all of the gameplay elements feel well thought out, such as the XP/research system, questing, and dungeons.”
“From the abysmal controls and dated graphics to the mind-numbingly repetitive gameplay and lackluster story, this game offers nothing but frustration and disappointment.”
“The gameplay is terrible and as soon as you start playing you're already disinterested.”
“The basic gameplay loops are completely uninspired and dull.”
- graphics190 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique art style and detailed 2D visuals, while others criticize them as dated, poorly executed, or even eye-piercing. Many users note issues such as long loading times, graphical glitches, and the need to restart the game to change settings, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while some find the aesthetics charming and fitting for the genre, others feel they fall short compared to similar titles like Terraria and Starbound.
“Pretty graphics and music, nicely executed mechanics.”
“The game runs smooth, the 2D graphics are amazing; I definitely love how the developers broke away from the typical pixel art you see in most games of the genre.”
“+ exceptional 2D artwork and visuals, definitely shines brighter than others of its genre.”
“The graphics are worse than shown, the multiplayer doesn't work right, the framerate is crap, the game crashes all the time, and the settings can't even be changed without restarting the game.”
“The graphics are just odd and an eyesore.”
“Graphics are poor and oversaturated, gameplay is clunky and the inventory system is a pile of s***.”
- stability130 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its severe instability and numerous bugs, with many players reporting long-standing glitches that remain unaddressed since its alpha release. Users describe it as an unfinished and abandoned project, often rendering it unplayable, especially in multiplayer modes. Despite some potential, the overall experience is marred by frequent crashes, performance issues, and a lack of coherent gameplay direction.
“The game had a history of being buggy and unstable, with long-standing and well-known glitches not being fixed.”
“However, this game is very much a buggy mess right now and I would not say this is worthy to be called v1.0; it is very much still an early access game in my mind and if you are hoping to play this game without upset, I feel I need to tell you that you will be let down.”
“This game is absolute trash; it's been in beta for over 3 years now, just recently made it to Steam, to show off nothing exciting, it's lackluster, boring, clunky, and buggy.”
- story124 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, primarily revolving around a crash landing on a planet with little narrative drive or engaging quests. While some players appreciate the potential for exploration and NPC interactions, many find the overall storytelling bland and repetitive, often overshadowed by gameplay frustrations and bugs. Overall, the narrative fails to captivate players, leaving them wanting more substance and coherence in the storyline.
“The game has a rather interesting storyline and your choice dialogue when talking to NPCs is black and white.”
“The storyline is basic, but the NPCs that you can talk to aren't too bland or cliché, which is refreshing.”
“It looks beautiful, the story is nice, your character has a voice and opinion, the building mechanic is clever and the music is very nice on the ears.”
“From the abysmal controls and dated graphics to the mind-numbingly repetitive gameplay and lackluster story, this game offers nothing but frustration and disappointment.”
“There isn't that much of a story to tell, just that your spaceship crashed and now you are stranded on a planet.”
“The fact it's unfinished really doesn't change much, as there's no main storyline; it's more of an exploration, creation, and upgrade game.”
- music106 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a largely positive reception, with many players praising its atmospheric and immersive qualities, describing it as relaxing, beautiful, and fitting for the game's environment. However, some critiques mention a lack of variety and occasional issues with sound quality. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features, enhancing the gaming experience despite some gameplay shortcomings.
“The soundtrack was amazing, perfectly fitting the environment, and better equipment was being added so that players could get to deeper biomes.”
“The music is fantastic, and the adventure is outrageously long!”
“This game is beautiful, it has a lovely atmospheric background music track to go along with the alien sights you come across as you further explore the planet you're on!”
“I didn't like the graphic style, the music, or the collection mechanics of the tools.”
“The title screen music is generic to the point of making your ears bleed.”
“The music needs work and there are some game-ending glitches.”
- grinding100 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews overwhelmingly describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious, frustrating, and excessively repetitive, with many players feeling that it detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the depth of crafting and resource gathering, the majority find the experience to be a slog, exacerbated by bugs and multiplayer issues. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major flaw, leading to a lack of fun and engagement in gameplay.
“The game is about 90% grinding, 10% of the boss, and 0% fun.”
“Excessively, painfully tedious and frustrating.”
“It is repetitive, bland and pointlessly grindy.”
- humor50 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the quirky dialogue and amusing moments, such as dancing penguins and funny loading screens. However, others criticize the humor as inconsistent and poorly executed, often detracting from the overall experience due to clunky tutorials and unengaging dialogue. While there are entertaining aspects, many suggest that the humor does not compensate for the game's other shortcomings.
“Sometimes things feel unfair, unbalanced, such as weapon upgrades that don’t do much to make you feel like the mobbies are being hurt… I swear there was a penguin laughing at me at a penguin rave — it was hysterical, this little penguin dancing at a rave as I’m shooting him, pew pew for half a minute…”
“Edge of Space is a lot of fun to play - its bones are basically sci-fi Terraria, but they've fleshed it out with actual character progression, mechs, rocket-assisted dinosaur mounts, and a ton of humor.”
“A highly entertaining and humorous game, as well as a very unpredictable one!”
- optimization26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players citing significant performance issues, including stuttering, glitches, and an unpolished user interface. While some users report improvements in frame rates and reduced crashes, others describe it as poorly optimized and unfinished, suggesting that further updates are necessary to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the consensus indicates that while there are some positive aspects, the game still requires substantial optimization work.
“A much needed optimization (went from 25-30 to 60fps)”
“Performance is no longer sluggish, crashes are much more rare, the audio no longer skips, and dying is harder to do unless your early game gun's stats roll poorly.”
“Again, there is some optimization needed in the game, but the game is fresh out of launch and perhaps this isn't what they expected to happen at launch and I bet they are working on it right now, so just take it with a grain of salt, ok?”
“Poorly optimized, unfinished piece of garbage.”
“From the poor optimization to the lackluster gameplay, it is not a game I would recommend.”
“Performance is horrible given the power of the gaming PC it's being played on.”
- monetization22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been overwhelmingly criticized as a "cash grab," with users expressing frustration over perceived abandonment by the developers and a lack of meaningful updates post-launch. Many reviewers suggest that the game is a cheap imitation of better titles like Terraria and Starbound, reinforcing the notion that it prioritizes profit over quality. Overall, the sentiment indicates a strong disapproval of the game's monetization strategy, viewing it as exploitative and untrustworthy.
“This is a cash grab and will be nothing more than a cheap attempt at a rip off.”
“The fact that even now, not having responded to anything for months, the game still gets put on sale, and once it was even sighted on Humble Bundle, only supports this cash grab idea even more.”
“Completely forgotten and abandoned by developers after initial broken release/cash grab.”
- atmosphere20 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is frequently praised for its captivating ambient music and visual design, which enhance the exploration experience and create an immersive environment. However, some players find the overall atmosphere lacking or boring, particularly when compared to other aspects of the game, indicating a mixed reception. Despite its flaws, many reviewers express a desire for the game to be fully realized, suggesting that a stronger focus on atmosphere could elevate the overall experience.
“This game is beautiful; it has a lovely atmospheric background music track to go along with the alien sights you come across as you further explore the planet you're on!”
“37 minutes into the game and I was already entranced by the atmosphere and the content.”
“After booting it up years later, I still really enjoy the atmosphere of Edge of Space.”
“The UI and the crafting are terrible, counter-intuitive; inventory management and combat are subpar, and the atmosphere is just boring and lackluster.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through diverse playstyles and personalization, making it enjoyable for players seeking variety. However, some users feel that it lacks replay value compared to other titles, indicating a mixed reception regarding its long-term engagement. Overall, it is considered a solid choice for those prioritizing fun over graphics in a sci-fi setting.
“It allows for a wide range of playstyles in this game, which gives it both replayability and personalization, which is one of my favorite aspects of any game, period.”
“I mean seriously, one of the best put-together games, and its replayability is fantastic!”
“If graphics aren't a big concern and you are looking for a fun, replayable sci-fi game, this is a very good choice.”
“I've tried to play it, but it has none of the replayability.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overwhelmingly negative, with users expressing deep regret and disappointment, feeling that it fails to deliver any enjoyment or satisfaction. Many reviewers suggest that the experience is so frustrating that it evokes strong feelings of sadness and anger, leading them to recommend alternative games instead. Overall, the emotional response is characterized by a sense of betrayal and a desire for a refund.
“Play Starbound or Terraria instead if you don't want to cry manly tears.”
“Unfinished bastard child with no fun between Terraria and Starbound, I can't stress enough how much I regret buying this game... years later... I just want to cry, have my money back and buy something else during summer sales... do not buy this steaming ball of sh*t.”
